Cultural Heritage of water - An interesting series

ICOMOS Documentation Centre has recently received a volume of the series Acquae: Studi e testi sulle terme ("Studies and texts on Spas")

This collection is of particular interest in view of the World Heritage Day in 2011 (18 April), whose theme "The cultural heritage of water".


Volumes available:

* SEGRETI DELLE ACQUE: Studi e immagini sui bagni seco li XIV-XIX
These essays on literature related to balneology vary in themes and environmental settings, cultural moments and experiences: Ugolino Caccini and Francesco Casini, two medieval doctors; a letter Poggio Bracciolini wrote from Baden in 1416; the 16th-century collection «De balneis»; balneology in Europe and the figurative arts; Montaigne’s travels; the life of Girolamo Vasari, a government official from Florence; the thermal baths of Contursi, near Salerno, and other thermal sites in the early 19th century.
Aquae. Studi e testi sulle terme, vol. 1
2007, cm 17 ¥ 24, x-174 pp. con 5 figg. n.t. € 23,00
[isbn 978 88 222 5698 0]

* «L’acqua non è mai la stessa»: Le acque nella tradizione culturale dell’Asia
The volume offers a series of images and reflections on the relationship between water and cultural tradition in China, India and Japan, as well as considerations on a rich literary and artistic production spanning centuries. The use of water corresponds to spiritual and material needs, symbolising purity and harmony: therefore ritual immersions often take place in suggestive environments that have a strong impact on the spirit.
Aquae, vol. 2
2009, cm 17 ¥ 24, xiv-228 pp. € 24,00
[isbn 978 88 222 5815 1]

* Michel de Montaigne e il termalismo
The ten contributions gather interdisciplinary analyses on the how’s and why’s of Montaigne’s interest in thermal practices. In their consideration, they associate history of literature and history of medicine, with particular attention to documents of the era, to evidence of readings and readers, to uses and customs; and also to six and seventeenth-century studies on thermal baths, to the practice of ‘travel’ for curative purposes, to habits, hopes and disenchanted looks of travellers and of the travelling Montaigne.
Aquae. Studi e testi sulle terme, vol. 3
2010, m 17 ¥ 24, x-190 pp. con 6 figg. n.t. € 20,00
[isbn 978 88 222 5965 3]

* Territori delle acque. Esperienze e teorie in Italia e in Inghilterra nell'Ottocento.
The volume presents a number of significant approaches to the issue of water in Italy and England during the 19th century. The use of Lombard water for agriculture and transport celebrated by Cantù and Cattaneo as well as Tommasi-Crudeli’s wish for an efficient monitoring of urban drainage, find correspondence in Marshall’s proposal for a water inventory as part of national wealth and in Howard’s ample use of recreational waters for his garden city. The texts by Marshall and Howard are translated to Italian for the first time.
Aquae. Studi e testi sulle terme, vol. 4
2010, cm. 17 × 24, vi-164 pp. con 7 figg. n.t. e 3 tavv. f.t. a colori. € 20,00
[isbn 978 88 222 5988 2]

* Hammam: Le terme nell’Islam
Hammams and the hammam culture initially spread in Mediterranean and European regions
under the influence of Islam, replacing Roman baths. The essays included in this original and innovative volume clarify that, from the beginning, the hammam ritual has meant purification of body and mind, has influenced human existence in various ways, and for centuries has appealed to the collective imagination of those, including Westerners, who came into contact with a refined and fascinating civilization.
Aqvae, vol. 5
2011, cm 17 ¥ 24, xvi-290 pp. con 36 figg. e 6 tabelle n.t.,
e 20 tavv. f.t. di cui 10 a colori. € 28,00 [isbn 978 88 222 5996 7]

Contacts and info: Casa Editrice Leo S. Olschki