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The bathsBagno alla Villa

In 1376 this thermal bath was present in the registers of the Republic of Lucca and in 1442 the council of the elderly named three councillors from the court of the merchants to do urgent works.In 1469 the merchant Domenico Betti was named commissioner of the thermal baths by the Republic of Lucca.He built a new structure works finished in 1471, the establishment had a tower made in the 17th century. In the summer of 1581 Michel de Montaige arrived here to cure his kidney stones, he stayed in Casa Bujamonti were one can find a plaque stating the stay of the philosopher.At that epoca there was two tubs, one for men, the other for women and another room for the showers Montaigne writes in his memoirs of Italy:

“Here there is the possibility to drink and bathe in a covered dark bathtub.large as half of my room at Montaigne. In a part called ‘the doccia’ the water falls down on different parts of the body aiming on the sick parts, massaging and heating them, the water is then gathered in a wooden pipe.There’s another dark room with a tub for women, also a spring to drink from but its uncomfortable to reach descending a few steps into a ditch.”

In 1669 the baths were restored for the arrival of the Grand duchess Vittoria della Rovere and in 1790 Ferdinando d’Austria and his wife Maria Beatrice d’Este princess of Massa which where guests here. For the occasion a few tubs were embellished, and they took the name of bagno del Principe and bagno della Principessa.The other baths were bagno dei Padri Riformati, bagno Dante, bagno dei Servitori and bagnetto piccolo. Durning the Baciocchiano period the walls were covered with marble and in 1859 a hall was closed with an iron wrought railing. Georg Chistoph Martini on his trip in Tuscany(1725 - 1745) writes:

“On a highground we find Bagno alla Villa, a beautiful building divided into three main rooms, the mens room with a painted dome ceiling, another room was built for a princess and has a bathtub with an iron wrought railing all around it, the third is for women. Underground theres a bath for religious people and one for the poor that was used without payment. The pathways for walking are many they run through vineyards and are bordered with trimmed hedges. The woodland with green chestnuts, the fresh springs, the freqent waterfalls formed by the limpid waters of ther Lima and with other natural beauty’s makes this place very plesant.”

In the history of Bagno alla Villa lots of famous people made use of the waters like Ludovico Ariosto was extorted by Alfonso I of Ferrara to bring him some. The water was even faked as it became famous and in 1787 the government issued regulations on the spring waters. The waters of Bagno alla Villa have a temperture of 39°C/105°F. Until 40 years ago Bagno alla Villa was used like a public bath from the local population. At the present time works are being done on this small jewel with its towers and small square to bring it to its original splendour. At Bagno alla Villa the aristocratic people from Lucca stayed here like today they mix with the local people. The village represents a historial tradition as a privileged residential center.

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