Ferruccio Alessandria holds a degree in Sociology with a specialization in Communications and Mass Media, as well as an MBA from Bocconi University. He began his career as Sales and Marketing Director for major national and international companies. Over the years, he has further expanded his expertise by serving as General Manager for various organizations in the wellness and sports facility sectors.
Today, he leads Alessandria Consulting, a firm recognized for its strategic consulting services tailored to businesses operating within these industries, and serves as President of Assopiscine – the Italian Association for Pools and Wellness.
We met with him to explore his insights on the future of the “Water” sector and to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the Italian market as it seeks to evolve and respond to new consumer demands.
The pool industry is undergoing continuous growth and transformation on a global scale. Driven by a rising demand for residential pools, outdoor recreational spaces, and an increasing focus on wellness, luxury, and leisure — all within a framework of environmental sustainability — the market is expected to grow from USD 3.51 billion in 2023 to USD 3.55 billion in 2024, reaching an estimated USD 3.79 billion by 2028. Today, swimming pools have become an essential feature in private homes and hospitality venues. Thanks in part to the expanding tourism sector, they are viewed as havens of relaxation — offering a break from the pressures of daily life.
Buyers now seek highly personalized, tech-integrated, and environmentally conscious solutions, often within densely urbanized areas and under rising seasonal temperatures. In such a dynamic and competitive market, consumers — increasingly affluent and lifestyle-focused — pay particular attention to sustainability, cleanliness, and the comfort features provided by their ideal pool.
In Europe, Italy ranks fourth in the residential pool market, following France, Spain, and Germany. It is estimated that around 15,000 in-ground residential pools are sold annually in Italy. Currently, the country has approximately 700,000 in-ground residential pools. Notably, there is also significant growth in demand from the public and semi-public sectors — especially from tourism and wellness-related hospitality venues — which now represent about 15% of all pool installations.
How does the Italian pool market differ from international markets? What key differences have you observed?
Italy shows significant potential in the pool market, thanks to its favorable climate and the widespread presence of homes with outdoor spaces. However, compared to countries like France and Spain — which share similar climatic conditions — there remains considerable room for growth. France, for example, has approximately 3.5 million residential pools, and Spain around 2 million, while Italy currently counts about 700,000.
This gap can be attributed to a combination of cultural, industrial, and regulatory factors. These elements have helped stimulate demand and, as a result, fostered the development of a more robust supply chain in France and Spain, where companies tend to be larger than their Italian counterparts. It is no coincidence that some of the most prominent pool technology manufacturers emerged in these countries during the 1960s.
That said, the Italian market stands out for its greater attention to design and structural quality. Italian companies often specialize in traditional concrete constructions or modular steel panel systems, finished with a wide range of high-end materials — from next-generation membranes to natural composite coatings. There is also a growing availability of prefabricated solutions (such as fiberglass or pre-coated steel) that offer faster installation times and more affordable pricing.
To close the gap with leading European markets, however, Italy must take decisive action in several areas:
a) Simplifying the regulatory and bureaucratic framework;
b) Promoting professional training and qualifications within the sector;
c) Encouraging the adoption of sustainable, energy-efficient technologies;
d) Supporting public and private investments in the modernization of existing infrastructure.
With targeted strategies and appropriate investment, Italy can undoubtedly strengthen its position in the European pool market.
The world of spas and that of swimming pools often seem far apart, despite their complementary nature. In your opinion, what is the ideal meeting point between these two sectors?
The post-pandemic recovery has fueled a growing interest in outdoor activities and personal well-being—factors that have prompted both consumers and businesses to invest significantly in swimming pools and related facilities such as wellness centers and small-scale spas. To better understand the reasons behind the apparent divide between these two sectors, one must look at the origins and evolution of each.
In Italy, the swimming pool market began to take shape in the early 1960s, and it was met with immediate enthusiasm. At the time, demand was very different: swimming pools were considered a luxury item accessible only to a few. It wasn’t until later, with the country’s economic growth, that a process of democratization took place, broadening access to a wider population.
This shift gave rise to an increasing number of industry players and a progressively richer supply chain, in response to a growing latent demand. While the spa world traces its roots back to ancient Roman thermal baths, it was only in the 1970s and 1980s that major hotel chains began integrating wellness centers into their hospitality offerings. In Italy, the spa market started to develop more systematically in the 1990s, inspired by Austrian and German models. A small number of highly specialized companies began introducing saunas and steam baths, gradually creating more sophisticated concepts and projects.
This growth mirrored the increasing need for moments of relaxation and personal care—driven on one side by rising economic prosperity, and on the other by the need to recover from the stress imposed by increasingly complex and fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyles. For these reasons, pools and spas evolved on separate tracks, with different types of businesses and seemingly distant markets.
Today, however, these worlds are converging, and the associated expertise is beginning to blend and overlap. In fact, wherever a spa is created, it’s now common to find a swimming pool at its center—almost as the gravitational heart of the entire project. Moreover, modern wellness centers can now take on a wide range of forms, depending on their intended use—from compact home spas to large-scale spa complexes developed within specific commercial or hospitality contexts.
Today, there seems to be a lack of a major event capable of effectively bringing together the pool and spa industries, fostering a shared culture between the two. In your view, what steps should be taken to bridge this gap?
There are currently a few international events dedicated to the sector; however – for the reasons mentioned above and considering that the swimming pool market, in terms of volume, is still significantly larger than the SPA market and therefore requires its own dedicated event – in my opinion, there is still a lack of a platform truly capable of integrating these two worlds, which are now complementary and inseparable.
Swimming pools and SPAs should find common ground not only on a cultural level, but also on a technical one: companies operating in the pool sector rarely have specific expertise in the SPA field, and vice versa. This creates a fragmentation that limits the development of truly integrated projects, both from a design and business perspective.
To bridge this gap, it is essential to invest in associations that represent both sectors and in combined events that can foster dialogue between these two, still largely separate, worlds. But additional concrete initiatives are also needed, such as the creation of joint technical guidelines to build a shared framework for design and regulations; the organization of cross-sector training programs for professionals seeking to develop skills in both areas; and the establishment of permanent working groups where companies and designers can address shared topics and develop integrated approaches.
Only through a structured set of actions will it be possible to build a shared culture between the pool and wellness sectors—one that can grow alongside the market and meet the evolving needs of its users.
Experience is the key word in many industries, and especially in the spa sector. How can the world of pools be innovated to offer the public engaging and memorable experiences?
Living an experience, especially a sensory one, means engaging one or more senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell—in an intense and conscious way, in order to evoke emotions, well-being, or memories through physical perceptions.
In practice, it is an experience in which:
• The senses take center stage (e.g., listening to relaxing music, smelling essential oils, touching natural materials, tasting refined foods).
• The environment is designed to stimulate emotions, relax, or surprise.
• It is often associated with wellness, meditation, body care, but also art, design, or gastronomy.
In this context, the new concept of a pool is more than ever focused on stimulating multiple and diverse experiences, starting from designs that prioritize Health, Safety, and Sustainability.
The "dynamic pool" is the "water parterre" that envelops and surrounds the user in the soothing warmth of water, shaped and sized in various forms, using temperatures, water games, and colorful lighting to create experiential pathways of great pleasure. Today's technologies and design can meet even the most demanding expectations on a broad scale.
We would like to sincerely thank Ferruccio Alessandria for his generosity and willingness to share his vision and valuable insights into the world of swimming pools and their increasingly close connection with the universe of wellness and SPAs. His words provide concrete and inspiring food for thought for the entire industry, emphasizing the need for a shared and integrated culture between these two worlds. On behalf of the entire Aquaform team, a heartfelt thank you for enriching our magazine with his authoritative and passionate contribution.
Aquaform Team
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