LANGUAGES LOGIN HOME EDITOR SHOP AUTHORS MAGAZINE BLOG PRESS CONTACTS CART STOPPED TV HOME BLOG A GREAT DESIRE FOR THE BELLE ÉPOQUE A great desire for the Belle Époque A great desire for the Belle Époque FROM LARA FERRARI / WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018 / POSTED IN BLOG , NEWS A dream of Art Nouveau architecture, enclosed in a building that excites and pampers body and spirit. The Berzieri Baths of Salsomaggiore, named after the doctor Lorenzo Berzieri, designed by the artist Galileo Chini, are still today an attraction for tens of thousands of tourists, including many Americans and English fascinated by the myth of the Belle Époque, of which the establishments they are a tangible legacy. East calls West, in this case, as the building is an evocative emanation of the magic that was breathed in the very distant and exotic kingdom of Siam. Our Chini returned from Bangkok when he began the project of a secular temple devoted to water and its multiform seductions. What is it used for? Of colored marbles, majolica, a curtain of colored glass overhanging to convey an idea of unique royalty, to be admired and experienced at the same time. Let's go inside and imagine for a moment that we are a Pearl of Labuan, a princess of the East of unrivaled beauty. For her, only the best: hence, the spas considered the most beautiful in the world. I did it, this flight of fantasy, as a child when my parents took me to Salso and together we would cross the entrance hall, which led into the shining splendor recreated by the autumn and spring scenes, designed by Chini. Here we are, then. Two rows of pageboys open before us like flights of swallows to facilitate our entry. Mom and dad are the sultans served and revered, I the heir, dressed in gold, crystals, an abundance of flowers, open or closed in their bud. The same ones that we and an adoring crowd, pressing at the entrance, see reproduced in sumptuous shapes and colors on the walls, flooded with light coming from the ceiling. The effect is alienating, in a positive sense: time is a merry-go-round and we got into the richly decorated carriage of our ancestors, a symbol of ancient pleasures of which our memory keeps memories. Centro della mondanità e jet-set internazionali di inizio secolo, Salso con le sue Terme, ma anche con il Grand Hotel, ha di che sedurre maharaja e sovrani. Palazzo dei Congressi, questo il nome attuale, venne inaugurato nel 1901 come albergo di lusso, con un mix di decorazioni moresche e giapponesi pensate per trasmettere immediatamente un’idea di lusso lontana, difficilmente accessibile, e per questo più preziosa. Sfarzo, e la sua evocazione, qui abbondano. Per teste coronate e celebrità di un tempo, come la Regina Margherita, Gabriele D’Annunzio, Franca Florio e la zarina di Russia, è stata ricavata la deliziosa Taverna rossa. In questo spazio, arredato e concepito da Chini, ormai nome di riferimento dell’epoca, con uno stile che mescola marocchino a gusto cinese, gli illustri ospiti possono apprezzare concerti e balli in maschera. Nulla è lasciato al caso, in questa rinomata località di villeggiatura. Men che meno la stazione – il non luogo di accesso per definizione – vestito da villino. Forme composte in travertino, vetro e metallo, essa fu costruita nel 1937 sul modello della Centrale di Milano. Nostalgia, echi di luoghi lontani, il sogno di una vita che non esiste più e per questo assurta a icona. Siamo o non siamo dentro una favola? Una favola che si perpetua fino ai giorni nostri, su chi ha gli occhi per capirla e la testa per vederla. Facade of the Berzieri Baths, Salsomaggiore (Parma) Galileo Chini, Decoration for the Berzieri Baths, Salsomaggiore (Parma) Cover: Galileo Chini, Decoration for the Berzieri Baths, Salsomaggiore (Parma) Save READ ALSO THE FOUNDERS OF MAGNUM: WAR PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR PEACE SELFIE IS TRENDY A PIXEL WITH A MUSTACHE SEARCH FOR RECENT POSTS “La Lettura”, waiting for the turning point of the new century What are the expectations of a poten ... A great desire for the Belle Époque A dream of liberty architecture, enclosed in ... Noise and light: New York according to Giacomo Bevilacqua by Laura Fornasari New York is noise and light. On... Auxiliary Territorial Service, Junior Commander No. 230873 by Andrea Di Betta "To be, or not to be, this ... CATEGORIES Art Blog cinema design publishing Events FermoMAG fermTV News News-eng history CONTACTS SO.PE.TI srl Via Cairoli, 15 - 43121 Parma open in google maps info@fermoeditore.it redazione@fermoeditore.it INFORMATION Terms of sale Legal notices Cookies policy Foreign shipments Privacy MY ACCOUNT Cart Cash desk my account NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION Email * I agree to the processing of data SOCIAL © 2015 fermeditore All rights reserved. Sopeti srl - VAT number 00069500452