Nestled in an intimate and evocative setting, the Nun spa seems like a true and proper private museum offering guests the full impact of its arcane beauty. When the Saint Catherine Convent, where the Relais now stands, was being renovated, many archaeological features were discovered in the lower levels of the site and these have been very knowledgeably used in the design of the wellness centre to create a truly unique ambience: six limestone pillars are reflected in the water of Nun’s thermal baths, making it an even more magical and powerfully evocative place. The pillars, each one constructed out of twelve ashlar-work blocks held together by the synergy of force and balance, reveal a Roman amphitheatre that once sat at the feet of Mount Subasio.
From the swimming pool you can also admire the important, smoothed, ancient, pink limestone steps at the top of which a rectangular podium once rose, the work of ancient Roman craftsmen in 1st century AC, and the entrance to a temple dedicated to the water.
Connected to the structure are two moulded limestone vats so flat that they barely contain a veil of water, further evidence of the archaic sacredness of this place. Inside the Nun thermal spa there are also two perfectly preserved Roman cisterns with vaulted ceilings where the massage room and the hammam (Turkish bath) are now located.
There is most certainly a connection between these magical places and the adjacent Perlasio fountain, a mythical spring of miraculous healing water and a popular place of pilgrimage in times long past. Nun worked hard to return these places to the water and its cult, to an intimate dialogue with everything to which it is now connected.
