NITRODI NATURAL SPRINGS
Latest update: 19 March 2022
NITRODI NATURAL SPRINGS
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At first glance, the eye doesn't truly comprehend the scale and depth of the experience about to unfold with a visit to Nitrodi Natural Springs, but after a brief tour of the complex, it's easy to understand why this site has become renowned for its peace, tranquility and sense of well-being. For more than two thousand years, the springs at Nitrodi have been providing the islanders of Ischia with a special resource from which they can heal a range of skin complaints and feel a sense of refreshment and vigour. The Romans were the first to recognise the gifts of Nitrodi's springs which haven't failed to flow since its original discovery, and it is these very same springs that are at the source of Nitrodi's magical gifts to this day.
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So enamoured were the Romans with Nitrodi, that they donated votive offerings to the nymphs that were said to guard the springs, in the form of marble tablets or reliefs. The 12 tablets which were found by local farmers in 1759, are now exhibits at the Museum of Archaeology in Naples. The carvings depicted on the tablets represent the gratitude shown by every Roman class from rich to poor, towards the healing properties of the water, the nymphs and also to the Greek God Apollo.
As recently as March 2009, management of the complex was handed to Giuseppe Di Meglio, and it was he who explained to Ischia Review, the true essence of wellness and how a visit to Nitrodi can best be enjoyed. Giuseppe's enthusiasm and passion for his work is immediately evident as he explains the ancient origins of the complex and how he has harnessed its elements by adding further features to create an enriched experience for his visitors.
At the heart of all that is good about Nitrodi is the water. For as long as records and time will allow, the water has flowed from the natural springs within the Barano mountan-side. The Nitrodi water has been classified as "mineral, hypothermal, sulfate alkaline and alkaline earthy water", and its therapeutic properties were acknowledged by the Department of Health (decree number 3509, 9th October 2003).
The greatest efficacy of the water at Nitrodi can be felt with the treatment of dermatitis and most of its manifestations such as eczema, acne and neurodermatitis. Contact with the water is especially effective in the treatment of varicose vein ulcers because of its impact on the nutritional process of the material. Therefore, the Nitrodi water is used in the treatment of sores, fistula, boils burns and ulcer scars.
As Giuseppe enthused during our visit, the water has an invigorating effect on the body which can be felt by using the showers at the complex. There are a variety of different types of shower facilities available at Nitrodi where you can either stand up as in a conventional shower, or instead use the chairs provided to sit down and hose yourself all over with the nutritional water. With Nitrodi's location on a hill-side in Barano, you then have the perfect opportunity from which to take advantage of the warm climate, by drying naturally underneath the sun's rays which gives the greatest benefit to the skin.
In order to achieve maximum effect from Nitrodi's water, visitors to the complex are also advised to drink from the constantly-flowing taps, as this helps to stimulate diuretic, detoxicating and gastro-calming processes within the body.
It is at the stage when the skin has dried that the real process of overall wellness of the body begins. With the skin invigorated and naturally dried underneath the sun, visitors make their way along to the aromatherapy garden. This wondrous garden is full of surprises with its range of herbs and flowers that contain a number of natural remedies.
Walking around the garden, Giuseppe explained how by making contact with the skin, these herbs and flowers can have a beneficial impact on the body. The versatile lavender for example can be used as an anti-depressant with its sedative qualities on the nervous and respiratory system, or as an antiseptic, such was its use during times of plague. Thyme was used by the Ancient Greeks to burn as incense, disinfecting the digestive system and encouraging appetite, as well as to soothe coughs and respiratory infections.
The sense of harmony with nature increases as one begins to understand the hidden secrets of these common herbs and flowers. Bay leaves, myrtles, rosemary and lemon are all to be found and used in the garden with their positive effects on the body such as stress relief, the easing of stomach and respiratory problems, or even as in the case with sage, to be used as an aphrodisiac.
This Hydro-Aromatherapeutic process which visitors undertake at Nitrodi is designed to stimulate every sense. After having drunk and then showered in the water, the garden provides further stimulus for the senses when still-wet hands rub the herbs and flowers into the skin, this is particularly true with rosemary, which has an invigorating effect on the mind and body.
Within the hydro-aromatherapy garden is a small bar, but with a slight difference from most. The bar at Nitrodi only serves drinks made from its own thermal water and the herbs and flowers in the garden. There are a range of these infusion drinks, and each has its own beneficial effect on the body or mind. The infusions are created from plants harvested that morning, ensuring that they are picked when they have the maximum amount of nutrients and essential oils.
The range of drinks includes:
Mint and Lemon Tea - Refreshing and invigorating and with positive effects on the next morning’s metabolism.
An infusion of Myrtle, Rosemary, Sage and Mint – Acts as a tonic and helps to restore balance within the body.
Bay Tree Granite and Camomile Infusion – Brightens and restores the body’s natural balance and also acts as an anti-septic and an anti-inflammatory.
Elixir of Aloes – Made from the freshly extracted gel of aloe, added to mint, lemon and honey. Provides vitamins and helps restore the body’s natural balance.
Vite Rosa Infusion – Created from leaves of the Vite Rosa, it helps to stimulate circulation.
With the body now cleansed by the Nitrodi water and the senses treated by the aromatherapy garden and infusion drinks, visitors are perfectly poised to complete the overall wellness process by relaxing on one of the sunbeds. By climbing a few steps from the aromatherapy garden, guests find themselves in an area with one of the most spectacular views in Ischia.
It is from these sunbeds and with this incredible vista, that the Nitrodi path of wellness reaches its crescendo. Space is limited at Nitrodi to ensure that there is an atmosphere of peace and calm. For this reason, you will always find yourself in a quiet area with your own sunbed and nothing but relaxation and the wonderful view around you.
Most visitors to Nitrodi choose this point of the experience to use a face-mask, created by using the site’s special water. Nitrodi has its own, very exclusive range of natural cosmetics, with production limited to ensure the ingredients are always used when fresh and at their most effective. With drink and mask, guests are then free to relax in the warm, open air of Nitrodi and to enjoy the sense of “dolce far niente” (sweet doing nothing), with only the sounds of waves in the distance and the birds singing in the trees.
“Nitrodi – A history of wellness” is etched around the complex from the showers to the welcome area, and these five words perfectly sum-up the experience. From Giuseppe Di Meglio’s enthusiasm for the site’s history, his Hydro-Aromatherapy projects and the sense of well-being that the experience leaves the visitor with, Nitrodi is the perfect complement to a visit to Ischia and its legacy is felt long after leaving.
Dion Protani
Entry prices to Nitrodi for 2018 are as follows:
April 1st - July 9th - €12
July 10th - September 10th - €14
September 11th - November 15th - €12
Directions to Nitrodi are as follows:
From the town of Buonopane in Barano you'll find a small hill down to a car park and then some steps down to a building that houses the Nitrodi complex.
The site can also be reached by bus, using either the CD or CS lines, and in summer you can also use the number 11.
Opening-Times:
Nitrodi is open from the 1st April until the 15th November while daily opening-times vary depending on the month:
April - 9:00am to 6:30pm
May, June, July & August - 9:00am to 7:30pm
September - 9:00am to 7:00pm
October - 9:00am to 6:00pm
November - 9:00am to 5:00pm
For more information about Nitrodi, please click on the green button below for the official website.
As recently as March 2009, management of the complex was handed to Giuseppe Di Meglio, and it was he who explained to Ischia Review, the true essence of wellness and how a visit to Nitrodi can best be enjoyed. Giuseppe's enthusiasm and passion for his work is immediately evident as he explains the ancient origins of the complex and how he has harnessed its elements by adding further features to create an enriched experience for his visitors.
At the heart of all that is good about Nitrodi is the water. For as long as records and time will allow, the water has flowed from the natural springs within the Barano mountan-side. The Nitrodi water has been classified as "mineral, hypothermal, sulfate alkaline and alkaline earthy water", and its therapeutic properties were acknowledged by the Department of Health (decree number 3509, 9th October 2003).
The greatest efficacy of the water at Nitrodi can be felt with the treatment of dermatitis and most of its manifestations such as eczema, acne and neurodermatitis. Contact with the water is especially effective in the treatment of varicose vein ulcers because of its impact on the nutritional process of the material. Therefore, the Nitrodi water is used in the treatment of sores, fistula, boils burns and ulcer scars.
As Giuseppe enthused during our visit, the water has an invigorating effect on the body which can be felt by using the showers at the complex. There are a variety of different types of shower facilities available at Nitrodi where you can either stand up as in a conventional shower, or instead use the chairs provided to sit down and hose yourself all over with the nutritional water. With Nitrodi's location on a hill-side in Barano, you then have the perfect opportunity from which to take advantage of the warm climate, by drying naturally underneath the sun's rays which gives the greatest benefit to the skin.
In order to achieve maximum effect from Nitrodi's water, visitors to the complex are also advised to drink from the constantly-flowing taps, as this helps to stimulate diuretic, detoxicating and gastro-calming processes within the body.
It is at the stage when the skin has dried that the real process of overall wellness of the body begins. With the skin invigorated and naturally dried underneath the sun, visitors make their way along to the aromatherapy garden. This wondrous garden is full of surprises with its range of herbs and flowers that contain a number of natural remedies.
Walking around the garden, Giuseppe explained how by making contact with the skin, these herbs and flowers can have a beneficial impact on the body. The versatile lavender for example can be used as an anti-depressant with its sedative qualities on the nervous and respiratory system, or as an antiseptic, such was its use during times of plague. Thyme was used by the Ancient Greeks to burn as incense, disinfecting the digestive system and encouraging appetite, as well as to soothe coughs and respiratory infections.
The sense of harmony with nature increases as one begins to understand the hidden secrets of these common herbs and flowers. Bay leaves, myrtles, rosemary and lemon are all to be found and used in the garden with their positive effects on the body such as stress relief, the easing of stomach and respiratory problems, or even as in the case with sage, to be used as an aphrodisiac.
This Hydro-Aromatherapeutic process which visitors undertake at Nitrodi is designed to stimulate every sense. After having drunk and then showered in the water, the garden provides further stimulus for the senses when still-wet hands rub the herbs and flowers into the skin, this is particularly true with rosemary, which has an invigorating effect on the mind and body.
Within the hydro-aromatherapy garden is a small bar, but with a slight difference from most. The bar at Nitrodi only serves drinks made from its own thermal water and the herbs and flowers in the garden. There are a range of these infusion drinks, and each has its own beneficial effect on the body or mind. The infusions are created from plants harvested that morning, ensuring that they are picked when they have the maximum amount of nutrients and essential oils.
The range of drinks includes:
Mint and Lemon Tea - Refreshing and invigorating and with positive effects on the next morning’s metabolism.
An infusion of Myrtle, Rosemary, Sage and Mint – Acts as a tonic and helps to restore balance within the body.
Bay Tree Granite and Camomile Infusion – Brightens and restores the body’s natural balance and also acts as an anti-septic and an anti-inflammatory.
Elixir of Aloes – Made from the freshly extracted gel of aloe, added to mint, lemon and honey. Provides vitamins and helps restore the body’s natural balance.
Vite Rosa Infusion – Created from leaves of the Vite Rosa, it helps to stimulate circulation.
With the body now cleansed by the Nitrodi water and the senses treated by the aromatherapy garden and infusion drinks, visitors are perfectly poised to complete the overall wellness process by relaxing on one of the sunbeds. By climbing a few steps from the aromatherapy garden, guests find themselves in an area with one of the most spectacular views in Ischia.
It is from these sunbeds and with this incredible vista, that the Nitrodi path of wellness reaches its crescendo. Space is limited at Nitrodi to ensure that there is an atmosphere of peace and calm. For this reason, you will always find yourself in a quiet area with your own sunbed and nothing but relaxation and the wonderful view around you.
Most visitors to Nitrodi choose this point of the experience to use a face-mask, created by using the site’s special water. Nitrodi has its own, very exclusive range of natural cosmetics, with production limited to ensure the ingredients are always used when fresh and at their most effective. With drink and mask, guests are then free to relax in the warm, open air of Nitrodi and to enjoy the sense of “dolce far niente” (sweet doing nothing), with only the sounds of waves in the distance and the birds singing in the trees.
“Nitrodi – A history of wellness” is etched around the complex from the showers to the welcome area, and these five words perfectly sum-up the experience. From Giuseppe Di Meglio’s enthusiasm for the site’s history, his Hydro-Aromatherapy projects and the sense of well-being that the experience leaves the visitor with, Nitrodi is the perfect complement to a visit to Ischia and its legacy is felt long after leaving.
Dion Protani
Entry prices to Nitrodi for 2018 are as follows:
April 1st - July 9th - €12
July 10th - September 10th - €14
September 11th - November 15th - €12
Directions to Nitrodi are as follows:
From the town of Buonopane in Barano you'll find a small hill down to a car park and then some steps down to a building that houses the Nitrodi complex.
The site can also be reached by bus, using either the CD or CS lines, and in summer you can also use the number 11.
Opening-Times:
Nitrodi is open from the 1st April until the 15th November while daily opening-times vary depending on the month:
April - 9:00am to 6:30pm
May, June, July & August - 9:00am to 7:30pm
September - 9:00am to 7:00pm
October - 9:00am to 6:00pm
November - 9:00am to 5:00pm
For more information about Nitrodi, please click on the green button below for the official website.
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