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The Bathers by Massimo Siragusa

The Bathers by Massimo Siragusa

The Bathers by Massimo Siragusa

AUTHOR:

Massimo Siragusa

BRAND:

Personal project

PHOTO:

Massimo Siragusa

YEAR:

2018

LINKS:

Massimo Siragusa

Massimo Siragusa, through this project, takes a trip to some of the places of his childhood, discovering that the atmosphere has changed because things have remained as they were then.

Massimo Siragusa – The Bathers – 2018

Could you talk about this project?

It is a journey in some italian spas such as Montecatini Terme, Chianciano Terme, Saturnia etc.
In reality, more than a trip to the spa, this is also a journey down memory lane because I used to visit these places with my parents when I was a child.
In the 60s and 70s many Italians used to spend time in September, in the spas and I was curious to know what had changed and how some of my childhood places had evolved.
Unfortunately, after this trip to the baths, I felt a sense of abandonment and depletion for these places and what they used to be.

In some of these shots it seems like time has stopped and for instance, in one we see an old coin-operated scale …

Yes, that’s right and this is exactly the impression one gets when visiting these places. Everything seems to have stopped in the 60s. A bit like reality has been frozen at that time.

Massimo Siragusa – The Bathers – 2018
  • 16th August 2018, Saturnia Thermal baths, Tuscany, Italy >< Saturnia is a spa town in Tuscany in north-central Italy that has been inhabited since ancient times. It is a frazione of the comune of Manciano, in the province of Grosseto. Famous for the spa which gives it its name, its population is 280. It lies about 14 km (8.7 mi) from Manciano, 56 km (35 mi) from Grosseto, 37 km (23 mi) northeast of Orbetello and the coast. Near the village, 800 L/s of sulphurous water at 37 °C gushes over a waterfall and down into a cascade of natural pools formed by the deposition of calcareous rock from evaporation of the water. Saturnia takes its name from the Roman god Saturn (or Saturnus). Legend has it that he grew tired of the constant wars of humans, and sent a thunderbolt to earth that created a magic spring of warm sulphurous water which would pacify mankind. Dionysius of Halicarnassus lists Saturnia as one of the towns first occupied by the Pelasgi and then by the Etruscan civilization. A Roman colony arrived in 183 BC, but little is known about it other than the fact that it was a prefecture. There are still remains of the city walls, in the polygonal style, which contain Roman gateways. Roman remains have also been discovered within the town, and remains of tombs outside. These tombs were originally covered by tumuli, which have now disappeared, so that George Dennis, author of Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, mistook them for megalithic remains. In 1300, Saturnia became the hideout of outlaws and was razed to the ground by the Sienese. Forgotten for several centuries, Saturnia was rediscovered in the late 19th century when the land around the spring was drained and a spa built. Thousands of visitors come to bathe in the waters to this day.
  • 28th August 2018, Saturnia Thermal baths, Tuscany, Italy >< Saturnia is a spa town in Tuscany in north-central Italy that has been inhabited since ancient times. It is a frazione of the comune of Manciano, in the province of Grosseto. Famous for the spa which gives it its name, its population is 280. It lies about 14 km (8.7 mi) from Manciano, 56 km (35 mi) from Grosseto, 37 km (23 mi) northeast of Orbetello and the coast. Near the village, 800 L/s of sulphurous water at 37 °C gushes over a waterfall and down into a cascade of natural pools formed by the deposition of calcareous rock from evaporation of the water. Saturnia takes its name from the Roman god Saturn (or Saturnus). Legend has it that he grew tired of the constant wars of humans, and sent a thunderbolt to earth that created a magic spring of warm sulphurous water which would pacify mankind. Dionysius of Halicarnassus lists Saturnia as one of the towns first occupied by the Pelasgi and then by the Etruscan civilization. A Roman colony arrived in 183 BC, but little is known about it other than the fact that it was a prefecture. There are still remains of the city walls, in the polygonal style, which contain Roman gateways. Roman remains have also been discovered within the town, and remains of tombs outside. These tombs were originally covered by tumuli, which have now disappeared, so that George Dennis, author of Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, mistook them for megalithic remains. In 1300, Saturnia became the hideout of outlaws and was razed to the ground by the Sienese. Forgotten for several centuries, Saturnia was rediscovered in the late 19th century when the land around the spring was drained and a spa built. Thousands of visitors come to bathe in the waters to this day.
  • 16th August 2018, Saturnia Thermal baths, Tuscany, Italy >< Saturnia is a spa town in Tuscany in north-central Italy that has been inhabited since ancient times. It is a frazione of the comune of Manciano, in the province of Grosseto. Famous for the spa which gives it its name, its population is 280. It lies about 14 km (8.7 mi) from Manciano, 56 km (35 mi) from Grosseto, 37 km (23 mi) northeast of Orbetello and the coast. Near the village, 800 L/s of sulphurous water at 37 °C gushes over a waterfall and down into a cascade of natural pools formed by the deposition of calcareous rock from evaporation of the water. Saturnia takes its name from the Roman god Saturn (or Saturnus). Legend has it that he grew tired of the constant wars of humans, and sent a thunderbolt to earth that created a magic spring of warm sulphurous water which would pacify mankind. Dionysius of Halicarnassus lists Saturnia as one of the towns first occupied by the Pelasgi and then by the Etruscan civilization. A Roman colony arrived in 183 BC, but little is known about it other than the fact that it was a prefecture. There are still remains of the city walls, in the polygonal style, which contain Roman gateways. Roman remains have also been discovered within the town, and remains of tombs outside. These tombs were originally covered by tumuli, which have now disappeared, so that George Dennis, author of Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, mistook them for megalithic remains. In 1300, Saturnia became the hideout of outlaws and was razed to the ground by the Sienese. Forgotten for several centuries, Saturnia was rediscovered in the late 19th century when the land around the spring was drained and a spa built. Thousands of visitors come to bathe in the waters to this day.
  • 9th September 2018, Adler Thermal baths, Bagno Vignoni, San Quirico d'Orcia,Tuscany, Italy >< The Adler is built on a travertine quarry overlooking the Val d’Orcia, a southern Tuscan valley so stunning that UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 2004. The thermal-bath complex, including travertine grottoes complete with stalactites and stalagmites, is served by the same natural hot springs that the Etruscans enjoyed; more recently, Lorenzo the Magnificent and Saint Catherine of Siena relaxed in these waters. Each of the Adler’s 90 spacious accommodations has a luminous wall of French doors opening onto a terrace overlooking the Val d’Orcia and luxurious bathrooms with large oval tubs and separate showers. The glass-roofed restaurant specializes in Tuscan fare and boasts an impressive wine list of prestigious Italian labels. Only a few minutes’ walk from the medieval Bagno Vignoni, the Adler is also within easy reach of Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, and the most delightful abbeys and gardens under the Tuscan sun.
  • Parco Acqua Santa (Holy water park), 17th August 2018, Chianciano Terme, Tuscany, Italy >< Chianciano Terme is a comune (municipality) in the P
  • Parco Acqua Santa (Holy water park), 17th August 2018, Chianciano Terme, Tuscany, Italy >< Chianciano Terme is a comune (municipality) in the P
  • Parco Acqua Santa (Holy water park), 17th August 2018, Chianciano Terme, Tuscany, Italy >< Chianciano Terme is a comune (municipality) in the P
  • Chianciano Terme 16th August 2018, province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy >< Chianciano Terme is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) southeast of Florence and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Siena. It is located between the Valdichiana and the Val d'Orcia. Chianciano Terme borders the following municipalities: Chiusi, Montepulciano, Pienza, Sarteano. Chianciano Terme history dates back to the 5th century BC, when the Etruscans built a temple dedicated to the god of Good Health, close to the Silene springs where the newer quarter of Chianciano (the Terme section) stands today. News of the curative power of Chianciano's water became well known during Roman times, as Horace visited the area on the advice of his physician during the 1st century BC. Luxurious Roman villas were built in the area near the thermal baths. There is little archaeological evidence of much activity during the Middle Ages, but, by the 12th and 13th centuries, Chianciano belonged to the Manenti Counts, Lords of Sarteano. Its position close to the Via Francigena (the medieval main connection from Rome to France) fostered its development, and Chianciano reached a degree of judicial autonomy by 1287 when it established its own statutes. In the 14th century, the city states of Orvieto and Siena contended for it, with Siena being the ultimate victor. The first decades of the 20th century saw the area around the springs (the Terme section) draw the attention of developers. Between 1920 and 1930 neoclassical establishments with Pompeian-style bowers were built, then destroyed in 1940 when the Fascist-controlled state took possession. While under state control, a new town plan was designed by architects Loreti and Marchi, who also designed some spas in the Acqua Santa Park. The town plan was adjusted by the Town Technical Office of Chianciano in 1958 and passed in 1961. Present day Chianciano Terme has two distinct areas.
  • 28th August 2018, Saturnia Thermal baths, Tuscany, Italy >< Saturnia is a spa town in Tuscany in north-central Italy that has been inhabited since ancient times. It is a frazione of the comune of Manciano, in the province of Grosseto. Famous for the spa which gives it its name, its population is 280. It lies about 14 km (8.7 mi) from Manciano, 56 km (35 mi) from Grosseto, 37 km (23 mi) northeast of Orbetello and the coast. Near the village, 800 L/s of sulphurous water at 37 °C gushes over a waterfall and down into a cascade of natural pools formed by the deposition of calcareous rock from evaporation of the water. Saturnia takes its name from the Roman god Saturn (or Saturnus). Legend has it that he grew tired of the constant wars of humans, and sent a thunderbolt to earth that created a magic spring of warm sulphurous water which would pacify mankind. Dionysius of Halicarnassus lists Saturnia as one of the towns first occupied by the Pelasgi and then by the Etruscan civilization. A Roman colony arrived in 183 BC, but little is known about it other than the fact that it was a prefecture. There are still remains of the city walls, in the polygonal style, which contain Roman gateways. Roman remains have also been discovered within the town, and remains of tombs outside. These tombs were originally covered by tumuli, which have now disappeared, so that George Dennis, author of Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, mistook them for megalithic remains. In 1300, Saturnia became the hideout of outlaws and was razed to the ground by the Sienese. Forgotten for several centuries, Saturnia was rediscovered in the late 19th century when the land around the spring was drained and a spa built. Thousands of visitors come to bathe in the waters to this day.

From our interview with Massimo Siragusa

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