There are plenty of reasons to visit Milan like the world-class fashion, great design credentials, and a food and wine scene that’s expansive as it is inventive. As of April 1, another joins the list: the largest urban thermal park in Italy—and all of Europe. This month, the northern Italian metropolis welcomes De Montel – Terme Milano, a sprawling adults-only thermal spa complex near the San Siro Stadium that’s set to become the city’s ultimate wellness destination.
Covering a surface of over 172,000 square feet—some 65,000 square feet indoors and 107,000 square feet outdoors, including lush green areas and a courtyard—the space features 10 pools with temperatures ranging from 71 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 4 saunas, a steam bath, a hammam, and offers bespoke spa treatments, including olive oil and natural mud massages and Saturnia Bioplankton facials.
But what makes the indoor-outdoor spa center truly special is that it’s all powered by Milan’s only natural thermal waters, sourced on site from a 1300-feet-deep aquifer (that’s roughly three times the height of Milan’s Duomo) and extracted through a pressurized artesian well. The unique purity of the low-mineral water has long been valued for its skin-renewing and therapeutic properties, as recognized by the Romans who incorporated it into their ancient spa practices as early as the second century AD.
“[De Montel] is an exciting new addition to what Milan has to offer,” says Martina Riva, Milan’s Councilor for Sports, Tourism, and Youth Policies during a pre-opening press conference. “The average visitor spends two nights in our city, but I strongly believe this park will extend that to three. It’s a brilliant new destination.” In addition to the spa offerings, guests can also enjoy four distinct food and beverages outlets onsite, catering from breakfast to aperitivo and dinner.
But De Montel is more than a wellness haven—it carries historical, urban, and cultural value. The complex occupies what were once the prestigious stables of Giuseppe De Montel, a Jewish banker, textile entrepreneur, and horse racing enthusiast who, in the mid-1910s, had them built to host elite thoroughbreds and the regiments of the Royal Cavalry.
A stunning example of Art Nouveau architecture, the site changed hands when De Montel was forced to flee Italy in the wake of the 1938 racial laws, and the property ultimately fell into abandonment and disrepair by the 1970s. The idea of repurposing it first emerged in 2007, when the thermal spring was discovered on the premises, although it took another decade for its new fate to materialize. In 2017, the administration of Milan included the De Montel stables in the first edition of “Reinventing Cities,” an international competition focused on regenerating neglected landmarks. The proposal for its renewal won and works to breathe new life into this long-forgotten Milanese treasure finally began in 2020.
The thermal park is the culmination of this ambitious project. From a first look, it’s nothing short of remarkable. “It’s an architectural miracle” says Milan’s Councilor for Urban Regeneration Giancarlo Tancredi. “An extraordinary accomplishment that enriches not just our city but the region—and Europe as well.”
Coordinated by Italian architecture firms Studio Marzorati and J+S and overseen by the Soprintendenza Archeologica delle Belle Arti e Paesaggio (a government department responsible for heritage preservation), the transformation was made possible through a 57 million euro investment from asset management company Azimut Libera Impresa in partnership with Terme & SPA Italia, the group behind Tuscany’s famous Terme di Saturnia.
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