Liberty Building – Lorenzo Berzieri Thermal Spa

Located in the heart of Salsomaggiore Terme, the Palace, an iconic local landmark, was designed by Tuscan architects Ugo Giusti and Giulio Bernardini and inaugurated on 27th May 1923. The internationally acclaimed painter and decorative artist, Galileo Chini (1873-1956), was entrusted with the building’s decorative features, which reveal elements clearly borrowed from oriental Chinese, Islamic and Hindu culture, testifying to Chini’s experiences in the Orient. 

The group of three odalisques striking elegant, beguiling poses, the ceilings painted with peacock tails, the columns, capitals and plinths all bring to mind the India of Maharajas and mountain temples, while the chimeras, anthropomorphic figures and bas-reliefs reveal the strong influence of the ancient Assyrian world.

Inside, a monumental marble staircase leads to the first floor, where visitors can admire a magnificent diptych, also painted by Chini and portraying autumn and spring, the seasons traditionally chosen for “taking the waters” at thermal spas. The counter-facade, adorned with the “Triptych of Hygieia”, painted by Cremona-born artist Giuseppe Moroni (1888-1959), alludes to the building’s function dedicated to the cult of water and good health.

The Thermal Spa was named after Lorenzo Berzieri, the local physician who was the first to study the therapeutic benefits and effectiveness of the thermal waters of Salsomaggiore. Today it houses an elegant, modern wellness centre.

Sharp your eyes on the outside and look for:

• Lion heads
• Ram and owl heads
• Ladies with thong 
• Blue lions

Sharp your eyes on the inside and pay attention to:

• The atrium decorated by Giuseppe Moroni with marble ornaments, wall paintings and stuccoes
• The glasses
• The monumental double and speculare staircase 
• The rose windows in stucco and the great skylight
• The frescoes by Galileo Chini (painter, sculptor and decorator)
• The fresco depicting the goddess of health Hygeia

THE SQUARE

The Berzieri Thermal Spa looks onto the square of the same name, recently refurbished to a design by architect Emilio Faroldi. The new square, designed with the aim of redefining the spatial identity while respecting and enhancing the uniqueness of the thermal spa building, which exerts an iconic presence on the urban fabric, was completed in 2010.

Berzieri Square is characterised by a minimalist structure, featuring Brazilian stone that is deliberately non-uniform thanks to a mix of colours and the presence of inserts with fossil figures. The metal used for a number of furnishing elements and the pools is in keeping with the eclectic local architecture. The water feature incorporated into the refurbished square in place of the previous flowerbed, has a geometric design reminiscent of a grand piano and alludes to the town’s vocation as a thermal spa resort and the presence of a stream flowing beneath the square. The fountain features a sculpture by Giorgio Milani: a trapezoidal wedge in corten steel and a bronze poetry stele which, through Salsomaggiore, connects east and west. Another work by the artist, located on the east side of the square, consists of a horizontal poetry stele made up of block paving stones in quartz and porphyry designed by Milani, which form words and phrases linked to the town, with a small salamander, the symbol of Salsomaggiore Terme, in the centre.

The Palace is open to guided tours

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