Porretta Terme

Porretta Terme
Puràtta
Frazione
View of Porretta Terme
View of Porretta Terme
Porretta Terme is located in Italy
Porretta Terme
Porretta Terme
Location of Porretta Terme in Italy
Coordinates: 44°9′37″N 10°58′24″E / 44.16028°N 10.97333°E / 44.16028; 10.97333
CountryItaly
RegionEmilia-Romagna
ProvinceBologna (BO)
ComuneAlto Reno Terme
Elevation
349 m (1,145 ft)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
40046
Dialing code0534
Patron saintMary Magdalene
Saint day22 July

Porretta Terme (Bolognese: Puràtta) is a spa town and frazione of the comune of Alto Reno Terme, in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It lies in the upper valley of the Reno, in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, near the border with Tuscany.

Known since Roman times for its thermal springs, Porretta developed into one of the historic spa towns of northern Italy.[1][2] It was an independent municipality until 31 December 2015, when it merged with Granaglione to form the new municipality of Alto Reno Terme.[3]

Although administratively Porretta Terme is a frazione of Alto Reno Terme, the built-up area of Porretta is continuous with neighbouring settlements across the Reno valley floor. On the right bank of the Reno, Berzantina belongs administratively to the municipality of Castel di Casio, while remaining closely connected with Porretta in the local geography of the valley.[4][5]

Geography

Porretta Terme is situated at about 349 m (1,145 ft) above sea level, at the confluence of the Rio Maggiore with the Reno. The older settlement developed along the Rio Maggiore, while later expansion followed the Reno valley floor, the Porrettana road and the railway.

The settlement lies in the upper Reno valley, a narrow Apennine corridor linking the Bolognese area with the Pistoia mountains and northern Tuscany. The Porrettana railway marks an important physical and administrative division in the valley floor, separating Porretta from Berzantina, which is situated on the right bank of the Reno in the municipality of Castel di Casio.[4]

History

The history of Porretta is closely linked to its mineral waters. The springs were known and used in antiquity, and the historic spa area developed along the upper course of the Rio Maggiore. Roman archaeological finds discovered in the area of the Terme Alte attest to the ancient use of the site.[2]

The town was formerly known as Bagni della Porretta, a name referring directly to the baths and thermal waters.[6] During the nineteenth century, the development of spa facilities and the opening of the Porrettana railway strengthened Porretta's role as a thermal and mountain resort.

During the Italian campaign of World War II, Porretta lay near the Gothic Line front. The town housed the headquarters of the 1st Brazilian Expeditionary Division between November 1944 and the final Allied breakthrough of the Gothic Line.[7]

On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of Porretta Terme and Granaglione were abolished and merged into the new municipality of Alto Reno Terme, established by Regional Law no. 19 of 23 November 2015.[3]

Thermal springs

Porretta Terme is one of the historic spa towns of the northern Apennines. Treccani describes its mineral waters as chlorinated-sodium iodinated and chlorinated-sodium sulphurous thermal waters, with temperatures historically reported between 29 °C (84 °F) and 38 °C (100 °F).[1]

The historic upper spa complex, known as the Terme Alte, is located along the Rio Maggiore, below Monte della Croce. The complex includes several historic spa buildings and preserves evidence of the long continuity of thermal use in the town.[2]

Modern geochemical studies distinguish the Terme Alte springs from the Puzzola group, near the Reno river. The thermal waters are mainly of Na–Cl–HCO3 composition and are interpreted as meteoric waters that circulate deeply through Apennine geological formations before rising to the surface.[8]

Geology and mineralogy

Porretta is also known for its quartz and calcite mineralizations. The University of Bologna's Luigi Bombicci Mineralogical Collection describes the local quarzo aeroidro a tramogge, or enhydro hopper quartz, as notable for the large size of its crystals and crystal aggregates.[9]

Hopper quartz crystals have a stepped morphology caused by faster growth along the crystal edges than in the centre of the crystal faces. Some crystals are enhydro, containing internal cavities with fossil hydrothermal water and methane bubbles.[9] These mineralizations are linked to the deep hydrothermal system associated with the thermal waters of Porretta.[8]

The regional geosite inventory of Emilia-Romagna records the Porretta quartz occurrences among the geological features of the area, noting the typical hopper habit of the crystals.[10]

Main sights

Terme Alte and Grottino Chini

The Terme Alte form the historic upper spa complex of Porretta. Inside the complex is the Grottino Chini, also known as the Sala Bibita, a small drinking hall decorated with ceramic works by Galileo Chini, one of the leading figures of Italian Art Nouveau decoration.[2][11]

Religious buildings

The parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena stands in the historic centre of Porretta. The present building was constructed between 1690 and 1696, replacing an older church of medieval origin.[12]

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ponte is located near the Reno, along the road towards Ponte della Venturina and Pistoia.[13] The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Faggio lies near Castelluccio, in the surrounding Apennine landscape.[14]

Culture

Porretta Soul Festival

Since 1988 Porretta has hosted the Porretta Soul Festival, an annual festival dedicated to soul music and rhythm and blues. The festival was conceived by Graziano Uliani after he attended events in Macon, Georgia, commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the death of Otis Redding.[15]

Cinema

Porretta has a significant association with independent cinema. The Mostra Internazionale del Cinema Libero was founded in Porretta Terme in 1960 by figures including Cesare Zavattini, Leonida Repaci, Bruno Grieco and Gian Paolo Testa.[16] The present Festival del Cinema di Porretta Terme was founded in 2002 and presents itself as continuing that tradition.[17]

Transport

Porretta Terme is served by Porretta Terme railway station, on the Pistoia–Bologna railway, commonly known as the Porrettana. The line, inaugurated in 1864, was the first railway connection across the Apennines between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna and takes its name from Porretta.[18][19]

The station is managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana and has four passenger tracks.[20] The town is also crossed by the Strada statale 64 Porrettana, the historic road route linking Bologna with Pistoia through the Reno valley.

Former municipality

Until 31 December 2015 Porretta Terme was a separate municipality in the Province, later Metropolitan City, of Bologna. It included the hamlets of Capugnano, Castelluccio and Corvella and covered about 33.9 km2 (13.1 sq mi).[21]

The municipality was abolished on 1 January 2016, when Porretta Terme and Granaglione were merged into the new municipality of Alto Reno Terme.[3]

See also

  • Alto Reno Terme
  • Granaglione
  • Castel di Casio
  • Porretta Soul Festival
  • Pistoia–Bologna railway
  • Porretta Terme railway station
  • Reno (river)
  • Corno alle Scale

References

  1. ^ a b "Porretta Terme". Treccani (in Italian). Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Terme Alte". Beni culturali abbandonati (in Italian). Ministero della Cultura. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Legge regionale 23 novembre 2015, n. 19: Istituzione del Comune di Alto Reno Terme mediante fusione dei Comuni di Granaglione e Porretta Terme". Demetra (in Italian). Regione Emilia-Romagna. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Porretta Terme - BO". Radiocorriere (in Italian). Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  5. ^ "Infanzia Casola Berzantina". Istituto Comprensivo Porretta Terme (in Italian). Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  6. ^ "Bagni della Porretta". Treccani (in Italian). Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  7. ^ Oliveira, Frank Marcio de (2010). Attaché Extraordinaire: Vernon A. Walters in Brazil. National Defense Intelligence College. pp. 10–11. ISBN 9781932946222.
  8. ^ a b Tassi, Franco; Garofalo, Paolo S.; Turchetti, Filippo; De Santis, Davide; Capecchiacci, Francesco; Vaselli, Orlando; Cabassi, Jacopo; Venturi, Stefania; Vannini, Stefano (2022). "Insights into the Porretta Terme (northern Apennines, Italy) hydrothermal system revealed by geochemical data on presently discharging thermal waters and paleofluids". Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 44: 1925–1948. doi:10.1007/s10653-020-00762-5.
  9. ^ a b "Il quarzo e la calcite di Porretta". Sistema Museale di Ateneo (in Italian). Università di Bologna. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  10. ^ "I Geositi dell'Emilia-Romagna: quarzo di Porretta" (in Italian). Regione Emilia-Romagna. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  11. ^ "Il Grottino Chini di Porretta". Discover Alto Reno Terme (in Italian). Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  12. ^ "Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena - Alto Reno Terme". Tourer.it (in Italian). Segretariato regionale del Ministero della Cultura per l'Emilia-Romagna. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  13. ^ "The sanctuary of Madonna del Ponte". Discover Alto Reno Terme. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  14. ^ "Santuario della Madonna del Faggio". Appennino Bolognese (in Italian). Città metropolitana di Bologna. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  15. ^ "History". Porretta Soul Festival. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  16. ^ "Mostra Internazionale del Cinema Libero". Festival del Cinema di Porretta Terme (in Italian). Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  17. ^ "Il Festival". Festival del Cinema di Porretta Terme (in Italian). Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  18. ^ "Porrettana Railway". Visit Pistoia. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  19. ^ "Discovering the mountains near Pistoia along the Porrettana Railway route". Visit Tuscany. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  20. ^ "Porretta Terme" (in Italian). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  21. ^ "Comuni interessati: Granaglione e Porretta Terme". Assemblea legislativa (in Italian). Regione Emilia-Romagna. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.