Fiuggi, yet another surprise!

For our anniversary, we wanted to just relax and find a little hilltown to explore. Fiuggi is located less than an hour from Rome, on the way to Naploli. We really knew nothing about this place except our hotel had a spa and we wanted to splurge on couple massages to add to our relaxing weekend plan. We checked in Friday night and before dinner wanted to explore the little town. The town was the same as every other hilltown in Italy, and then again, no town is the same in Italy. Flowers spilled out window boxes, sidewalks were covered with tables and chairs for outside eating, benches for sitting and talking...or people watching, and of course, gelato shops everywhere. We were delighted and strolled around just looking. We wondered down to a place that looked like an entrance to a park. People were paying what looked like about five euros and were strolling in. It looked so peaceful. Trails, walking paths, fountains all meandered out of sight, under an umbrella of pine trees. It was just about then that we noticed two things. One, about 98% of the people strolling around and going into the park were older than Stacey and I. We thought at first that maybe we happened upon a community that had a retirement home!!! Something that we had never heard of or seen before in Italy. People just don't live in retirement homes. They live with family!! Anyway, the second thing we noticed, almost everyone was carrying around a cup! That's right, a cup!! We thought with all the festivals going on across Italy, there must be one tonight and there must be free drinks if you bring your cup!!How fun!!! We went back to the hotel and got dressed for dinner. Stacey was looking at the map of the town and was reading about the sights. All of the sudden he said, "Oh, I know why everyone is carrying those cups and this is such an "elderly" populated community...there is a miracle spring here in Fiuggi!" Around 1300, Pope Boniface VIII was convinced that the spring water cured his kidney stones. Michelangelo said it cured him of something...at this moment I forgot what it was, but it is called Miraculous aqua di Fiuggi! People stroll down and get a drink DAILY...and it said most people do it twice a day!!! That night at dinner our "young" waiter told us he didn't drink anything but Fiuggi water and that we shouldn't either!! He was as serious as a heart attack! No pun intended. Every place we ate, Fiuggi "miracle" water was on our table. We loved finding Fiuggi. It was a beautiful place. Our hotel wasn't to bad either. The food was wonderful, and the messages were awesome!




Pool area in the early morning. There is an outside eating area behind the umbrellas and hedge at the back.
The view from our window looking left..........
The view looking right.........