Terme del Corallo

The Terme del Corallo are Livorno's historic Acque della Salute spa complex. Angiolo Badaloni's design combines a traditional architectural arrangement with Liberty decoration, recalling the city's early-twentieth-century culture of leisure.

Why it matters

The establishment linked commercial use of mineral water with the social life of the Belle Époque. Its later decline and conservation form another part of the history, showing the changing fortunes of a specialised leisure complex.

What to notice

Floral details in the wooden fittings and applied ornament give the buildings their Liberty character. Arcades, pavilions and garden spaces organised the complex. The Sala della Mescita was the place where water was dispensed, connecting the spa's architecture with its original function.

Context and history

A saline spring was discovered in 1854 and enclosed in an octagonal structure in 1856. Construction of the larger establishment began in 1903, and it opened in July 1904. Spa activity ended around the Second World War, followed by other uses and damaging fires. The municipality acquired the site in 2009. Restoration of the park in 2013 and later work on the Sala della Mescita marked stages in the conservation of the complex.