Circa 1351 Bolognese doctor Bonaventura Castelli writes Recepta
aque balnei de Porrecta, a treatise on the properties and correct method of use of
the thermal waters of Porretta Terme, in the province of Bologna. In this work,
he details a relation a capite ad calcem of the diseases that the baths of Porretta can
heal “mirabiliter”, the place where they are, how and when to use them, the diet to
be followed during the treatment and the instructions that must be followed once
finished. It is a work of considerable success pioneering in the literary genre of
monographs de balneis.
Between 1448 and 1449 Michele Savonarola, professor and physician in Este’s Ferrara, publishes De balneis et termis Ytalię, the most complete thermal treatise at that time. In it, he analyses the types of baths, its components and the main Italian hot springs. This work brings the first critical edition and the first translation, accompanied by critical and fonts apparatus, introduction and glossary for a full comprehension.
A research website about Archaeology of Ancient Roman Thermalism — and a meeting point for researchers and other people interested in this subject (Thermal Network).
