The Italian thermal town of Montecatini Terme will welcome 30 delegates from the Great Spa Towns of Europe Association (GSTEA) this week when it hosts the association’s third general assembly of 2023.

Montecatini Terme is one of the 11 towns* in seven countries which make up the Great Spa Towns of Europe (GSTE), a transnational World Heritage site which was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in July 2021.

Montecatini Terme’s mayor, Luca Baroncini, and the Municipality of Montecatini Terme will host members of the Intergovernmental Committee who represent the seven countries of the GSTE as well as the Board of the GSTEA (made up of lord mayors and mayors of the 11 spa towns).

The GSTE’s site managers – who are local government technical officers responsible for delivering the ‘Property Management Plan’ in each of the towns locally – will also attend the conference and host their own meetings.

Baroncini said: “I’m looking forward to welcoming my fellow mayors and lord mayors to Montecatini Terme this week. It’s a great honour to be able to host representatives from the GSTE.

“The organisation has been incredibly important for the development of our town, and I’m delighted to be able to show my colleagues the improvements that have been started since their last visit, including the initial stages of the restoration of the Town Hall’s Chini paintings in collaboration with the prestigious Florentine school for art and restoration, Palazzo Spinelli.”

He added: “We’re also very proud to be able to show off the beginning of the project ‘Montecatini Terme, the City of Well-Being’, financed by the Italian Ministry of Tourism.

“The overall vision of the project will be disseminated through a review of events and/or micro events structured on wellbeing and on the sub-themes of women, peace, earth/water and art.

“The project represents an evolution for the city and an opportunity to become a contemporary wellness city while maintaining the important values of our thermal tradition.”

Delegates will also be able to participate in study tours to find out more about the town, the local area and how the town contributes to the value of the GSTE.

Attendees will have the opportunity to take part in:
• A guided tour of the Terme Tettuccio and Terme Tamerici, two of Montecatini Terme’s most famous drinking spas.
• A visit to Montecatini Alto on the 125-year-old funicular, with a guided tour of the medieval hilltop town.
• Meetings held in the Town Hall, famous for its Art Nouveau frescoes by Galileo Chini.

Delegates will also visit the newly-refurbished Grotta Giusti thermal hotel just outside Montecatini Terme for an informal dinner and an opportunity to try out the new thermal spa facilities.

Chiara Ronchini, secretary general of the GSTE, said: “While I obviously can’t have favourites, Montecatini Terme, as the only Italian GSTE member does hold a special place in my heart.

“We have a lot of important work to get through here this week and I’m looking forward to a fruitful set of meetings with my colleagues. Study tours are also a key part of the meetings for all of us, as we learn in-depth about the different component parts of the GSTE by experiencing World Heritage in action first hand.”

*The Great Spa Towns of Europe
• Baden bei Wien, Austria.
• Spa, Belgium.
• Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
• Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic.
• Frantiskovy Lazne, Czech Republic.
• Vichy, France.
• Baden-Baden, Germany.
• Bad Ems, Germany.
• Bad Kissingen, Germany.
• Montecatini Terme, Italy.
• Bath, UK.