Suio is a ''frazione'' (rural borough) of
Castelforte, a municipality in southern
Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Definition
Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...
, central
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
Overview
It is located on the northernmost slopes of the
Monti Aurunci
The Monti Aurunci (or Aurunci Mountains) is a mountain range of southern Lazio, in central Italy. It is part of the Antiappennini, a group running from the Apennines chain to the Tyrrhenian Sea, where it forms the promontory of Gaeta. It is bo ...
, near the
Garigliano
The Garigliano () is a river in central Italy.
It forms at the confluence of the rivers Gari (also known as the Rapido) and Liri. Garigliano is actually a deformation of "Gari-Lirano" (which in Italian means something like "Gari from the Liri") ...
river, and is composed of two villages: Suio Paese (or Suio Alto), situated on a hill with a medieval castle, and Forma di Suio, at the feet of the castle, in a location where thermal baths exists. The latter were mentioned since ancient times by writers such as
Pliny 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 ' ...
and
Lucan (Suio was a center of the
Aurunci
The Aurunci were an Italic tribe that lived in southern Italy from around the 1st millennium BC. They were eventually defeated by Rome and subsumed into the Roman Republic during the second half of the 4th century BC.
Identity
Aurunci is the n ...
before the Roman conquest), and were frequented until the
late Roman imperial times. Bath tourism became again active after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Part of the
Battle of the Garigliano (1503) was fought nearby.
Other sights include the 13th century church of Santa Maria in Pensulis, which was perhaps built over a Roman villa, and was originally owned by the
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
of
Gaeta, and the 15th century church of San Michele Arcangelo, at Suio Alto.
Thermal Baths
The thermal baths are situated along the Garigliano River and are a result of volcanic activity causing natural bubbling springs to occur. During the summer and spring months the hot springs are a common local spot. The baths' water is high in sulfur and mineral deposits from the volcanic activity. These water qualities are thought to have beneficial effects on the skin by the local population, one of the reasons for its popularity.
References
Sources
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{{authority control
Frazioni of the Province of Latina
Spa towns in Italy
Ancient Roman baths in Italy
Roman sites in Italy