Wellness rooted in the distant past

Casiglio Castle, set in grounds with centuries-old trees in the town of Erba in the heart of the province of Como, is a prime example of the beauty typical of fortified buildings. Its ancient walls, steeped in history since the early Middle Ages, now house a boutique hotel and a recently opened luxury spa centre. In this period residence, where a dialogue between past and present weaves a captivating narrative, architect Gianfranco Lucchesini has added a new chapter with the design of a 600 square metre wellness centre, featuring both indoor and outdoor spaces. “I wanted to create a linguistic, typological, compositional and chromatic itinerary that would recall the building’s history from the original Roman baths to a castle, a historical journey viewed through a contemporary lens. Thanks to the choice of modern colours and materials, visitors can still experience sensations linked to the origins of the baths,” explains Lucchesini. The journey through the interior of the spa begins in the reception area, which leads to the changing rooms and massage spaces. From there, guests enter the wet area where they can enjoy a range of water jet experiences. This is followed by the wellness area, complete with saunas, Turkish baths, a salt room and relaxation spaces. Guests are welcomed by comfortable mattresses and pampered with soothing aromas and herbal teas, while emotional showers are present in all areas. The final stop is the warm-water swimming pool, which opens to the outdoors via a crystal glass door, offering a view of the surrounding greenery and connecting seamlessly with the outdoor cold-water pool. Lighting plays a crucial role in creating a warm, inviting environment, with fixtures cleverly concealed or invented by the architect himself. One notable example is the horizontal and vertical light rods in the pool, created by coupling two tiles with recesses for LED strips. “The idea was that there should be a clearly perceptible design philosophy, a continuous architectural narrative running through the choices, materials and colours. But the main goal was to create a series of interconnected environments that are part of a unified whole and are capable of evoking the desired sensations,” adds Lucchesini. The spa offers a sensorial journey, awakening the body and mind and generating a sense of harmony. To recreate the atmospheres of ancient baths, Keope large-format porcelain stoneware slabs were chosen in a colour that closely mirrors the tones of the past while still offering a contemporary touch. The Omnia collection, predominant in the wall coverings, was chosen in the colour Rapolano Beige, a reinterpretation of travertine that stands out for its mottled amber surface, complemented by the Brystone contemporary limestone effect series and the Evoke collection, which balances tradition and modernity with its wood-effect look. Keope’s Element Lux and Onyx ceramic collections evoke the elegance of lapped marble. Onyx, in particular, is used in the massage spaces in three different shades, offering a variety of sensations and creating sophisticated, immersive environments. The outdoor pool, a striking visual element and a key component of the wellness centre, was created using the Limes collection, an intense reinterpretation of quartzite stone and porphyry in a Multicolour finish. Rust-coloured veins alternate with deep greys, reflecting the earth tones of the surrounding landscape, blending the pool seamlessly into its natural environment and completing the sense of harmony.