# Belle Époque Spas and Hotels **At a glance:** Between the late 19th century and the early decades of the 20th, Casamicciola rebuilt its spas and hotels closer to the sea. The new Pio Monte hospice, opened in 1895, and hotels such as the Bellavista of 1906 rose on the seafront, while the historic Gurgitello establishments carried on working in Piazza Bagni. ## Useful information - **Type:** History of spa culture - **Period:** 19th–20th century - **Period:** Late 19th – 20th century - **Places:** Seafront and Piazza Marina, Via Principessa Margherita, Piazza Bagni - **1895:** Opening of the Pio Monte's new thermal hospice on the seafront - **1906:** Completion of the Albergo Bellavista on Via Principessa Margherita - **1956:** The Municipality takes the name Casamicciola Terme ## A new map for holidays After 1883 Casamicciola renewed itself. The new building rules advised building on level ground, away from the hills, and the town's centre moved from the upper town towards the Marina. It was here, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that the Belle Époque Casamicciola took shape. ## The new Pio Monte on the seafront The symbol of this rebirth was the new thermal hospice of the [Pio Monte della Misericordia](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/pio-monte-della-misericordia-complex/), opened on the coast in 1895. Designed by the engineer Giuseppe Florio using modern building methods, it was judged one of the foremost in Europe for its size and modernity: twelve dormitories, two bathing halls with eighty tubs, refectories, gardens and pinewoods across some 25,000 square metres. Next to it the Pio Monte also built a nursery school using the “baraccato” system: walls with a frame of chestnut trunks embedded in concrete, a technique of which many examples still survive in Casamicciola. The full story is in [The Pio Monte and Thermal Care for the Poor](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/pio-monte-thermal-care-for-the-poor/). ## Hotels by the sea Hospitality, too, was reorganised near the coast. One example is the building at Via Principessa Margherita 32, completed in 1906: built as the Albergo Bellavista, later the Hotel Napoleon and Villa Salesiana, it stands out for its Ionic order and the statue of the Madonna and Child on the terrace cornice. Italy's national catalogue of cultural heritage records it as earmarked to become the Town Hall. In the following decades the coast continued to attract hoteliers: on Via Salvatore Girardi the former Hotel Italia, probably built in the 1930s, had a basement floor with thermal baths and enjoyed great fame in the 1960s. ## The spas of Piazza Bagni In [Piazza Bagni](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/key-places/piazza-bagni/) the Gurgitello establishments carried on working. In the early 20th century an advertisement in the local magazine _Il Casamicciola_ presented the Belliazzi establishment, now the [Antiche Terme Belliazzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/belliazzi-historic-thermal-spa/), with forty first-class and twenty second-class cubicles. Next door was the Manzi family's establishment, from which the [Antiche Terme Manzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/manzi-historic-thermal-spa/) descend. ## Science and a fragile land The Belle Époque was also an era of science: the building regulations of 1884 suggested setting up an observatory in Casamicciola, later built at the Grande Sentinella: this is the [Geophysical Observatory](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/grande-sentinella-geophysical-observatory/). ## Into the 20th century After the Second World War the island's tourism took new directions and the town, while keeping its spa vocation, was no longer the sole focus of holidays on Ischia. In 1956, to underline the value of its waters, the Municipality added “Terme” (spa) to its name. The story of the rebirth is in [The Rebirth of the Spa Tradition after 1883](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/rebuilding-the-spa-tradition-after-1883/); that of the previous era in [Casamicciola, a European Spa Resort](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/casamicciola-european-spa-resort/). ## Where it is To find these places, simply stroll between [Piazza Marina](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/key-places/piazza-marina/), Corso Luigi Manzi and Via Principessa Margherita, then climb up towards Piazza Bagni. ## Frequently asked questions ### What remains of the Belle Époque in Casamicciola? Buildings such as the large Pio Monte complex on the seafront, opened in 1895, and the former Albergo Bellavista of 1906 on Via Principessa Margherita. In Piazza Bagni the historic Gurgitello establishments are still in operation. ### Why did hotels and spas move towards the sea after 1883? After 1883 the new building rules called for building on level ground, away from the hills. This is why the centre of Casamicciola moved towards the Marina. ### What is a “casa baraccata”? It is a building with an internal frame, in Casamicciola often made of chestnut trunks, embedded in masonry or concrete: a construction technique recommended after 1883, of which several examples still survive. ## Also worth seeing - [Piazza Bagni](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/key-places/piazza-bagni/) - [Piazza Marina](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/key-places/piazza-marina/) - [Antiche Terme Belliazzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/belliazzi-historic-thermal-spa/) - [Antiche Terme Manzi](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/manzi-historic-thermal-spa/) - [Pio Monte della Misericordia Complex](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/thermal-spas/pio-monte-della-misericordia-complex/) - [Grande Sentinella Geophysical Observatory](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/grande-sentinella-geophysical-observatory/) - [Casamicciola, a European Spa Resort](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/casamicciola-european-spa-resort/) - [The Rebirth of the Spa Tradition after 1883](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/rebuilding-the-spa-tradition-after-1883/) - [The Pio Monte and Thermal Care for the Poor](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/pio-monte-thermal-care-for-the-poor/) - [History of Casamicciola](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/) ## Sources and further reading - [F. Capano, Casamicciola: un soggiorno privilegiato nel secolo della borghesia, 'Ananke 85, 2018](https://www.iris.unina.it/handle/11588/729463) - [F. Capano, Il terremoto di Casamicciola del 1883: norme antisismiche e cupole tra storia e struttura, 'Ananke 91, 2020](https://www.iris.unina.it/retrieve/e268a733-c812-4c8f-e053-1705fe0a812c/4_ART_CA_2020_CapanoF_CasamicciolaTerremoto_'ANANKE91.pdf) - [Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali (SIGEC) – Hotel Napoleon (ex), già Albergo Bellavista](https://sigecweb.beniculturali.it/sigec/item/print/ICCD14710851) - [Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali (SIGEC) – Hotel Italia (ex)](https://sigecweb.beniculturali.it/sigec/item/print/ICCD14715167) - [Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali (SIGEC) – Ospizio termale del Pio Monte della Misericordia](https://sigecweb.beniculturali.it/sigec/item/print/ICCD14905378) - [Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali (SIGEC) – Asilo S. Maria della Provvidenza](https://sigecweb.beniculturali.it/sigec/item/print/ICCD14716817) - [Antiche Terme Belliazzi – La nostra storia](https://termebelliazzi.it/home/la-nostra-storia) - [Wikipedia – Casamicciola Terme](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casamicciola_Terme)