TERME CORALLO [IT]

Exploration #175. The Acque della Salute spa, also known as the Terme del Corallo, was built on the ancient Pigna farm where, in 1854, a salt-water spring had been discovered that was considered suitable for treating digestive diseases. In 1856, a number of citizens took steps to have the spring enclosed within a small octagonal temple to facilitate its commercial exploitation. It was so successful that in the early 20th century the spring was taken over by the Acque della Salute company, which decided to build a real spa around it in an elegant Art Nouveau style. The spa was quickly completed and inaugurated in July 1904; in the same year a tram line was opened from the spa to the city centre.

The Acque della Salute soon became one of the main attractions of Livorno, which at the time was still one of the Italian capitals of seaside tourism. A luxurious hotel, the Hotel Corallo, was also built, equipped with electric lifts even at that time.
During World War II, the Americans took over the spa complex and made it their Officier’s Club. They discovered the properties of the waters and began the first agreements with Coca-Cola.

At the end of the war, the urgent need was to rebuild those activities that would give income, and so the production of Coral products (water and soft drinks) was restarted, together with the production of the new drink Coca-Cola, while the thermal activity was never restored, transforming the pavilions of the former establishment into a dance club.

In 1968 a disastrous fire severely damaged the monumental part of the complex. In the same inauspicious year, Coca-Cola swallowed up all the production of the Corallo company and put an end to production. The factory buildings and its grounds continued to lie in a serious condition until 2019, since when an association has been trying to bring them to new life.