Bagni di Lucca, a dip in the past

Bagni di Lucca is a town of 6,000 inhabitants in the province of Lucca, located at 150 meters above sea level. You can breathe the air of the glorious past of the Belle Epoque, when all the noble families of Lucca built their holiday homes there, a true status symbol of the time. The sumptuous villas Ada, Fiori, Reale were born, which hosted guests of the caliber of Lord Byron, Puccini, Mina and Celentano. Everything revolves around the spa where in 1308 the Countess Matilda confined gambling and clandestine gambling dens in order to be able to find sufficient funds to feed the wayfarers and pilgrims who passed through Bagni di Lucca. In 1839 the first casino in the world was born here, with attached roulette. There were lavish dance parties and gala evenings. To visit the Orrido di Botri Reserve, a naturalistic triumph rich in flora and fauna with the possibility of excursions and trekking. The Anglican Church of 1840, the first in Tuscany, and the British monumental cemetery of 1842 are of great value. Bagni di Lucca also preserves a prestigious library with 25,000 volumes. An absolute jewel of engineering is the bridge to the chains. There is also a factory of plaster figurines for nativity scenes, one of the oldest and most glorious in Italy. Finally, it must be remembered that the first Italian scouting movement was born here in 1910, made up of 30 young explorers.