History
The presence of humans in the area of Montecatini is very old. Probably from Paleolithic times the region was frequented by itinerant hunters, but only from the Mesolithic period is there evidence of numerous settlements, especially in the hills of the Valdievole. Records of the thermal springs in the region date at least as far back as the Romans.From Medieval times to the Medici
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 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. Conditions in the town during Medieval times were difficult, the region was plagued by epidemics, paludic diseases 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 century until 1270 with the Republic of Lucca, attempts were made to reclaim the territory, which was affected by epidemics of malaria. However the work was not completed successfully and resulted in pools of water being created where the water stagnated. In these muddy waters many men found death 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.From the rule of the Medici in the Valdinievole to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
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 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 ofHouse of Habsburg-Lorraine: founders of the spa town
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,Twentieth century
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).Mineral springs
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 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.Monuments and places of interest
Religious architecture
* The Church of Santa Maria Assunta (1962). The decision to build a religious edifice was taken in 1824. Work on the current building began in 1957 and finished in 1962. It is an octagonal building with four lateral chapels and a presbytery. * The Church of Saints Jacopo and Filippo (or Carmine) (1764), located in Montecatini Alto. It was almost completely rebuilt in 1764 in Baroque style above a Romanesque building. It has a saddle-roofed façade. * The Church of St. Peter (17th century), originally the church of the castle of Montecatini. It became a parish church in the twelfth century, when the edifice was completely rebuilt. The present façade, which replaced a massive medieval tower, forms the end of the apse of the Romanesque church and was transformed into its present form in the seventeenth century. In the interior important works are preserved. * The Convent and Church of Santa Maria a Ripa (16th century). The monastic building is characterized by its severe style. The church is accessed via a stone staircase, probably dating back to the Romanesque era, as is the façade with its saddle-roof. Inside there is a single nave with vaulted ceilings and eighteenth century frescoes that have been brought to light.Civic architecture
*Villa Forini Lippi (17th century) already existed in the seventeen hundreds. The present complex is the result of an aggregation of rural buildings. The façade is characterized by a beautiful staircase with a double stone ramp surmounted by an elegant loggia with three arches supported by balusters. Surrounded by a park of almost two hectares, the villa is currently home to the municipal library. *Palazzo Comunale (1914). Inside there are rich plaster decorations executed mostly by the firm of Alessandro del Soldato. The interior hall is interesting because of its double height and cantilevered balcony that divides the space into two overlapping Corinthian orders. *The Padiglioncino Tamerici (1902) was built "for the storage and sale of Tameric salt". With its formalSpa complex
*Terme Excelsior (1968). The first building, dedicated to hosting the Casino, was designed by Giulio Bernardini and was inaugurated on 27 June 1907. In 1968 this first structure was demolished and rebuilt to a design by Sergio Brusa Pasquè. The typical architecture of the loggia draws inspiration from the Florentine Renaissance. *Terme La Fortuna (1910s). The La Fortuna spring was discovered in 1853. In 1912 the building consisted of a rectangular-plan construction as well as a basement. The complex is located in a landscaped garden. *Terme La Salute (1929) was discovered in 1860 in a travertine quarry. It was rebuilt between 1922 and 1929 on a site of 7250 square meters. *Terme Nuove Redi (2009) was born in 1920 and was completely rebuilt in 1964. In 2009 it was renovated thanks to the project of the architect Oreste Ruggiero. *Terme Regina (1927) is located inside the park of the Tettuccio and was founded in 1773. The current complex was built between 1923 and 1927 in the Neo-Renaissance style to a design by Ugo Giovannozzi. *Terme Rinfresco (1927), now closed, was initially designed in 1795. The building was rebuilt in 1927 to a design by Ugo Giovannozzi. There is an interesting mosaic placed on the square in front of it. *Terme Tamerici (1911) is located in the center of the spa park and is characterized by four distinct buildings. The thermal spring was discovered in 1843 and the buildings that compose it were partially demolished in 1909 to be rebuilt in 1911. *Terme Tettuccio (1928) is peculiar in that it is "open" albeit with the exclusion of some local people. The first complex was designed by Gaspare Maria Paoletti between 1779 and 1781. In 1929 it was replanned with inspiration from the late Renaissance period. *Terme Leopoldine (1926), named after Grand Duke Leopold II of Habsburg-Lorraine, was initiated in 1775. The current complex dates back to the restoration carried out between 1919 and 1926. It is currently closed. *Terme Torretta (1928) takes its name from the river Toretta that flows through it. Built after 1829 by Count Baldino Baldini, the buildings underwent an important restoration operation between 1925 and 1928.Other
* The Walk of Fame is an installation placed along the pavement of Viale Giuseppe Verdi. It consists of a series of circular studs which show the names of the main personalities who have visited Montecatini Terme.People
* Peter Grocco, doctor * Sirio Maccioni, restaurateur of international fame *Twin towns
* Harrogate, United Kingdom * Concepción, Paraguay *References
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