Tettuccio Thermae

Terme Tettuccio (Tettuccio Thermae) is one of the most famous thermal facilities in Montecatini Terme. It’s where waters with various mineral and healing properties converge, and it’s the majestic endpoint for those who travel along Viale Verdi.

Today, one can enjoy treatments that make use of the stimulating properties of the Rinfresco, Leopoldina, Regina, and Tettuccio springs, which are effective in purifying the liver, regulating cholesterol, and treating gastritis.

 

The place known as Terme del Tettuccio is a neoclassical architectural complex with travertine colonnades, courtyards, and enclosed buildings. The facade has large windows and an entrance with powerful Ionic columns. The entrance is enriched by a semicircular wrought iron and colored glass canopy made by Berti di Pistoia. There are marble statues from Carrara sculpted by Corrado Vigny depicting the Spring, Medicine, Hygiene, and Health. The central coat of arms is the work of Aristide Aloisi, who also created the internal decorations of the establishment such as masks, festoons, capitals, and balusters.

 

In 1370, the place was called Bagno Nuovo and the source was protected by a wooden canopy (hence "tettuccio", “little roof”). The Tettuccio water, initially used mainly for salt extraction, was later used and celebrated for its healing properties, becoming highly therapeutic for the entire digestive system. The first establishment was built between 1779 and 1781 by the architect Niccolò Gasparo Paoletti on the orders of Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo. In 1914, a competition was announced for reconstruction and only after a few years was the project by architect Ugo Giovannozzi realized. The new complex was built between 1923 and 1927, inspired by the ancient Roman baths, structured like a temple, to reaffirm the regenerative value of its waters.

 

The foyer, characterized by a sumptuous ambulatory supported by columns, embellished in the long vaulted ceiling by the frescoes of Galileo Chini, the refined skylight, and a fresco by Giuseppe Moroni depicting the Spring, opens onto large open-air squares, with the colonnade continuing on either side.

 

To the right is a semicircle that encloses the Fountain of the Crocodiles by Sirio Tofanari, a large shell surrounded by seahorses and alligators where Tettuccio water still flows from a lion's mouth. Around the basin, the exedra opens up to a spectacular view of the garden, dominated by the hill where the Regina Establishment stands.

 

From the square to the left of the atrium, you can access the Writing Room, with geometric floors and ceilings decorated with Alessandro del Soldato's plaster stucco and Giuseppe Moroni's frescoes.

Next to it is the Portoghesi Salon, built between 1987 and 1989 by the famous Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi, from whom it takes its name. It is characterized by a wooden colonnade that resembles the trees of a forest and supports a roof made of colored glass.

 

The atrium opens up frontally into the main square, characterized on the right by the Music Temple, which features frescoes by Ezio Giovannozzi in the dome, and immediately after by the Coffee Room (or Historical Café), a splendid Belle Époque-style environment that maintains all the charm of the early 20th century, with original wooden furnishings, refined frescoes by Giulio Bargellini, and pictorial works by Maria Biseo and Giuseppe Moroni, depicting the bucolic landscapes of the ancient thermal baths.

 

The arcade, on the opposite side of the Music Temple, is entirely occupied by the Bibite Gallery. Along the majestic gallery, the counters for serving drinks are lined up, made with inlaid polychrome marbles, with grotesque mask reliefs that make each element a unique work of art. Seven large panels with maiolica tiles, the work of the refined Pescara master Basilio Cascella (1860-1950), depicting lively scenes with plastic figures of classical inspiration, allegorically symbolizing the value of water in all ages, both for men and women, are placed above the counters.

 

Beyond the square, the arcade enters the wide corridor of shops, announced by a triangular pediment where, on a gold mosaic background, a large clock with a mother-of-pearl dial, enclosed in a garland, is flanked by the bronze figures of Guido Calori: Venus, with the cornucopia of fertility and abundance, and Mercury, symbolizing trade, but also strength and virile beauty.

 

After the main building, you enter the park near the Viale delle Quattro Stagioni where you can find the Porcellino del Tacca, a copy of the original one located in the loggia of the Mercato Nuovo in Florence. Further on, after the bust of the architect Ugo Giovannozzi, you can admire the Regina Building, a large rectangular pavilion surrounded by a Neo-Renaissance-style loggia. Today it is used for conferences, international events, and exhibitions. In the park, there is also the Tempietto dell'Acqua Regina, which recalls the structure of the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum: the spring gushes under a glass bell, protected by a dome supported by 12 columns.

 

For years, the Terme Tettuccio have hosted film sets and events such as music festivals, conferences, gala dinners, weddings, concerts, and literary meetings.