Archaeological Area Santa Venera Al Pozzo
The first settlements date back to the 5th century BC. some clay statuettes linked to the cult of the two Greek goddesses of fertility and nature Demeter and Kore have been found.
The settlement from the Roman age is known as Acium. The imposing spa building well known to travelers of the imperial age, who stopped there to benefit from the therapeutic properties of the waters, belongs to this period. Of the thermal plant, which is spread over an area of 240 square meters, many rooms are preserved. A small Roman temple built near the spring, of which only the podium remains today, is a sign of the sacredness attributed to the thermal springs.
In this same area in medieval times the church was built di Santa Venera, dedicated to the saint object of worship for her miraculous healings linked to the use of thermal waters. Today the church, restored, has returned to its cult functions.
It will only be in 1873 that the sulphurous waters of Santa Venera will no longer be exploited on site. The tanks, declared harmful to public health because they were not very hygienic, were demolished in 1895 and the water conveyed to the modern plant of the Acireale Thermal Baths.
