Modern architects and engineers

Alongside the architects of the past who have contributed indelibly to giving Montecatini the appearance that can still be admired, other architects, closer to our era, have enriched the city with buildings worthy of mention. For them, we propose an itinerary in the name of modernity. The starting point of our journey can only be the new railway station not far from the heart of the city and visible on the left immediately after exiting the motorway toll booth. The work of the Bolognese architect Angiolo Mazzoni, it was begun in 1933 and inaugurated on 4 August 1937. It has an important value both from an artistic point of view and as a historical document since it represents one of the first examples of interior design of that period.

Proceeding towards the centre and taking Via E. Toti, after about 150 metres on the right, at number 31, there is one of the most original modern buildings in the city, the so-called Palazzo del Ragno, designed by the engineer Carmelo Pucci (Montecatini Terme 1917 – 1987), designer of significant reinforced concrete structures built between the 1950s and the 1980s. The building, which the engineer also used as a residence-studio, is still inhabited by the family. The residential complex, built in 1955, consists of 5 raised floors mostly intended for apartments, a ground floor with rooms used as shops and a basement that houses warehouses and service rooms. The name of the building comes from the entrance window where the decoration of the upper part recalls geometric figures, sometimes unfinished, and the lower part a spider's web. At the time of its construction, the building, equipped with central heating with oil and a hot and cold forced air system and water lifting, was technologically advanced for its time. On the façade, the load-bearing beams in reinforced concrete are evident, a characteristic that can be found in all the professional's works.

On Via Daniele Manin, 8, where Via Toti extends past the Centro Station, is the Garage Olimpia. The premises, which once housed a theater, were purchased by Bruno Tintorini in the 1930s to create a mechanical workshop. However, the garage was built more than twenty years later, in 1956. Pucci's garage design would become a model of modern work architecture for the city. The building is characterized by the fact that the pillars on the very large ground floor are not in the center but distributed along the walls to acquire more space for car storage. To illuminate the structure, one of the internal walls is made of glass brick. The first and second floors are connected by a helical driveway surrounded by glass panels, and on the third floor there is a terrace. Visible on the façade are the typical reinforced concrete beams and, on the right, a star-shaped window where once the Alfa Romeo logo could be seen. The garage is still active today. In the city, the Montecatini engineer has left his mark on many buildings such as the Mariotti stadium, the municipal swimming pool, the former Lazzi building, and the Verdi Theater, where he designed the fixed tension structure covering the stalls.

Going back and turning left onto Via Don Minzoni, you will find Piazza del Popolo.

On the right, almost hidden behind buildings used as homes and shops, is the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, built between 1953 and 1958 on the ashes of the neoclassical church by Luigi de Cambray Digny dating back to 1833 and considered at the time too small to accommodate the ever-increasing number of faithful who came to the city to “pass the waters”. The building was designed by the architect Raffaello Fagnoni (Florence, 1901 – 1966). Fagnoni is known for having designed the Olympic stadium in Turin. He also designed the Pavesi Autogrill near the A1 toll booth at Firenze Sud (1961-1962). Among the artistic works included in the church are the metal crucifix by Sauro Cavallini, the stained glass windows and mosaics by Giorgio Scalco and the chandeliers by Carmelo Pucci.

Continuing along Corso Roma you come across the Kursaal, the building where the marriage between ancient and modern arouses the most amazement. Today, only the facade, the portico and the front garden remain of the ancient building. The rest of the area, equivalent to a city block, is currently occupied by a residential and commercial complex, commissioned by the Veronese company Monaco and built on the basis of a 1995 project by the internationally renowned architect Aldo Rossi (Milan, 1931 – 1997), to whom the large internal square is named. The project is characterised by two large square courtyards surrounded by buildings with four floors above ground. The two-tone stone cladding of the porticoes reproduces the image of Tuscan architecture. The reconstruction of the entire city block therefore combines the desire to create a unitary project in itself and to maintain elements belonging to the city image, such as the central tower providing access to the area. After the architect's death and with the work still in progress, changes were made to the project. The glorious theatre that was part of it, visible in one of the architect’s 5 drawings preserved at the Mo.C.A. – Montecatini Terme Contemporary Art, was never built.

Although other architects are noteworthy, and we will talk about them elsewhere, our journey ends at the Tettuccio - which in Montecatini cannot be missed! - with the hanging garden set up by Pietro Porcinai (Florence 1910 - 1986) on the roof of a newly constructed building intended to accommodate 520 bathrooms necessary for the operation of the Establishment. The great Tuscan landscape architect worked extensively in the city for both public and private clients. His work is responsible for the arrangement of Viale Verdi, the Rock garden in Montecatini Alto and the design of the gardens of many private villas, such as the current Dino Scalabrino Art Academy and the Villino di Via Magenta n. 5, both commissioned by Dino Scalabrino, Health Director of the Spa and President of the Health and Holiday Company. But if we talk about Porcinai in Montecatini we cannot fail to mention the Le Panteraie complex whose original project was signed by Porcinai and the architect Maurizio Tempestini. The works began in 1955 and the opening to the public took place in July 1956. The great attraction of the inauguration was Esther Williams, the famous American swimming champion who became a film actress famous for the technicolor musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. The swimming pool, called “Lido di Montecatini”, was the jewel in the crown of the entire complex. The official inauguration took place on 1 September in the presence of the minister Giulio Andreotti. Over time, the work of the great landscape architect has been heavily distorted due to numerous structuring and integration interventions carried out over the years. But the complex created by the two professionals is still visible in a drawing by Giorgio De Chirico, The Montecatini swimming pool, ca. 1960, pencil and ink on cardboard, 29.5 x 39.5 cm (Province of Pistoia Collection), a regular guest of Montecatini also due to his friendship with Luigi Russo, owner of the famous Barcaccia art gallery located in Viale IV Novembre.

To learn more about Pietro Porcinai visit http://pietroporcinai.it/