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Bagni di Lucca
Tuscany and gastronomy > Towns
The place
Bagni di Lucca is one of the oldest and most famous towns in the province of Lucca and an historic spa town in the region of Tuscany, nestled amid the Appenine Mountains, 27km north of the medieval city of Lucca. Bagni di Lucca comprises 21 medieval hilltop villages.
It is considered a true oasis of peace and serenity. This once-grand spa town has always been known for its curing waters and thermal baths, appreciated even in Roman times.
The English came to know Bagni di Lucca as the 'Switzerland of Tuscany'. The poet Heinrich Heine described it as "a true and proper sylvan paradise.
History
This charming town became popular in the 11th century and is now one of the major thermal spas in Europe. In the early 19th century, Bagni di Lucca reached its heyday as one of Europe's most fashionable spas, as popular meeting place frequented by emperors, kings, aristocrats, diplomats as well as the most famous artists such as Montaigne, Byron, Shelley, Dumas, Puccini, Strauss, Liszt, Paganini.
Visitors came not only for thermal cures, but also for the Casino (1837), one of Europe's first licensed gambling houses where the roulette was invented.
Thermes
The spas in Bagni di Lucca were already important during Ligurian, Lombard, Roman and Etruscan times. By the 12th century the spa was alerady very famous, then during the 15th century the reputation of the spas raise Bagni di Lucca to the same level as the European spas as Baden Vichy or Karlsbad.
Today the 19 hot springs still flow from the slopes of the Corsena hill and the therapeutic value of the waters remains incontestable. The waters reach temperatures up to 54 degrees centigrade and all sorts of treatments are available to cure respiratory problems, traumatic injuries, gynaecological and fertility problems, nervous conditions, and problems of the arteries and rheumatism.
Some of the baths are good for the skin and others for general health and well-being. There are also three thermal swimming pools.
