The Functioning of Italian Spas in the Sixteenth Century. Reflections on Rita Mazzei’s Monograph, La cura di sé al tempo di Montaigne. I bagni termali nell’Europa del Cinquecento (Rome 2022, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, pp. XXVI, 420, 2 unpaginated p

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12775/OiRwP.2025.11

Keywords

Renaissance medical treatises, thermal waters, balneology, Italian spas, Renaissance medicine

Abstract

The article discusses a monograph by Rita Mazzei that explores sixteenth-century spas, primarily in Italy. She presents various topics related to treatment methods using thermal waters and mud, analyses the organisation and costs associated with travel to these spas, and describes the course of treatment. In addition, the book offers an overview of the daily lives of the ruling elite in these health resorts, highlighting their health concerns in the context of the political situation in Europe during that era.

Author Biography

Anna Odrzywolska, Uniwersytet Jana Długosza w Częstochowie

Anna Odrzywolska – PhD hab., professor of Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa, employed at the Institute of History of the University. Her academic interests focus on the anthropology of history. She researches issues relating to hygiene in 16th-century aristocratic society, preventive health care, disease diagnosis and treatment methods, and the cultural role of food. She is the author of, i.a., book Mikrokosmos „człowieka poczciwego” według Mikołaja Reja. Studia z antropologii kultury szlachty polskiej XVI w. Zdrowie – Pożywienie – Higiena [The Microcosm of the ‘Good Man’ According to Mikołaj Rej. Studies in the Anthropology of Culture of the Sixteenth-Century Polish Nobility. Health – Food – Hygiene], Częstochowa, 2016.

Odrodzenie i Reformacja w Polsce

Downloads

Published

2025-12-23

How to Cite

1.
ODRZYWOLSKA, Anna. The Functioning of Italian Spas in the Sixteenth Century. Reflections on Rita Mazzei’s Monograph, La cura di sé al tempo di Montaigne. I bagni termali nell’Europa del Cinquecento (Rome 2022, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, pp. XXVI, 420, 2 unpaginated p. Odrodzenie i Reformacja w Polsce. Online. 23 December 2025. Vol. 69, pp. 357-375. [Accessed 27 February 2026]. DOI 10.12775/OiRwP.2025.11.

Issue

Vol. 69 (2025)

Section

Artykuły recenzyjne

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Stats

Number of views and downloads: 71
Number of citations: 0