A walk through one of the longest surviving health fads
Last summer, in pursuit of an evasive Italian scientist, I found myself alone on an unexpected journey through Tuscany. I unromantically landed upon a small town called Chianciano Terme with no knowledge of its history or options for budget accommodation. As I searched for a bed for the night, I concluded that it was a medieval medical town gone modern. The colours were soft, the air maintained a calculated stillness, and behind the big windows of the hotel lobbies you could see people carefully playing cards through the night. I later learned the reason for my observations.
Thousands of years ago, the Roman emperor Augustus was seriously ill with liver disease. His doctor, Antonius Musa, reportedly cured him with cold baths from the mineral springs of this area. Another notable patient of Musa was the poet Horace who spread the word of these healing waters. The four springs of Chianciano — Acqua Santa, Acqua Fucoli, Acqua Santissima and Acqua Sillene — began to attract people for cures to their ailments. Today the motto of the town is Chianciano for a healthy liver.
(This story appears in the 02 July, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)