Pic o' the Day #1316- Buried Treasures

One of my favorite things about travel is the unexpected find. Go out to see the antique Roman ruins at Stabia and stumble across a beautiful (though dilapidated) Stile Liberty house while wandering through the funky town of Castellamare di Stabia.  I don't know any details about this one; it's probably done around 1910, give or take a few years.

You could easily walk right by this one and not even notice it was there. I almost did!

Nice tile detail over the central axis entry

Interesting inversion of a Corinthian capital

Butterfly bracket support

Day 17- To Salsomaggiore Terme

Got up the next day, packed our gear, said our goodbyes, and did a quick pit stop at the Bargello museum, where the one thing I knew Marianne wanted to see (the Della Robbia room) was closed for inexplicable reasons. We got over it though, and said one more goodbye to Erling before jumping on the train to go to Salsomaggiore, a spa town outside of Parma. Took 3 train changes to get there, and we got into town around dusk in the rain. We stopped at a cafe that had wi-fi and found what looked like a good deal in a small hotel, and trundled our bags through the wet streets with only a couple of wrong turns. As we approached the center of town, the looming hulk of the Berzieri Terme came into view. 

Berzieri Thermal Baths cover an entire city block.

Around the turn of the last century, spas and thermal baths were all the rage, with large sanataria where people went to be cured of everything from tuberculosis to gout, and plenty of things even less mentionable. There was undoubtedly a healthy amount of quackery in some of these establishments, but the warm waters do heal, and the facilities they created were often luxurious and comfortable. The Berzieri spa was actually a bit of a latecomer- only finished in 1923- but it is massive! It has a large institutional look from outside, softened by a crazy Stile Liberty decoration that includes reference to all kinds of exotic architecture from around the world, done in a number of materials, including tile, brick, stone, iron, and glass. The insides are equally done up, with all kinds of beautiful decorations. Most of the work was directed by Ugo Giusti, the architect, and Galileo Chini, the artist.

The Berzieri Terme decoration combines equal amounts of Greek, Chinese, and Meso American motifs... oh yeah, and some East Indian for good measure.

Entry to the baths.

Unfortunately the timing wasn't that good, with WWII lurking around the corner, although the Fascist regime did support the baths, and even built a yet larger facility that sits unused now right next to the beautiful Art Deco train station. Bathing sort of fell out of favor in the 60's, and now it is mostly old people that go to the places, though it seems to be experiencing a small revival. Walking the immense hallways of massage rooms at the Berzieri feels like walking through a ghostly hospital, though it's still really beautiful in the darkened halls. 

We went to the baths hopefully, but were a bit disappointed to see that the facilities downstairs had all been modernized, with LED lighting and modern decor. The pools were great to look at, and had some very good hydrojet massage, but unfortunately the temperature was just shy of hot, which left us really wanting a bit more. Still, we stayed a good hour and a half, felt nicely pummeled by the jets, and went back to our very friendly B&B satisfied and tired. 

Crazy colored lightshows in the recently remodeled baths were nice to look at, but not hot enough for us. 

Day Nine- 
[This is where I started journaling while on the trip- days one through eight were written after we came back, while looking through the photos for the chronology of events]

Backside of the Palazzo Municipale in Ferrara.

Well, we couldn't find a cheap last minute room in Padova, so we skipped over it to the charming town of Ferrara tonight, which so far seems like a fine move. Our room here is cheap ($68), spacious, cool, and near the train station, all things we enjoy. On our afternoon stroll (have to stroll, 'cause it's HOT in the afternoon!) we took in the Piazza and the requisite Cattedrale (for its cool shadows) and then up to the Casa Romei, a restored 15th century palazzo that had great decorations from medieval period on, some brought there from churches that had been destroyed. Its been heartening to see many buildings being well cared for on this trip. 

The Casa Romei in Ferrara is a well preserved house built in the 16th century

On the way back to the hotel, we sat in the Piazza for a while to watch the citizens emerge and mingle on their way home. This city loves bikes! Everyone rides one, from kids to grannies! Finally, after picking up some groceries to eat in the room (that way we can afford some splurgy food when we want) we spotted a couple of Stile Liberty (Italian Art Nouveau) houses just around the corner from where we are staying. What a treat! 

Entry to a house called the Villa Melchiori in Ferrara. Sunflowers are the theme of its decorations. Italian Art Nouveau is known as Stile Liberty

Tomorrow we will see the Castello Estense, the Palazzina Marfisa d'Este, and the Palazzo Schifanoia. I think we have determined that we really need two days to do any town- we're just not good at hit and run visits. Going to rent bikes too, so we can join the locals!

Everyone rides a bike in Ferrara. Come to the piazza in the early evening to see the whole town come by!