The Solfatara - The Well

The Well - Volcanic Subterranean Hot Spring

The Volcano Solfatara - The Well

During the Middle Ages at least 40 hot springs were active in the Phlegrean Fields, and one of these was at the Solfatara. Some of these springs had been known to the Ancients Romans. The spa waters of the Solfatara were considered effective in the treatment of nervous diseases, problems of sight, fevers, skin diseases and sterility. The mineral water was later used for the traditional spa treatments.

The well that can be seen today was created at the beginning of the nineteenth century for the extraction of alum from water. The water was approximately 10 meters (appx. 33 feet) below the surface. The depth of the water which feeds the well has varied through out history.

Professor Sebastiono de Luca's many scientific experiments on the water in 1870 revealed that the water was rich in alum, sulfur oxides, calcium sulfate magnesium and other minerals. The water from the Solfatara has a characteristic bitter lemon-like flavor. The spa activity, mineral water, mud and natural therapeutic activities continued until the 1920's when it was abandoned.

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