Dal Balneum al bene comune. Storia istituzionale e documentaria delle Terme di Montecatini

This contribution traces the historical, institutional and managerial evolu- tion of the Montecatini Thermal Baths from the Middle Ages to the post-war period, through extensive and layered documentation that attests to the alter- nation of public, religious and private entities in the ownership and manage- ment of the spa complex. Particular attention is paid to the function of archival sources, now partly compromised, and to the role of territorial policies in tran- sforming the thermal baths into an economic driver and symbol of identity. The Montecatini case thus presents itself as a paradigm of a broader dialectic between common goods, public intervention and entrepreneurial initiative.