In which Italian spa town did Christian Dior die in 1957?

Christian Dior died in the Italian spa town of Montecatini Terme in 1957.

Dior died on 23 October 1957, aged 52, while staying in Montecatini Terme, a Tuscan resort famous for its thermal waters. Contemporary accounts and later biographies describe his death as resulting from a heart attack. His sudden death came only a decade after he founded his couture house and at a moment when the Dior name had become internationally prominent.

Dior’s death created an immediate succession problem for the fashion house. His young assistant Yves Saint Laurent was appointed artistic director in 1957 and presented his first Dior collection the following year. Saint Laurent’s appointment helped preserve the house’s creative continuity while marking a new phase in its history.

Montecatini Terme should not be confused with Paris, where Dior worked, or Granville, where he spent his childhood. The Italian town was the location of his final days and death.