There was a meeting at the casino in Ponte a Serraglio on Tuesday to introduce the plans for Villa Fiori, which has recently been purchased by Sean Connelly, a Chartered Consulting Engineer who specialises in the design and build of Commercial and Residential Wellness and leisure facilities for resort hotels, clubs and super-prime residential properties. I think Villa Fiori is in good hands.
I was not at the casino on Tuesday but a friend has sent one view of the plans for the venture.
It is expected that the permits should be completed in the next 3 months and the project finished in 4 years.
It seems a circular spa and restaurant will surround a thermal pool. Villa Fiori will be a hotel. I hope to get more information when I return to Ponte a Serraglio in a few weeks.
I think this will be excellent for Bagni di Lucca. There should be jobs for local tradespeople and accommodation will be needed for workers who are brought in. Once the project is finished there should be lots of jobs and local businesses will benefit from the extra people coming to Bagni di Lucca to enjoy the facilities.
I hope work begins while I am in Bagni di Lucca on my upcoming visit.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 
Thanks for posting Deborah. It sounds really interesting. I agree that It will bring jobs and tourism to the area. I will look out for news of the project. I hope there will still be a place to park cars for Ponte a Serraglio. X
Yes, car parking will still be available.
Looks amazing!
Is Villa Fiori the villa across the river from the casino?
Sent from my iPhone
Yes, cross the walking bridge and the house is on the left.
I love that house. It would be wonderful to see life and beauty breathed back into it, and people enjoying it as I’m sure they once did.
Thank you for the update. I sincerely hope this project comes to fruition as it would be a fabulous addition to the community and be a place that attracts visitors from near and far.
I think it will be great for Bagni di Lucca. I am excited about the project.
Great to hear the positive feedback and yes we will look to employ local people for the works and boost the local economy.
Villa Fiori will be refurbished as small boutique hotel and venue with en suite rooms to upper floors and ground floor dedicated to reception space bar and entertaining rooms.
The concept here is to support local tourism by boosting existing hotels and accommodation by limiting the rooms to primary guest with no more than twenty five suites.
The new spa pavillion called the “Glasshouse” The ground floor will have will have a glazed reception with views into the central octagonal thermal pool which will be fed with the thermal water from the opposite hills and an oculus atrium over bringing natural light through the building.
Surrounding the main pool will be smaller experience pools including varying temperatures and feature such as cold pool hydro pool and jacuzzi for wellness. On the outer ring of the Octagonal building will be treatment rooms and changing with perimeter glazed facade as canopied walkway naturally planted.
First floor will house indoor venue space including for wedding receptions or venue use and associated facilities with small gym for guests with associated washroomsand changing facilities.
Roof terrace will be open air concert space with glass atrium bar to serve the open air venue.
Park will be restored and maintained to create open air space for continued use for local events and a thermal pools and 25m training pool will be installed as well as thermal pools and fountains fed from the natural water source. The car parks will retained and the gravelled areas will possibly be converted with Padel courts and Tennis courts as was originally there for Villa Fiori and to be dedicated to celebrate the new Tennis Sensation.
We are looking to support, respect and collaborate with the existing historic thermal facilities and already have entered into talks with regards to keeping and incorporating these facilities as part of the new Wellness Journey Experience we will create.
This is brief overview of the concept which will need to be scrutinised and obtain approval by the municipality and Cultural Asset Division of Lucca which brings its own challenges to overcome.
With over 30 years of experience and a great team of engineers architects and design and project management team behind me and our successful projects delivered globally for leading brands such as Soho House private members clubs , Third Space Health and Wellness clubs and leisure Brands like Fitness First, David Lloyd etc over my career, this is now a personal project to showcase our portfolio and expertise.
Soon we will be developing a Facebook page for the project for open forum communication and also a dedicated website to record the extensive History of the area and the property and of course the renovation works and Bio of the process and who knows maybe some media coverage of the project and some fun experience park events along the way when the sun shines to engage the local community and get their feedback depending on progress!
PS – Love this website full of informative information and many times visited during my research for this project so you have my first post by way of gratitude.
Last but not least and for those that want to know If “I’m the devil in disguise the “666” bid was actually 666,657 Euros which was a simple conversion from £550,00 of our great British Pounds – but if nothing else this will make a funny anecdote or maybe I’m lying and there’s some truth in their somewhere?
All the best and Life, Love and Glory to Bagni di Lucca !!!
Sean Connelly – Aquascapes Limited & Thermae Aqua SRL AKA “The big guy with the horns”
Wow! Thank you so much for giving us the full story.
We bought our apartment in Ponte a Serraglio in 2003 and spend 6 months every year there.
We absolutely love Bagni di Lucca and are delighted that this wonderful project is happening.
I look forward to watching it grow!
I hope you can find a space for The Diver.
Great to hear your plans Sean. This will be a huge positive for Bagni in so many ways.
Bagni is a beautiful place and so deserving of this.
I wish you and your team all the best for successful delivery.
This is excellent news. We have restored a villa in Benabbio using local tradesmen and are delighted that Villa Fiori will soon be new a focal point for the area.
I think it is excellent too. I hope things go smoothly for them…I know that is asking a lot.
Looks like a good future
I think so. I hope it goes well for them.
Sean:
We couldn’t be more excited to see new life in the Villa Fiori. We are the owners of the sister villa, Elena, just across the river from you. We bought Villa Elena about three years ago and are nearing completion of all of the renovation work. We will become residents of Italy when all the work is done. Since we have such a good view of Fiori from our property we have thought a great deal about what would happen to Fiori in the future. We are so pleased with your plans.
This is the most exciting news I have heard for the BDL area. Just needs someone to takeover and renovate Marco’s old Ristorante da Vinicio?
It would be excellent to see a new restaurant in that space. I also think the plans for Villa Fiori are exciting. I look forward to watching it unfold.
looks like a benefit, but I hope they don’t cut all those beautiful trees down as the graphic implies.
I also hope the trees stay. I hope the lack of trees in the drawing was only to allow the building to be seen.