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The story of a dream come true
adult
friendly
friendly
Access to the Spa and indoor and outdoor pools is only permitted to those aged 16 and over accompanied by an adult.
The story: Borgo Lanciano
All the stages
The origins
The original building of the Borgo was built in the immediate vicinity of Lanciano Castle, surrounded by a beautiful secular park.
Lanciano Castle, built between 1382 and 1385 by Giovanni da Varano to protect the north-eastern border of the city of Camerino, lost its military function in 1489 and was transformed into a stately residence by Giovanna Malatesta, niece of Francesco Sforza and wife of Giulio Cesare Varano.
At the end of the Varanesque dynasty, ownership of Lanciano passed to various noble families, including the Voglia, Rosa, Rossetti and finally the Bandini, who bought it from Pope Benedict XIV in 1754.
At the end of the Varanesque dynasty, ownership of Lanciano passed to various noble families, including the Voglia, Rosa, Rossetti and finally the Bandini, who bought it from Pope Benedict XIV in 1754.
Marquis Alessandro Bandini renovated and enlarged the castle with the construction of the gallery on the first floor, decorated by the Camerano architect Giovanni Antinori.
In 1977, the last member of the noble family, Princess Maria Sofia Giustininani Bandini Gravina, donated the castle and the entire family heritage, including the village, to the Archbishop's Curia in Camerino.
In 1977, the last member of the noble family, Princess Maria Sofia Giustininani Bandini Gravina, donated the castle and the entire family heritage, including the village, to the Archbishop's Curia in Camerino.
The will of the princess
In her will, the noblewoman stipulated that the place where she had spent her happy days, the place she particularly loved, should be shared and not remain a "closed place" of private property.
In the Middle Ages the Borgo had already proved to be a place of sharing: it is said that pilgrims tired from their journey quenched their thirst at its fountain (now inactive) and drank from its beneficial waters before resuming their journey.
The Chiesetta del Borgo was also a place of reinvigoration, not only of the body, but also of the soul.
The Chiesetta del Borgo was also a place of reinvigoration, not only of the body, but also of the soul.
“I arrived by chance (or is there no such thing as chance?) at Lanciano, near Castelraimondo: four dilapidated rural houses. I fell in love with them and saw a dream! But no one gave any credence to a utopia, and the words of my teacher Adriano Olivetti, at whose school I was trained, came to my rescue: the term u t o p i a is the most convenient way of dismissing what you have no desire, ability or courage to do. A dream seems like a dream until you start somewhere: only then does it become a purpose, that is, something infinitely greater”
The dream of Vittorina
The history of the little hamlet fascinated Vittorina and Giovanni Zuffellato, who found a solution that fulfilled the terms of the will: buy it and share it!
The unusual attention paid by Maria Sofia to this insignificant strip of land and the fame of the beneficial energies attributed to the small village aroused the curiosity of Signora Vittorina, who decided to investigate the matter further and, in addition to historians, also consulted geologists, until she discovered that Borgo Lanciano rests on a rocky platform of sandstone formation, "supported" in turn by springs that feed the Potenza river. This water creates a sort of "buoyancy" that is not perceptible to the senses, which in fact generates an energetic balance between the earth and the human body, providing those who stay here with an almost "unnatural" state of psychophysical wellness and relaxation.
Geophysical surveys, carried out in September 2014 by the National Research Council, showed that this location is free of magnetic pollution and, in this respect, has been certified as "a rare place".
Geophysical surveys, carried out in September 2014 by the National Research Council, showed that this location is free of magnetic pollution and, in this respect, has been certified as "a rare place".
“All the parameters measured in terms of physical agents such as natural radioactivity, the earth's magnetic field, the low-frequency electric and magnetic field and the radio frequency electromagnetic field were found to be below the norm that one would expect to find in production facilities today. Of particular note is the fact that both the low-frequency electric and magnetic field and the radio frequency electromagnetic field in particular are at background level. These low values are due to the absence of power lines and radio base stations in the area under study, resulting in an energetically clean environment that is rare to find nowadays. In addition to the energetic purity of the external environment, there is also a geomagnetic purity as indicated by the earth's magnetic field values showing homogeneity in intensity and direction at the various analysed points.”
Borgo Lanciano today
1382 – 2021: more than 600 years later, the history of Borgo Lanciano, today, this elegant resort with its ultra-modern, luxurious spa, which by its very nature is designed to dispense wellness, continues to fascinate.
“This is how my thoughts and feelings run as I walk along the avenue of the Borgo, happy to once again savour its aesthetic taste: an unforgettable immersion into a revitalising enveloping atmosphere in the Upper Valley of the Potenza river, in what used to be the estate of Princess Maria Sofia Giustiniani Bandini, which houses the nearby luxuriant and unique mansion-museum (Lanciano Castle), artistic and architectural assets of inestimable beauty, part of the Museo Diffuso delle Marche.
The harmonious embrace of Borgo Lanciano is the embrace of the heart, open to inner perception, which finds part of itself in the beauty created by the human being, in harmony with Mother Earth: the work of that self-healing inherent in every creature that belongs to it.”
The harmonious embrace of Borgo Lanciano is the embrace of the heart, open to inner perception, which finds part of itself in the beauty created by the human being, in harmony with Mother Earth: the work of that self-healing inherent in every creature that belongs to it.”
With esteem and affection from Giovanna Bonfili to the entrepreneur Mrs Vittorina Nori Zuffellato
Fiuminata,12 January 2015
Fiuminata,12 January 2015