Tourism and tourist places in Misterbianco: The Thermae

Tourism in Misterbianco

The Thermae

Misterbianco is a village rich of history and it rises few kilometres from Catania, at the southern foot of the imposing Etna.

The territory is surrounded by lavic currents of the eruption of 1669 which destroyed the ancient rural house and by rich lands of the valleys cultivated with vineyards and olive grooves.

In the piazza della Resistenza there are ruins of the splendid thermae dated back to Roman period and which rose on the ancient consular road which jointed the powerful Catania to the beautiful Ibla, Centuripe, Enna and Imera.

The wall structure was made of big square stones, jointed so that perfectly fit among them and based on even plains and are covered by marbles.

The great baths, surmounted by vaults and by square stones, were furnished by the aqueduct of Santa Maria di Licodia whic, through superelevated and buried pipes, led water to the town.

The Thermae included the changing room (apoditerio), through it passes in the places used for cold baths (frigidario), to tepid baths (tepidario), to hot baths (calidario) and to very little room for sudoriferous reaction (sudationes).

The rooms were warmed by means of hot air coming from a great furnace and made circulated through a double floor hanging on small round iron columns and along walls.

Terraces it is probable that were supplied with curtains to shelter guests from sunrays.

The Thermae were probably surrounded by shops, rooms where were served hot and cold drinks, stables for sheltering animals and hotels for those guests who wanted to stop in those places during their travels.