After visiting Montecatini Alto, we descended by funicular and found the entrance to this grand building complex devoted to the thermal waters found in this place.

Our destination: The majestic entrance of Tettuccio Thermal Baths

Water as an element of life and the city’s raison d’être is celebrated by this monumental complex which enhances the historical importance of the thermal waters.

The curative properties of Montecatini’s waters were probably first discovered in
Roman times. Evidence of this comes from a number of small statues of pagan
idols found during excavation of the spring-crater at the Leopoldine Spa. The
statues were most likely votive offerings to the gods, cast into the spring in
thanks for a cure.

In any event, clear and certain historical documentation on Montecatini dates
back to the 15th century, when the renowned physician and ‘father’ of Italian
Medical Hydrology, Ugolino Caccini, studied the characteristics of Italy’s
springs and published the results of his research in the treatise Balneorum
Italiae proprietatibus (1417), in which he described the therapeutic properties
of many Italian spring waters, in particular those at Montecatini. It was this
groundbreaking work, set out in a clear, authoritative fashion – still valid today
– that set the stage for the further, detailed observations of other distinguished
scholars.

The work of channeling the spring waters and building the hydropathic
establishments was begun in 1700 by order of the Tuscan grand duke Leopold
(whence the spring and establishment’s name). Then, during the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, modern scientific methods came to be applied to studying
Montecatini’s waters, including contributions by many of Italy’s most prominent
scholars.

More recently, Frugoni, Pisani, Bovet and especially Messini and his ‘school’
added strong impetus to the scientific research effort and are in large part
responsible for the wealth of wide-ranging clinical and experimental data now
available on Montecatini’s waters. Nowadays, a Scientific Advisory Committee,
made up of some of the most prestigious figures in Italian academe, conduct
research studies on the hydrotherapies, using the most up-to-date methods
and techniques available and publishing their results for the benefit of the
international medical and scientific community.

Montecatini spa waters spring from four sources, each of which boasts particular
therapeutic properties.

The waters of the Montecatini Spa all have a more or less salty taste. (Yes, I can attest to that. The water tastes awful!) The origins of this characteristic feature have been the object of much study and debate on the part of geologists and hydrologists alike.
The Montecatini springs arise from an aquifer, or water table, 60-80 meters below ground level, at which depth the water progressively takes up more and more mineral salts, as well as a full complement of the organic compounds
held within the earth’s crust for over 500 million years. As it rises towards the surface, the water also passes through deposits of limestone, jasper, calcareous sandstone and clay, which act as a true natural filter, purifying the waters and
eliminating all noxious contaminants. By the time it emerges at the surface, the water has therefore been thoroughly filtered: it is bacteriologically pure and ready to be drunk or bottled.

The largest and most famous of Tuscany’s spa towns, Montecatini Terme has been revered for its curative waters since at least the 16th century, when the first baths were built here. Two centuries later, aristocrats traveled here after the town opened of the first grand spas.

The 1800s saw an infinite number of kings and queens, politicians and businessmen, actors and dancers, cardinals and Presidents of the Republic walking along the Viale dei Bagni in Montecatini. Among the well-known names is Giuseppe Verdi, who often stayed in this area.

In 2021, Montecatini became part of the UNESCO World Heritage list as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe. The transnational serial site “The Great Spa Towns of Europe” includes an inseparable group of 11 cities located in 7 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom), considered by UNESCO as the most representative sites of the important European thermal activity from the 1700s until the 1930s.

In 1339, the Valdinievole was conquered by the Florentine armies led by the Medici in Florence, but this did not bring rapid benefits to the Baths and the City of Montecatini.

Cosimo the Elder de’ Medici was the first person to build a bridge-dam to cross the muddy waters of the area. The initiative brought great economic improvements, but it was detrimental to the inhabitants of the Valdinievole. In 1447, Florence approved a contribution to the restoration of the buildings belonging to the Baths. Because of its location, Montecatini was often a battlefield. In fact, in 1554, it was the center of the clash between the emperor Charles V, allied with Cosimo I, and the Sienese and French militias which, under the command of Pietro Strozzi, were stationed in the castle of Montecatini. As a result, Cosimo had the castle dismantled.

In 1529, the owner of the Baths of Montecatini had financial problems so he offered them to Cosimo, who would become Duke in 1532, and Grand Duke, thanks to his nomination by Pope Pius V, in 1569. Since the consort of Cosimo, Eleonora of Toledo, made frequent use of the waters of Montecatini, the Medici had the baths analyzed by their agents. However, the proposal did not go through. In 1538, the offer was made again to Francis I, son of Cosimo. However, he had to grant the use of the baths to the citizens of Montecatini. In those years, the population and the economy of the Valdinievole grew. However, between 1500 and 1756, there were repeated epidemics because of the flooding of the meadows, forests, fields, and pastures, due to the collapse of the bridge at Cappiano.

During their regency, the Medici profited from renting farms and fishing. As a result, there were lawsuits to defend the residents of the area and to enable them to pay for the reclamation of the padule (marshes) with the money they recovered.

Francesco I of Lorraine and Maria Teresa of Austria went to Florence in 1739 and stayed there for three months. They then entrusted the government to a Council of Regency that operated until 1765. The Regency tried to resolve promptly the problem of reclaiming the marshes, but the whole thing was more difficult than expected. In those years, epidemics, fevers and famines again appeared. To solve the problem it was necessary to settle the land near the padule by channeling the springs that were stagnating in the Valdinievole and invigorating the agriculture and livestock. In 1765, with the death of Francesco, Pietro Leopoldo assumed the title of Grand Duke, as his mother, Maria Teresa of Austria, had scrupulously prepared him for the responsibilities of reigning. Unfortunately, as a second son, he only inherited the throne in Vienna during the last two years of his life (1790–92). In 1765 he arrived in Tuscany and immediately proved himself open to innovation. During his regency he reformed governance from Palazzo Pitti into towards a far more progressive government than his predecessors. He was also an innovator in the management of the economy, public administration, health and science. He went several times to Montecatini to understand first-hand the problems of the Valdinievole and as a result the story of the baths began with the Grand Duke Leopold of Tuscany. He had the territory inspected by scholars and tried to make the just and reasonable decisions for it. The Grand Duke went to Montecatini in 1772 and ordered the demolition of the locks and the weirs of Ponte a Cappiano. The channeling of the thermo-mineral waters and the restoration of the city began. Pietro Leopoldo returned many times, even with his family, to Montecatini to check the state of the works. On 1 March 1790 he left Florence to return for Vienna to succeed his brother Josef who had died.

Montecatini Terme in the 19th century

The third Habsburg-Lorraine Grand Duke was Ferdinando III who came to rule when only 21 years old. He wavered in his support for Napoleonic rule, and by 1801 faced exile to Austria. Restored to rule on 10 June 1817, Ferdinando decreed the Bagni di Montecatini complex was granted to the community and they were given money to keep them efficient. On 18 June 1818 the baths were put under the management of a committee up of esteemed people of the time, including Giuseppe Giusti’s father. With this new administration of the baths there were innovations and improvements. When Ferdinando III died, he was succeeded by Leopold II who is remembered for the reclamation work in the Maremma and for the construction of railways and roads. Leopold II also collaborated in the construction of the Locanda Maggiore. The Lorraine period concluded with the Risorgimento and the end of the Grand Duchy occurred in 1859. In 1860 Montecatini came under the Province of Lucca with its headquarters in Montecatini Alto. In 1889, thanks to an international medical congress in Florence, the city commenced activity in the field of thermal medicine. In the same year, the urban project proposed and initiated by Pietro Leopoldo was extended and improved.

Terme Excelsior
On 16 June 1905 Montecatini Alto and Bagni di Montecatini became autonomous municipal entities. On 28 October 1928 the name of the Bagni di Montecatini was changed to Montecatini Terme. In 1928 the municipality of Montecatini, together with all the other municipalities of the Valdinievole, passed from the province of Lucca to the newly formed province of Pistoia. Between 1904 and 1915 the Torretta and Excelsior establishments were born. Giovannozzi restored the Leopoldine and Tettuccio baths between 1919 and 1928. Mussolini also went to the establishments to see how the funds given by the State for their restoration had been spent and entrusted their administration to Schweiger.

In 1958 the State reappropriated the baths, symbolizing a second phase with the reconstruction of the Redi and Excelsior baths. Montecatini in those years was frequented by important persons; nobility and people from the worlds of entertainment and politics. In 1970 the baths remained open all year, but from that moment on there has been a slow decline until today, when the fashion for visiting the spa has clearly diminished. Efforts to relaunch the baths began in the 1990s and the City succeeded in doing this in 2000.

The emblem of the municipality is regulated by the Royal Decree of 12 August 1908. It is a truncated shield: the first version is of Montecatini which is blue and mounted on six small Italian hills, supporting two gold lions surrounded by an oval silver shield laden with a red lily, facing each other and holding a red basin; in the second version everything is handled in silver and blue. The motto, also present in the coat of arms and in the banner states: «Salus» (Latin: Health).

There are 11 thermal springs in the area around Montecatini Terme, with temperatures ranging from 24 to 33.4 degrees C. Of those, six have been used for their supposed therapeutic qualities. These springs all come from the same source: an aquifer fed by meteoric waters roughly 60–80 meters below ground level. These waters get their minerals from being in contact with Triassic-period strata of calcareous stone, travertine, jasper and limestone.

Montecatini Terme is a premier Italian spa town in Tuscany, renowned for its historic, therapeutic thermal waters and neoclassical architecture. Located in the province of Pistoia, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site known as part of “The Great Spa Towns of Europe”.

Thermal Baths
Magnificent Neo-classical buildings are arranged around the beautiful and charming Thermal park.

The Terme Tettuccio

The Terme Tamerici
Montecatini-Terme is home to ten separate thermal water springs. The water from each spring is accessible from a series of buildings and estates that bear the name of the spring they house. These are:

Terme Tettuccio (1928), the largest of the city’s thermal establishments, laid out in an open-air configuration. The first complex of pavilions, as well as part of the manicured garden they sit in, were designed by Gaspare Maria Paoletti between 1779 and 1781. In 1929, part of the Tettuccio estate was reworked drawing inspiration from the late Renaissance period.
Terme Leopoldine (1926), named after Grand Duke Leopold II of Habsburg-Lorraine, first opened in 1775. The current complex dates back to the restoration carried out between 1919 and 1926. They currently remain closed to the general public.
Terme Torretta (1928) take their name from the river that flows beneath them. Built from 1829 onwards by Count Baldino Baldini, the buildings underwent an important restoration operation between 1925 and 1928.

2.2The waters’ properties
The waters of Montecatini belong to a group know as alkaline saline-sulfate
waters, containing mostly sodium and magnesium chlorides and sulfates, with
lesser amounts of I, Br, Li, Ca, K, Si, phosphates and sulfur. Thus, they represent
solutions of naturally occurring salts in varying concentrations, whose mineral
components are also found in biological fluids. It is these physical characteristics
that give Montecatini’s waters their remarkable physiological properties.
The mineral waters used in drinking therapy (called hydropinic therapy) are
grouped into three types, depending on their mineral concentrations:

• Strong: Leopoldina (solid residue at 180° C: 19.2 g / l)
• Medium: Regina (s.r. 18.4 g /l)
• Weak: Rinfresco and Tettuccio (s.r. 4.06-10.6 g/l )
  The Leopoldina and Rinfresco waters are also applied in mud (pelotherapy) and
  bathing (balneotherapy) treatments, while Leopoldina is used for inhalation
  therapy as well.
  Physiological properties of the waters used in hydropinic therapy
  Rinfresco
  A diuretic, Rinfresco water promotes the elimination of body waste by the
  kidneys and restores the mineral salts lost during physical exercise. Its discovery
  dates back to before 1477. It was first certified for drinking therapy by royal
  decree in the early 20th century, and its continued use is authorized by the
  Tuscan regional decree of June 10, 2005.
  Leopoldina
  A purgative, Leopoldina water acts on the intestines to stimulate peristalsis.
  It is therefore particularly indicated in the treatment of chronic constipation.
  Its purgative powers have been known since time immemorial. It has been
  authorized for use in balneotherapy since 1927 and for drinking since 1957, a
  certification which has been reiterated by various subsequent regional orders,
  the last of which was issued in 2005.
  Regina
  Regina water helps re-establish the proper flow of bile from the liver to the
  intestines. It is therefore indicated in cases of hepatic insufficiency and bile
  duct dysfunction. Discovered in 1855, it was first certified for drinking by royal
  decree in the early 1900s, and its continued use is sanctioned by an order issued
  in 2001, which also details its therapeutic properties.
  Tettuccio
  A stimulant, Tettuccio water promotes the liver’s detoxification function: the
  composition of its saline solution is practically the same as that of body fluids.
  It is therefore useful in disorders of cholesterol metabolism. As it stimulates
  gastric secretion and emptying of the stomach, it is also indicated in chronic
  hyposecretional gastritis, functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome. It
  has been known since ancient times, though the earliest scientific documentation
  of it properties appeared in the 1417 treatise De balneorum Italiae proprietatibus
  by Ugolino Caccini (‘father’ of Italian Medical Hydrology).

Hot Springs
The four waters of Montecatini, which are located at a depth of 60-80 meters, are Leopoldina, Tettuccio, Regina and Rinfresco. Th water comes to the surface full of mineral salts and precious elements, pure and ready to be tasted or, if you can do it, drunk.

Click to access vademecum_gb.pdf

On my recent visit to Montecatini Alta, which we reached by the funicolare, we found a spate of nice restaurants and chose one we liked the vibe of best. We made a great choice and loved our lunches!

Here is lovely Nadia with her primo of stuffed fried zucchini flowers. My choice was fried artichokes.

The artichokes were so fantastic I almost cried!

The cutest thing happened as we were leaving the upper city. These rambunctious ragazzi asked Nadia to take their photo as they were celebrating. And, they tried hard to engage her in a discussion about where in Denmark she is from, but she isn’t having it! This is the charming life of Italy! I have never been able to get enough of it! Alla prossima!

On a fine spring afternoon my lovely young friend, Nadia (who is from Denmark and is my classmate at language school in Florence) and I set off by train. We went to a smaller town called Montecatini Terme and from there we took the funicolare to Montecatini Alto for the better part of the afternoon.

The small village of Montecatini Alto is located 300 meters above sea level, has medieval origins and still shows the layout of the ancient walls that were destroyed in 1554 by the Florentines of Cosimo I de’ Medici who were preparing to conquer the area.

In the upper part of the village, the Fortress and Mastio Tower are features. On the central Piazzetta Giusti are the medieval remains of the Podestà Palace with the picturesque Loggia del Parlascio, originally the site of public assemblies and the market.
Montecatini Alto also enjoys a small square in which there are many restaurants and wine bars offering excellent food and wine.

The following are some of the photos we took on our perfect Italian day!

There are two trains that lead to and from the tiny hilltop village of Montecatini Alto. They even have names: Gigio and Gigia, once simply known as Number 1 and Number 2. These two bright red trains compose the Montecatini Terme Funicular.

This unique and characteristic transportation method hasn’t lost its charm since its inauguration on June 4, 1898, witnessed by Giuseppe Verdi himself. Riding up on either one of the red cars, you experience the wooden benches and/or the space to stand on the car’s exterior balcony. Millions of people have enjoyed the views from these charming cars.

La Torre dell’Orologio in Montecatini Alto

Montecatini Castello, today’s Montecatini Alto, was documented by medieval times. In the settlement there was already a spa, thanks to the salt waters of the city, which later also flowed into the plain below. There is evidence for this in a document from 1340 which refers to the extraction of salt from the water. There is also proof in a letter sent by the well-known Prato merchant Francesco di Marco Datini in which he requests from his doctor the healing water of the Montecatini baths.

Other evidence comes from the famous doctor Ugolino of Montecatini who examined the waters scientifically for the first time. He also tells us that there were three baths in Montecatini; the Bagno Della Regina, the Bagno dei Merli and the Bagno Nuovo. Today the Bagno Nuovo is known as the Tettuccio. I will be posting about this later.

Conditions in the town during medieval times were difficult, the region was plagued by epidemics, paludic diseases (attributed to the influence of marshes, such diseases including malaria) and wars. The battles locally between Florence, Pisa and Lucca, often forced townsfolk to seek refuge to the surrounding hills, because the town was the scene of continuous clashes. We must also remember that Montecatini was mainly constituted of padule (marshes). Livy confirms this when he described how Hannibal of Carthage passed by the padule of Fucecchio in his march to the south.

From the 10th – 13th centuries the area saw many battles. In these muddy waters of the area, many soldiers died at the Battle of Montecatini in 1315. It is thought that Dante Alighieri participated in this battle. In 1328 the Medici came to power and the locks that had been dismantled with the reclamation were restored.

On the side of a building was a gruesome installation of the tools of Christ’s passion. You can tell this is a popular site with the QR codes added to the sign. Wow! What a modern thing on an ancient wall!

Every Italian city pays homage in one way or another to its fallen war heroes.

Here’s darling Nadia, above and following.

A frequent site is a group of older gentlemen having a chat. I asked Nadia if one ever sees this in Denmark and she said, no, it’s never warm enough to sit outside. The day we were in Montecatini Alto was April 18 and it was warm and sunny, about 75 degrees F. Nadia said a day like this in Denmark would be at the height of summer and everyone would go to the beach.

I was able to capture some of the chat.

In a gelato shop we noticed an unusual flavor. The fact that the signage is in Italian and English tells us that lots of foreign visitors come here. And not just Americans, Brits, and Australians. People from many countries visit and if they don’t speak Italian, they usually have some English.

Fun, fun day! Thanks Nadia!

The final edition of this series taking a look at this fine, small Benedictine church hidden in plain sight in Florence.

Above, the high altar. Following are details of this sacred space.

Now we are continuing from the altar to the nave on the left side of the church:

Arrividerci Sant’Ambrogio. Thank you for your wonders!

As I have been sharing with you in parts 1 and 2, this small Benedictine church remains a gem, hidden plain site in Florence, filled with artistic treasures still in situ.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the church for me is this special chapel on the left of the presbytery built around a 15th century tabernacle by Mino da Fiesole (who is buried in this church). Cosimo Rosselli painted the fresco cycle around 1486 which illustrates the miracle of the blood-filled chalice.

This fresco cycle was restored in 2017.

Rosselli 1439–1507) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in his birthplace of Florence, but also in Pisa earlier in his career and in 1481–82 in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where he painted some of the large frescoes on the side walls.

Though generally regarded as a lesser talent in comparison to Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, and Domenico Ghirlandaio, who were all also active at the Sistine Chapel, Rosselli was still able to win large and important commission throughout his career, a testament to his high level of activity and ability in his native Florence. Important local commissions include a fresco in the cloister of Santissima Annunziata and another in this chapel in Sant’Ambrogio. Rosselli also spent some time in Lucca, where he painted several altar-pieces for various churches.

On the wall behind the altar and on either side of Mino da Fiesole’s tabernacle, include frescoes of saints and Church Fathers, framed in niche-like compartments.

Before looking up closely at the beautiful fresco, let me remind you that the church is named for Saint Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, who stopped at this site in 393. A chapel for a convent of Benedictine nuns had been built here as early as the 7th century, and the location of the church itself has been dated to the 11th century. This location was outside the first city walls of Florence, until the erection of the Arnolfo circle of walls dating to 1284-1310.

In 1230 a miracle allegedly occurred in the church, and the consequence of that miracle is the subject of Rosselli’s fresco.

Here’s what happened: in the year 1230 Frate Uguccione failed to dry the chalice after mass and the following day found that the wine had turned to blood. Sant’Ambrogio thus became a pilgrimage site; the miraculous liquid was placed in an ampulla and housed in a marble tabernacle created by famed Florentine sculptor, Mino da Fiesole, who just happens to be buried in this church.

Rosselli chose to present the presentation of the chalice as a procession set in the piazza that is still at the front of the church (see next photo and video), showing the bishop carrying the Miraculous Tabernacle in a solemn procession, accompanied by priests, confraternity members, and a teeming crowd of citizens and women dressed in late 15th-century Florentine costume.

Below, some scholars have noted that Rosselli includes portrait-like figures that may be identified as contemporary humanists (e.g. Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Agnolo Poliziano) embedded in the crowd, linking the miracle of the blood to the intellectual circle of late Quattrocento Florence.

The fresco is notable for its lively street life details: banners, torches, and the varied physiognomies of the crowd give th impression of a real civic festa, not just a generic religious parade. Subsequent inventories of the church through the following centuries always pick out this fresco for its “procession in the piazza” as the most admired part of Rosselli’s fresco.

Looking straight ahead at the altar wall of the chapel, as the bottom you see the chalice holding the miraculous blood, housed in the elaborate marble tabernacle created by Mino de Fiesole (who again, is buried within the church). The chapel enveloping Mino da Fiesole’s sculpted tabernacle with painted scenes that been hagiography, processional ritual, and contemporary Florentine life.

Rosselli’s style here is more polished and narrative-driven than in some of his Sistine Chapel work: he uses bright, clear colors, rhythmic figure groups, and a relatively simple perspectival scheme, concentrating on storytelling than virtuosic foreshortening. The artist combined a doctrinally charged subject with vivid civic spectacle and a sophisticated sense of portraiture.

Rosselli’s fresco here is one of his most ambitious narratives ensembles, designed to illustrate both the miraculous translation of wine into blood and its cult within the city.

If you spend any time in Florence, somebody is going to point out a wine window to you. They are plentiful and they dot the city center and the area around Santo Spirito.

In late spring Florence hosted an interesting exhibition devoted to the buchette del vino, and I’m including some photos I took of that exhibition. They had a rare wooden door that housed a wine window. Most buchette are housed within the plaster/stone walls of the city and usually trimmed in pietra serena stone, the lovely blue/grey stone that is used for architectural trim throughout Florence. You can see what I mean in the top photo here.

Right on the famous Piazza Pitti, the Russian writer found lodgings where he could write.

Translated the plaque reads: In these surroundings between 1868 and 1869 wrote his novel The Idiot.

Continuing my visit to this small, modest, ancient but very fine church, let’s look at some of the artwork housed within, including:

I love how statues of holy figures in Italian churches are often adorned with rosaries and other objet.

More will follow. It may be a modest church, by Italian standards, but it is filled with wondrous artworks!