History of the Terme di Rabbi
The Legend of Bastianèl dei Micli
It all began with Bastianèl, a young shepherd from the Micli family, who, during his days among the pastures, accidentally discovered the extraordinary healing properties of Rabbi's thermal water. By observing the improved health of his sheep, which drank from a certain spring, he realized the power of the effervescent, iron-rich water.
The fame of the "acqua forta" (strong water) spread quickly, reaching the Austrian imperial court of Maria Theresa, who encouraged its therapeutic use. The water from Rabbi was recognized for its beneficial properties and exported throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, considered superior to other mineral waters of the time.
Today, the image of Bastianèl holding a bottle of thermal water still appears on the promotional poster for the Terme di Rabbi, symbolizing the natural elixir that has represented this Trentino valley for centuries.
A Sought-After Product Across Europe
In the 19th century, the water of the Terme di Rabbi was bottled in 350 ml glass bottles and sold in pharmacies and apothecaries as far as Vienna. The water was transported in barrels, then transferred into carriages, with several changes along the way. Given the delicate composition of the water—rich in carbon dioxide and sensitive to temperature changes and movement—the product that arrived in the Austrian capital was very different from the one at the source. Nevertheless, the water was considered a true "elixir of life."
Frequent Visitors to the Terme di Rabbi in the 19th Century
Cited in local historical archives, numerous members of the 19th-century Austrian, Lombard, and Venetian nobility were among the visitors to the Terme. These included the President of the Council of the Kingdom of Italy, Benedetto Cairoli, the Archbishop of Milan Luigi Nazari di Calabiana, the Blessed Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, the English mountaineer and explorer Douglas W. Freshfield, and the geologist and paleontologist Antonio Stoppani. The latter, in his 1876 work Il Bel Paese, described with great enthusiasm the extraordinary location of the Bagni di Rabbi, where he himself had found health and well-being.
