One subject constantly recurs among Bagni di Lucca’s facebook pages. Sadly it is not so much to do with the comune’s outstanding natural and historic heritage. As one of Europe’s greatest natural spas Bagni attracted the creme-de-la-creme of the continent’s aristocratic and artistic milieu and apparently did so until something began to happen to it in the second half of the last century. Was it indeed the preliminary to a settlement’s suicide?
What eventually resulted was a slow but inexorable decline.
During the almost twenty years I have largely lived in this area, for example, over three-quarters of all shops and catering establishments have closed or moved elsewhere – often to Fornoli, that part of the borough forming its more modern part near to the railway station.
What has caused the decline of this once proud and prosperous town? Some wags have suggested it’s to do with the nature of the inhabitants themselves. Too complacent to do other than rest on the laurels of their past glory-days they seem to spend most of their time squabbling between themselves and arguing about who is responsible (or not) for filling in those country lane pot-holes.
Others suggest that the real reason for the ‘ghostification’ of Bagni is to do with the fact that it has not been able to reinvent itself as a spa town in an age where spas are regarded as rather dated. But even this reason does not hold water. The reopened Bagni Bernabo are proving successful in providing high quality thermal establishment facilities. Canyon Park is offering popular adventure activities in an extraordinary natural environment. Fornoli itself has a spanking new health centre, a redesigned area around the station and a very adequate retail offer.
So what is going wrong and why is it going wrong at Bagni? Is it just the lull before the rescue when the shining knights will ride in and save the beleaguered inhabitants from the fate of utter destitution?
Who knows. However I do know that certain basic facilities largely to do with communications need to be improved. These in my opinion are:
- Re-routing of the Via Brennero passing on the other side of the Lima river at Ponte a Serraglio through a tunnel (as planned as far back as 2001) thus avoiding the need for a traffic lights and enabling pedestrianization of the Brennero’s former through-town route. (Remembering that pedestrianization is a major incentive to inner town regeneration).
A fully functioning tourist office with wide-reaching facilities for information, bookings and other facilities.
- Re-localisation of heavy industries (esp those paper mills) to an area outside the comune in order to reduce traffic and preserve air quality. It may be remembered that in the budding Italian economic ‘miracle’ of the 1950’s and 1960’s there was a certain disparagement of tourism in these parts in favour of industrial development which was held to hold the definitive key to the future.
- Closer involvement of the population with local government. It’s sad but true that for many people interaction with the decisions of the wider world stops at their garden gates. Certainly for foreigners who visit their holiday homes largely during the summer period it may not seem too important to be involved with local politics but then they can’t complain if things are not up to what they expect. It may be fine to know all that’s going on in Amersham Parish Council and know nothing about what’s projected for Bagni di Lucca especially if one has not taken advantage of the excellent facilities here for learning Italian or because one has one’s television channels constantly tuned to Sky instead of the amazingly informative local NOI stations.
Whatever it is whether it be the description of Bagni inhabitants described as mildewed dowager duchesses constantly back-biting on each other and moaning about the loss of the family silver or whether the government is to blame for everything or whether it’s going to take a long time to deal with post-covid doldrums or Putin war tantrums one thing is certain: it is the responsibility of each one of us, whether permanent or occasional residents, of this beautiful part of Italy so rich in natural and cultural wonders to open that garden gate and become more fully informed and aware of those issues which will decide one way or the other Bagni di Lucca’s future as a viable, attractive and enjoyable place to visit and even live in – and help the town (at least) from committing suicide…