Spa in Italy: Hyperthermal Water, Fango Therapy and Natural Corticosteroids

Key Facts

– Europe’s most intensive thermal spa — 87 °C hyperthermal water, 48–50 °C fango packs – Natural corticosteroids — produced by algae during 6-month fango maturation, cortisone-like effect without side effects – Over 50 spa hotels — the densest spa infrastructure in Europe, in a town of 20,000 – Musculoskeletal treatment ★★★ — over 50 diagnoses treated, the broadest orthopaedic spectrum – Dermatology ★★★ — 17 skin diagnoses treated, the only spa with dermatology as a co-primary speciality – 8 km from Padua, 50 km from Venice — culture and cure in one stay – German-speaking doctors in international spa hotels – No prepayment — pay at the hotel, book your Italy cure without risk

Italy at a Glance

Feature	Details
Spa	Abano Terme — world leader in fango therapy
Thermal Water	87 °C — hottest in Europe, sodium-chloride-bromine-iodine, radon traces
Fango Maturation	6–12 months in flowing 60 °C thermal water with thermophilic algae
Fango Temperature	48–50 °C at application
Specialisation	Musculoskeletal ★★★ (50+ diagnoses), Dermatology ★★★ (17 diagnoses)
Spa Hotels	50+ — densest concentration in Europe
Kurdauer	14–21 days recommended

Spa Resort Details

Abano Terme ★★★ — the world capital of fango therapy. The name itself is a linguistic monument: the word “fango” — the international medical term for therapeutic mud — originated here. But the mud is not simply dug from the ground and applied. The Euganean fango undergoes a proprietary maturation process of six to twelve months. Vulcanic clay is mixed with hyperthermal water at 60 °C in open tanks and colonised by specific strains of thermophilic algae — Mastigocladus laminosus and Phormidium — whose metabolic by-products confer the mud’s specific anti-inflammatory properties. These by-products include organic acids, enzymes and natural corticosteroids — hormone-like substances that suppress inflammation through the same biochemical pathway as pharmaceutical cortisone, but without the systemic side effects of weight gain, osteoporosis and immunosuppression.

The matured fango is heated to 48–50 °C and applied as a full-body or partial pack for 15–20 minutes. The heat penetrates 5–8 centimetres into the muscle tissue — deeper than any water bath can reach. After the pack, the patient is wrapped in thermal foil and sweats passively for 20 minutes. The hydrogen sulfide and bioactive organic compounds are absorbed transdermally and reach inflamed joint capsules within minutes. A course of 12 mud baths over two to three weeks produces measurable improvements in joint mobility, pain reduction and inflammatory markers that last for months.

The treatment spectrum at Abano Terme is staggeringly broad: over 50 musculoskeletal diagnoses — from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, gout and fibromyalgia — and 17 dermatological diagnoses including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, chronic eczema and acne. Abano Terme is the only spa in our network with dermatology as a co-primary speciality alongside musculoskeletal medicine. Gynaecological, respiratory, neurological and paediatric programmes complete the offering.

Spa Details

Spa	Water	Temperature	Speciality
Abano Terme ★★★	Na-Cl-Br-I, radon, hydrogen sulfide	87 °C at source	Musculoskeletal ★★★ (50+ diagnoses), Dermatology ★★★ (17 diagnoses)

Treatments in Italy

Fango therapy: The defining procedure. The mud — matured for months with thermophilic algae — is applied at 48–50 °C as a full-body or partial pack. The temperature is precisely calibrated: it must be hot enough to release the bioactive compounds at maximum intensity, but not so hot as to cause pain or skin damage. The natural corticosteroids absorbed during the pack suppress inflammatory enzymes in the joints — the effect is clinically comparable to a low-dose cortisone treatment, minus the side effects. moor pack treatment — learn more.

thermal bath with ozone: After the fango pack, the patient bathes in hyperthermal water at 36–38 °C enriched with ozone. The ozone improves peripheral circulation and enhances the absorption of the mud’s bioactive compounds residual in the skin. The bath lasts 15 minutes. Every spa hotel in Abano Terme has its own thermal water well — the water is constantly renewed and never sits stagnant.

Hydrokinesitherapy: Rehabilitation exercises performed in thermal pools under physiotherapist supervision. The buoyancy reduces body weight by 90 percent — movements that are painful or impossible on land become pain-free in the water. Post-operative patients who cannot yet bear weight on a replaced joint can begin mobilisation days or weeks earlier than on land.

Inhalation therapy and thermal grottos: The 87 °C water produces steam in natural grottos — a steam-sauna effect with powerful inhalation of radon- and sulfide-containing vapour. The inhalation reaches deep into the bronchial tree, reducing inflammation in the respiratory mucosa. This is effective for chronic bronchitis, sinusitis and allergic respiratory diseases.

History and Spa Tradition

Abano Terme is one of the oldest continuously used spa destinations in Europe. The name derives from Aponus, the god of thermal waters in the Venetic pantheon — pre-Roman people who inhabited the Euganean Hills before the Romans arrived. The Roman poet Claudian praised the springs in the 4th century AD. After a period of decline following the Lombard invasions in the 6th century, the town re-emerged as a commune in the 12th century and entered its modern spa era under the patronage of the Republic of Venice in the 15th century.

The guest list is a roll call of European culture. Petrarch took the waters. Shakespeare is thought to have used Abano as inspiration for elements of *The Two Gentlemen of Verona*. Mozart, Byron, Goethe and Tolstoy are all recorded as visitors. The town’s 50-plus spa hotels — from the five-star President Terme to intimate family-run establishments — create a pedestrianised spa town atmosphere unique in Italy.

The location amplifies the value: Padua, with Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel frescoes and the oldest university botanical garden in the world (1545, UNESCO), is 8 kilometres away. Venice is 50 kilometres — a 30-minute train ride. A weekend in Venice during a three-week fango course at Abano is a combination of culture and cure that no other spa resort can offer.

Typical Spa Day in Italy

Time	Activity
07:30	Rise — walk to the fango department
08:00	Fango pack — 15 minutes at 48–50 °C
08:30	Passive sweating in thermal foil — 20 minutes
09:00	Rinse with thermal water
09:30	Rest period — 30 minutes
10:00	Physiotherapy — active mobilisation
11:30	Walk in the spa park
12:30	Lunch
14:00	Thermal bath with ozone — 20 minutes
15:00	Massage or lymphatic drainage
16:30	Inhalation in the thermal grotto
17:30	Dinner
19:00	Evening walk — pedestrian zone or excursion to Padua

Frequently Asked Questions