Terme Excelsior
The casino of 1907 that became a spa in 1915, rebuilt in concrete in 1968 — and still guarding the painted ceiling of its first life.
At a glance
The Excelsior is one of the best-known thermal establishments of Montecatini Terme, and one of the most changed. It opened on 27 June 1907, built not as a spa but as the town’s municipal casino; only in 1915 was part of it turned over to thermal cures. The building you see today is largely a 1968 reconstruction in exposed reinforced concrete, four floors behind wide glazing, with a loggia that looks back to the Florentine Renaissance. Inside, the ornate coffered ceiling of the original 1907 hall, painted by Ernesto Bellandi, survives.
Key facts
- Inaugurated: 27 June 1907, as the Casinò Municipale Excelsior
- Thermal use: from 28 March 1915
- Rebuilt: 1968, in reinforced concrete (architect Sergio Brusa Pasquè and others)
- Style: modern concrete with a Florentine-Renaissance loggia
- Survival: the 1907 coffered ceiling by the Florentine painter Ernesto Bellandi
- Today: an active thermal establishment
- Coordinates: 43.885833, 10.774167 — Google Maps
History
Montecatini built its fortune on water, and through the early 20th century its thermal park filled with establishments competing in grandeur. The Excelsior arrived in 1907, but as a casino rather than a spa — a hall for the social life that the cure brought with it. In 1915 the town added thermal functions, and the building led a double life as casino and spa.
Heavily reworked over the decades, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1968 in the concrete idiom of the day, keeping a Renaissance-styled loggia and, crucially, the decorated ceiling of 1907. It remains in service as one of Montecatini’s working thermal establishments.
What you see
From the park the Excelsior reads as a modern building: four storeys of exposed concrete and glass, fronted by a loggia whose arches nod to Florentine models. It is the most overtly 20th-century of the great Montecatini spas, a reminder that the thermal town kept rebuilding itself well after the Belle Époque.
The reward is inside, where Bellandi’s coffered, painted ceiling and the floral and fruit bas-reliefs carry the decorative taste of 1907 into the later shell.
Practical information
- An operating thermal establishment within the Montecatini spa park; check current spa programmes and hours.
- The Bellandi ceiling is the historic feature to seek out indoors.
- Set among the other great establishments — Tettuccio, Tamerici, Leopoldine, Torretta.
Getting there
Montecatini Terme is on the Florence–Lucca–Viareggio railway, about 45 minutes from Florence. The thermal park is a short walk from Montecatini Centro station; the Excelsior stands within it.
Nearby
- Terme Tettuccio — the monumental centrepiece of the spa park
- Terme Leopoldine — the neoclassical thermal temple of 1777
- Terme Torretta — the castle-like establishment of 1902
Sources
- Comune di Montecatini Terme — the thermal establishments
- Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali (ICCD)
- Terme di Montecatini — historical notes
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