Visitors coming to Livorno by train, or by road on the Florence-Pisa-Livorno highway, approach the city from the north-east, an area of the city that, a few years ago, was the focus of a series of town-planning operations. As a result, the area grew from nothing to what is now called the Porta a Terra (‘inland gateway’), a name that recalls the old gateways to the city at the time of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. And it is precisely here, on the edge of Livorno city center, that visitors come face to face with the terrible sight of the ruins of the old thermal baths built in the Art Nouveau style (known as “Liberty” in Italy).

The incredible view of the building is afforded from the front row seat offered by the raised bridge over the railway dating from 1982. There is a real risk of accident as the majestic figure of the spa complex gradually comes into view and drivers turn their heads to take in the spectacle, regardless of the car in front or the width of the road. It is so natural to stop and observe this abandoned architectural wonder, smothered in vegetation, that for a moment you are blind to everything else around you.

This is the first contact with the city, one that disheartens and astonishes the visitor. Many ask themselves why, but there is no rational explanation. There is a long history of neglect, undervaluation, lack of culture, and of condescension towards the old property, with no-one ever seeking to restore dignity to the building, and blindness on the part of the authorities. But what did the baths mean for Livorno, apart from the creation of a considerable income in terms of tourism and economic development?

The grand spa known as the Acque della Salute, or "Waters of Health", was one of the most important in Italy and Europe in terms of its elegance, the range of treatments it offered, the variety of mineralization of its waters, and the amenities available. In addition to its spa facilities, Livorno also offered spa goers the social gatherings at the Eden, sea bathing, and the cultural salons held by the noble owners of numerous villas in the city and the surrounding area. It is important to note that at the end of the 1800s Livorno boasted 28 consulate offices and foreign delegations. It goes without saying that the city attracted visitors from all over the world and the reputation of its thermal baths soon became widespread. They had already been declared a place of excellence in 1904 when they were awarded the “Grand Prix" gold medal at the International Exhibition in Paris.

The Livornese building was the first in Tuscany (and one of the first in Italy) to be built in reinforced concrete using the patented Hennebique system, and it is thanks to this innovative construction technique that the complex is still standing today.

A huge show of brilliance went into creating this jewel of architectural engineering, while a huge show of indifference has gone into reducing it to its present condition.

For engineer Angiolo Badaloni this was the first project commissioned by a private individual, because until then he had always worked for the municipality of Livorno, building the Benci and Micheli schools, the city food market, and contributing to the design of the Naval Academy.

In order to carry out the project of the "Waters of Health", for which he had no limitations of any kind, Badaloni called on the greatest decorators, painters, ceramicists, carpenters and craftsmen of the time. He was assisted by doctors, geologists and chemists from the University of Pisa, each of whom represented excellence in their own field. A design was drawn up for the construction of wells with three surrounding walls divided by cavities, in order to avoid contamination of the water by infiltrations from the surrounding terrain. Even waste water disposal was carefully controlled to avoid any possibility of soil contamination. Sewage was collected in a concrete tank supported by reinforced pillars resting on a platform also made of concrete. The construction was compared to a battleship suspended above the ground.

Various problems led to the degeneration of the building. The most important of these was the enactment of the racial laws which forced the owner, Chayes, to sell all his assets before they were confiscated by the regime. According to an agreement with the owner of the Recoaro company, the baths would pass to the latter but return in part to Chayes’ possession at the end of the war. Prior to the sale, Chayes declared, in a document delivered to the Royal Mining Corps to grant the extraction of water in perpetuity, that the water supply amounted to 50,000 liters per day (the mineral waters called Sovrana, Corsia, Preziosa, Corallo and Vittoria). Shortly afterwards, the war interrupted the spa activities. With the first bombing of 1940 the city began to empty. People fled from Livorno as its port and industry became a direct line of fire. The nearby train station was hit and destroyed while, as if by a miracle, the baths were saved.

The Americans took possession of the spa and made it their Officer 's Club. They knew about the properties of the waters and began to form the first agreements with the Coca-Cola company. At this point, the destiny of the spa was already laid out, because at the end of the war economic interests were of prime importance; the most urgent need was to rebuild those businesses that brought in revenue, so the production of Corallo water and soft drinks was started up again, alongside the production of the new drink, Coca-Cola. The spa activity was not revived, for the simple fact that the priorities of the post-war period did not foresee the kind of lifestyle associated with the spa. The great hall of the “Liberty” building was rented to Oreste Ghinassi who made it into a dance hall. In accordance with the agreement made previously with the Recoaro company, Chayes regained possession of part of the property, acquiring the Hotel Corallo which was built in 1906 also by Badaloni, two years after the inauguration of the Spa.

Then began the downward spiral. In the ill-fated year of 1968 Coca-Cola swallowed up the entire production of the Corallo company, and the famous green “Corallo water” bottle disappeared, despite the fact that the company had found a new source of water in the “Padula” area which was providing a daily quantity of 40,000 litres of weak saline water, very similar to that of its famous sister (Corallo). A steel pipeline carried water from the “Angel’s Well” (as it was called) to just below the Corallo building where it was stored in two tanks, one of 3,000 and one of 80 cubic meters, the first below the spa and the other in the yellow tower of the production plant.

The imminent reopening of the dance hall as a discotheque was halted by a fire of unknown origin that broke out in the ballroom of the Spa. The fire took about six hours to extinguish, and a chronicler of the time wrote, "... it will take months to get the baths back to their former splendor...". At the same time, the Hotel Corallo was requisitioned by the local administration to house the people who had lost their homes in the Sicilian earthquake.

Ever since then, a dark veil of neglect and disinterest has covered the grand thermal baths. There has been a succession of local administrations and several changes in staff at the Superintendency for Fine Arts and Monuments, but none have worked towards the recovery of the Acque della Salute complex. And as if this weren’t enough, a huge flyover bridge was built right next to the Spa almost blocking the gates, as if to intentionally obscure and remove it from sight. And for over 40 years all there has been is darkness and a loss of historical memory.

We have a duty to safeguard what we have inherited from history. This is the only way we can preserve the memory of all the great people who once worked and studied here, of all those who enjoyed and benefitted from their stay in Livorno: people from all over the world, including figures from the monarchy, from literature, and from the worlds of music and politics in the last century. I shudder to think of what has been deliberately neglected. It is a matter of conscience and respect, it is about what we leave for future generations, and I would like that to be more than just memories.

In 2013 the no-profit "Terme del Corallo" Association was founded. Its aim is to spread awareness about the need for the recovery of this part of our heritage, and to raise money to gradually succeed in saving this Art Nouveau building. Behind this is the work of a group of 6,000 people on the most popular social network who, since 2009, in conjunction with the acquisition of the spa by the municipality, have been promoting events, publications, and articles, and urging for intervention. This has resulted in the re-acquisition of the park, opened to the public in June 2013, and the allocation of funds for the recovery of the "Sala della Mescita”, the room where people used to drink the mineral waters.

The Association is now fighting for the biggest intervention of all: the restoration of the entire building. We are making a plea for funds to anyone who is capable of understanding how fundamental this is to the preservation of our historical heritage.

Translation by Sarah Thompson