Bagni di Lucca is a small town in the province of Lucca in Tuscany. It has been known since Etruscan times because of the healing water of the hot springs found there. It is actually more of a collection of small villages than a real city.
Bagni di Lucca travel guide
Useful information
Tourist office: Via Umberto I, 103 – 55022 Bagni di Lucca (tel: +39 0583 805745). Opening hours: From June to September from 10:00 to 14:00: the rest of the year from 11:00 to 14:00. Closed: Sunday. (This is also the address of the town hall).
Bagni di Lucca has its own train station on the Garfagnana line between Lucca and Aulla. It is located in the suburb of Fornoli.
Curiosities
The town itself is characterized by the avenues of cypress and plane trees separating the various districts.
The historical claim to fame of Bagni di Lucca is that here, in 1840, the first casino in Europe was built, the Casino Municipale. At that time the city also served as the summer residence of none other than Napoleon.
What to see
The Pieve di San Cassiano was built in the 8th century. Jacopo della Quercia painted “Saint Martin on Horseback”.
The San Pietro Church was built by the Lombards.
The main attraction in the suburb of Fornoli is the Ponte delle Catene (“Bridge of the Chains”).
In the hamlets of Bagni Caldi (“Warm Baths”) and La Villa there are some beautiful villas to see. The hospital in Bagni Caldi was already built in 1826.
The 16th century Ponte della Maddalena (or Ponte del Diavolo, “Devil’s Bridge”) is located in the frazione Ponte a Serraglio.
The Pieve di San Paolo in the borough of Vico Pancellorum (873).
A brief history of Bagni di Lucca
The original name of the town founded around the year 1000 was Bagno a Corsena. However, because of its thermal waters, the place was already known in ancient times.
The first writing mentioning the healing springs dates back to 1284.
The real flowering period, however, began at the beginning of the 16th century. This was mainly due to Carlo Ludovico di Borbone. His presence ensured that numerous notables and artists visited the city. The most famous visitors were Heinrich Heine and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
In 1837 the first casino in the country was built there, but seven years later gambling was banned.
In 1839 a casino was built, where gambling was allowed until 1846.
The current structure of the city was created in 1897, when Fornoli and Borgo Mozzano merged.