In Livorno, at the end of the nineteenth century, one of the most ambitious spa complexes in Italy was born. The Coral Baths, also known as the Establishment of Health Waters, were the symbol of an era in which well-being was not just body care but also social representation, architecture and entertainment.
The water that no one was looking for
It all began in 1854, when a salt water spring emerged on a farm on the outskirts of the city. It had not been researched, but was immediately analyzed by some scholars who identified its therapeutic properties, especially for digestive disorders. In a short time that chance discovery was transformed into a small place of worship of water, with a structure that protected and celebrated it.
Badaloni and the Liberty dream
The turning point came at the beginning of the twentieth century: the Acque della Salute company decided to build a real factory. The project was entrusted to the engineer Angiolo Badaloni, who imagined an elegant and complex complex, with pavilions connected by colonnades, a large hall for events, spaces dedicated to treatments and a luxury hotel next door. The waters were even differentiated and named Sovrana, Corallo, Preziosa, almost as if they were distinct products, a sign that wellness marketing already existed.
When the spa opened in 1904, it was much more than a health center. They were a place of meeting, leisure and social life. Events, concerts and elegant evenings were organized in the gardens and halls. Livorno, which was then a leading seaside city, found a new center of attraction in the Terme del Corallo. It is no coincidence that they were nicknamed the “Montecatini a mare”.
The decline of the Coral Baths
The decline came after the Second World War, when the spa model changed and many structures lost their centrality. The Terme del Corallo continued to operate in a reduced form, then changed its purpose, also becoming a dance hall, while the activity concentrated on the bottling of the water. In 1968 a fire struck the complex, marking the beginning of a long period of abandonment. In the following years there was a lack of a clear vision, the recovery projects were not successful and the degradation advanced.
A further blow came in 1982, when the construction of an overpass in front of the plant compromised its visibility and aesthetic impact. From that moment on, the spa remained suspended, too important to be completely forgotten, but never truly recovered. In 2014 another fire worsened the situation, while in the same period thousands of people reported them as a place to be saved, but without concrete results.
Rebirth, one step at a time
In 2009 the Municipality of Livorno acquired the complex and began the first interventions, reopening the park to the public in June 2013, after restoring it to its early twentieth century appearance. The works continued slowly but continuously: in 2014 the roof of the Sala della Mescita was redone, in 2019 that of the medical clinic pavilion. In December 2020, the director of the Uffizi Galleries Eike Schmidt visited the complex to evaluate its inclusion in the “Uffizi Diffusi” project, a significant recognition of the cultural value of the place. The most awaited moment arrived on 7 December 2024: the official inauguration of the restored Sala della Mescita, in the presence of the President of the Tuscany Region and the Mayor of Livorno, marked the first real milestone of a recovery that aims at the complete rebirth of one of the city’s most beloved monuments.
What to see today
The restored Sala della Mescita is now open to the public and hosts cultural events and exhibitions. The recovery work on the entire complex is still underway, but this first space returned to the city is already enough to understand what the Coral Baths were in their golden age and what they could become again.
