Bagni di Lucca is collection of 25 villages in the Lima Valley in Northern Tuscany. It has been called Bagni di Lucca since 1862. The commercial centre, and home of the comune, is La Villa, which sits on either side of the river.
The area where I live is Ponte a Serraglio, 1 kilometre down river. I can see the first casino built in Europe from my window.
Fornoli, where the railway station is, sits another kilometre further down the Lima river.
The total population is around 7,000 and is spread around the villages of Benabbio, Casabasciana, Granaiola and Lugliano among others. In 1101 the Countess Matilda of Tuscany had the Devil’s Bridge built so that she could access the health giving springs, which have been known since Etruscan and Roman times.
Since Lucca unified the area in 1308 and tranformed it into a spa oasis, it has been visited by people from all over Europe to take the waters. It’s heyday was in the early 1800s, during Napoleon’s occupation when his sister Elisa Baciocchi spent her summers in Bagni di Lucca. A casino was built and it became a social hub for foreigners, particularly the English. Shelley, Bryon and the Barrett Brownings were among the visitors.
The view from Debra’s balcony
Looking across the Lima river at Ponte a Serraglio
Ponte a Serraglio
The casino, the first in Europe
Villa Ada at La Villa
The baths at La Villa
The pretty marble sculpture in Villa Ada
The old station building in Autumn
The Lima river from Ponte a Serraglio
The autumn mists on the river
The walking bridge to Villa Fiori and the car park
Early morning from the walking bridge.
For suggestions for places to stay in Bagni di Lucca, look on the Stay in Bagni di Lucca page.
For information about eating in Bagni di Lucca click here.
We love our little village and would like to share it with everyone. If you have any questions you think we may be able to help with, please send an email to – debrakolkka@gmail.com – and we will do our best to answer you.
Keep in mind that I do not get paid to write this blog and I do not receive commissions from anyone. If you would like a detailed itinerary for your trip, please speak to the site you are renting from, or your travel agent. I will try to help with general questions, but many will be answered by looking through the archives of the blog.
Look on my other blog Bella Bagni di Lucca for more posts on our lovely village and surrounds.