Antiche Terme (Lago delle Sorgenti)

The Antiche Terme is a historic bathing complex in Acqui Terme, documented on the site since the fifteenth century. Giovanni Battista Scapitta rebuilt it in the late seventeenth century after a landslide destroyed its predecessor; from 2010, its historic rooms housed the Lago delle Sorgenti spa.

Why it matters

The site links Acqui Terme's long bathing tradition with its later architectural history. After the late-seventeenth-century rebuilding, the complex formed part of the town's thermal quarter. In 2010, the Lago delle Sorgenti spa was installed in the historic building, adding a modern chapter to its use.

What to notice

The sober late-seventeenth-century volumes attributed to Scapitta form part of Acqui Terme's historic Bagni quarter. Nearby, the neoclassical Fontanino dell'Acqua Marcia dates to 1847, while remains of the Roman aqueduct can be seen beneath Ponte Carlo Alberto. Together these structures trace the area's long association with thermal water.

Context and history

A thermal establishment stood on the site by the fifteenth century. A landslide destroyed it in 1687, and Giovanni Battista Scapitta rebuilt the complex at the end of the seventeenth century. The baths served Acqui through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Lago delle Sorgenti spa was installed in the historic rooms in 2010, continuing the site's association with thermal bathing.