Terme Torretta
The spa with a battlemented tower: rebuilt in 1902 as a romantic castle of the waters, and now a haunting closed monument of the park.
At a glance
The Torretta takes its name from its tower. The spring was found in 1829 by Count Baldino Baldini, and the first building here was a little neo-medieval castle, complete with drawbridge. In 1902 Giulio Bernardini demolished and rebuilt it, inaugurating the new establishment on 26 July; between 1925 and 1928 Ugo Giovannozzi enlarged it and laid out its gardens. The result is an eclectic fantasy — a crenellated tower, a Verdi loggia, a circular temple — that today stands closed to the public.
Key facts
- Established: 1829 (Count Baldino Baldini)
- Rebuilt: 1902, by Giulio Bernardini (inaugurated 26 July)
- Enlarged: 1925–1928, by Ugo Giovannozzi
- Style: eclectic, with a battlemented tower and Florentine loggias
- Features: a loggia dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi; a circular temple; a park crossed by a stream
- Today: closed to the public, awaiting restoration
- Coordinates: 43.889111, 10.772056 — Google Maps
History
The Torretta began with a discovery: in 1829 Count Baldino Baldini found a spring on the slope above Montecatini and, after winning authorisation in the 1820s, built a small neo-medieval castle around it. The romantic disguise suited the age, which liked its cures dressed as something older and grander.
In 1902 Giulio Bernardini swept the old castle away and built the present establishment, keeping the tower that gives the place its name. Ugo Giovannozzi extended it in the late 1920s, adding springs, gardens and entrances. For a century it drew the spa crowds; in recent years it has stood closed and at risk, one of Montecatini’s great buildings awaiting restoration.
What you see
The tall tower carries crenellations, corbels and pointed arches; loggias recall the Florentine Renaissance, and rusticated stonework frames the windows. A loggia honours Verdi; a circular temple and a little neo-gothic chapel complete the picturesque ensemble. It is architecture as theatre, the cure staged inside a castle.
That theatre is now silent. The Torretta is closed to the public and should be seen only from the public edges of its park.
Practical information
- The establishment is closed to the public; view it only from outside, do not enter.
- The tower is visible across the upper end of the thermal park.
- Part of the ensemble of great Montecatini spas.
Getting there
Montecatini Terme is on the Florence–Lucca–Viareggio railway, about 45 minutes from Florence. The Torretta sits at the upper, wooded end of the thermal park, above the main establishments.
Nearby
- Terme Tettuccio — the monumental centrepiece of the spa park
- Terme Leopoldine — the neoclassical thermal temple of 1777
- Terme Excelsior — the 1907 casino turned spa
Sources
- Comune di Montecatini Terme — the thermal establishments
- Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali (ICCD)
- Terme di Montecatini — historical notes
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