The Segestan thermal baths (also called ''Polle del Crimiso'')
/ref> are hydrothermal springs located in Sicily, between Alcamo and Castellammare del Golfo, in the province of Trapani.

History

Mythology

The first Greeks living in western Sicily related the phenomenon of the formation of hot waters to a mythological event, according to which the heat of the river waters had been emitted thanks to a fluvial god's will, Crimiso, to let heat the nymph Egesta, escaped from Troy, get warm as she was unconscious on the river bank, and that later became his wife. They had a son,

Acestes In Roman mythology, Acestes or Egestes ( grc, Ἀκέστης) was the son of the Sicilian river-god Crinisus by a Dardanian or Trojan woman named Egesta or Segesta. According to Servius, this woman Egesta or Segesta was sent by her father, Hip ...

, who founded Segesta and gave her mother's name to it.Ignazio Concordia: la Sicilia tra Mito e Storia p.52-55, ed. The historian

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

tells about Heracles’ trip: while he was going to Erice he met the Egestee nymphs who, in order to help him to recover from fatigue, made Egestan (or Segestan)Giovanni Virzì, "Le polle del Crimiso"
/ref> hot water springs appear on the surface.

Dionysius of Halicarnassus Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς, ; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary sty ...

speaks about the Segestan thermal baths and tells that

Eneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons of ...

, after arriving in Sicily, left near Egesta his older mates who were tired for the trip, to repopulate it again and, by using these waters, have some benefits for their bodies. So this myth connects also to the foundation of Segesta made by Trojans who chose it for the beneficial properties of the hot water in its territory. As regards the river position, all the historical sources referring this myth agree on the fact that Crimiso is located in the Segestan area, and so it should be the present river San Bartolomeo (made up by the confluence of the river Caldo and the river Freddo), at whose mouth Segesta had its harbour.

Historical testimonies

Besides legendas, different historical testimonies attest the importance of these thermal baths: Strabone speaks about them and even

Plinius the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

praises their therapeutic virtues: ''Nec vero omnes quae sint calidae medicatas esse credendum, sicut in Segesta Siciliae''.

Morphology

The river Caldo, more than three metres large and less than 50 centimetres deep, in its first tract, runs between two high rocky walls. The rock next to the river shows sediments of travertino from Alcamo, formed by limestones created by hot waters. On the left river's bank there are four water springs, with a temperature of 47

Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The ...

degrees.

Thermal plants

Near the Segestan baths there are two thermal plants: #''Terme Gorga'' (Alcamo): in contrada Gorga, at about one kilometre from Alcamo Diramazione railway station; the thermal waters near this plant, are concentrated in a natural basin among clay material and are

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...

sulfuric Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

; they have a temperature of about 49 °C and with a water flow of 80 litres a second. The plant is located inside an old mill restored about 50 year ago.Regione Siciliana - ''Terme di Alcamo e Castellammare''
/ref> #''Terme Segestane'' (Castellammare del Golfo): this plant is located in contrada Ponte Bagni where the mineral waters gush out at the temperature of about 47 °C and with a water flow of about 110 litre a second. The treatments provided here are mud baths, grottoes, massages, hydro-massages,

aerosol An aerosol is a suspension (chemistry), suspension of fine solid particles or liquid Drop (liquid), droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be natural or Human impact on the environment, anthropogenic. Examples of natural aerosols are fog o ...

inhalations and irrigations.

Flora and fauna

In the territory of Segestan thermal baths there are tamarisks and reeds Agroericino.com - Le terme Segestane
Owing to its particular conformation, the rocky slopes near the river Caldo shelter a lot of birds' nests.

Properties of waters and muds

These waters are

chloro Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine is ...

- sulphate-

-earthy: the analysis show that the content of sulphur derives from the dissolution of the particles of gypsum and sulphur that are in the

subsoil Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. Like topsoil, it is composed of a variable mixture of small particles such as sand, silt and clay, but with a much lower percentage of organic matter and humus, and it ...

, and that emerge near Vita and Calatafimi, crossed by these waters during their reascending. The presence of very permeable rocks in the area, lets rain-water to be absorbed in the depth, where magma heats the thermal waters, rising to the surface in several places.Terme Libere - Terme Libere di Segesta
/ref> These waters can be used for baths and inhalations for therapeutic purposes; their muds are used to treat

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

, arthrosis, sciatica, hyperuricemia, gout and skin diseases.

References

Bibliography

* Diego Buccellato Galatioto, Castellammare del Golfo, Palermo, tipografia Domenico Vena, 1909 * Ignazio Concordia: la Sicilia tra Mito e Storia p. 52-55, ed. Edicooper, Palermo, 1990

External links

''Città di Calatafimi Segesta - Terme segestane''

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