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120 grand hotels which offer in all 14,000 rooms, 20,000 beds and 2,000 treatment laboratories. In ancient times people thought that the Euganean Hot Springs were, like the nearby hills, volcanic in origin. Today however it is well-known that the hot springs which gush from the foot of the Euganean hills have a different origin. They originate in fact in rainy alpine zones. From there they penetrate into the subsoil to a depth of 3,000 meters and remerge at the base of the Euganean hillside, at superheated temperatures, after a 50 year long underground journey.
The old free-flowing springs were abandoned in this century as the new technique of excavating at progressive depths has made it possible to intercept greater quantities of water over a larger surface area. The current overall potential has been estimated at 2,000 litres a second, equal to 175,000 cubic meters a day. The wide distribution and quantity of water available made possible the construction of the present 120 hotels which are entirely autonomous in their thermal water supply.
The apex of the centre's popularity was reached during the past decade as a result of improved conveyance people which has permitted from abroad, especially from Central Europe, to join Italian nationals in benefiting from thermal treatment. The combined total of nationals (1,400,000) and foreigners (2,000,000) of almost three and a half million has made the Euganean Hot Springs win its position as the most important centre of this kind in Italy and Europe.
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