When you think of France, do you picture the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or the Arc de Triomphe? Stunning as they are, there are many more beautiful and intriguing natural and historical sites in the country – and 49 of them have World Heritage status!
Click start to play today’s Crossword, where you can identify a few United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) heritage sites from France and Italy.
One of the latest Unesco World Heritage Sites, designated in 2021, is not a single site but 11 cross-continental spa towns that received recognition for their influence on architecture and landscape design. Two of them are based in France (Vichy) and Italy (Montecatini Terme) – the countries featured in our puzzle today.
But why do these spa towns deserve to be listed as World Heritage Sites?
It’s because they’re not your run-of-the-mill spa resorts. These towns functioned as social and medical beacons for their societies, and spread ideas about architecture and urban planning. Doctors in the 18th century used to prescribe a trip to spa towns, for medical issues like paralysis induced by lead poison. According to a September 2021 Bloomberg report, lead was common in many products at the time, and its effects seem to have been remedied to a certain extent through long, hot baths.
France and Italy were home to two of the most popular spa towns of the time. France’s Vichy region has six different sources of mineral springs, which apparently claim to cure 50 different ailments. The water temperature is usually around 43.5 degrees Celsius! Apart from its spas, Vichy has tremendous history – it was once the centre of free France during the occupation of the Nazis in World War II.
Likewise, Italy’s Montecatini Terme in Tuscany, is also a popular site for tourists and residents - it is one of the biggest spa towns in the country. With nine thermal centres, its waters have been known for their therapeutic properties since the Roman era.
Today’s spas don’t promise the same clinical therapies as they used to in the old days, but they do offer an atmosphere of calm and relaxation that you’d be hard-pressed to find in your daily routines.
Do you enjoy going to the spa? Play today’s Crossword and let us know if you solved it at games@gulfnews.com.
