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Known from the time of Roman antiquity and occupying an enviable position in the flourishing Val di Lima, the Bagni di Lucca hot springs enjoyed an early period of splendour in the eleventh century, the age of countess Matilda of Canossa, but it was during the rule of Élisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Princess of Lucca and Piombino, that the locale rose to international fame.

Known from the time of Roman antiquity and occupying an enviable position in the flourishing Val di Lima, the Bagni di Lucca hot springs enjoyed an early period of splendour in the eleventh century, the age of countess Matilda of Canossa, but it was during the rule of Élisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Princess of Lucca and Piombino, that the locale rose to international fame. The great revolution of the spa during the Napoleonic period was the adoption of individual tubs. Until then, the Baths had preserved the character typical of the Roman baths, with common pools, a symmetrical central plan for the containment of hot air and a half–dome cover with an opening at the top. Included among the spa facilities involved in the transformation was the Bagno Bernabò, established in 1593 by the lords of the Lucca Republic on the recommendation of the Medical College for the effectiveness of its spring. The new building, completed in 1812 on Sambucy’s plan, had a facade with an open portico and two lateral bodies that allowed differentiated access to the spa according to social class. The Hot Baths, the oldest in Bagni di Lucca, were also given a prominent place in Élisa’s project to renovate the spa facilities and adapt to a modern conception of health and medicine. The aim was to transform the facility into a wellness centre that could also be a place for relaxation or recreation, and so in addition to the baths, a dance hall and a casino were built. Within the hot baths there were two natural steam caves. One of these, the Grotta Paolina, took the name of Pauline Borghese, Napoleon’s sister, who visited the Baths on numerous occasions. In 1808, a decree issued by Élisa Baciocchi’s government also defined the criteria for the reconstruction, restoration and decoration of the spa facilities of San Giovanni and Docce Basse, which the contractor Flory needed to fulfil by 1 June 1810. The project was awarded to architect Giovanni Lazzarini and entailed the expansion of the old structure and the functional reorganization of the internal spaces. The baths of Docce Basse were the first to introduce the use of showers, which were already in disuse however by 1820, when the mud baths began to be developed.

Bagni Di Lucca

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