Why book a Montecatini Terme hotel?
The main reason to book a Montecatini Terme hotel is, of course, to take the waters. This spa town in Tuscany’s Pistoia province is first mentioned back in 716AD; in 1164 it was a free ‘comune’ but was then invaded by Lucca; in the fourteenth century its castle was besieged during the war between Lucca and Florence. But for our purposes the history begins in 1540 … when the first thermal baths were established. In 1554 the town sought protection from Siena (you’re beginning to get an idea of the internicine nature of medieval Tuscan warfare here) and thus evoked the wrath of Cosimo I de Medici, the Florentine Grand Duke of Tuscany.
But at the start of the 18th century the modern history of the town begins, and this is the reason why there are Montecatini Terme hotels today. By the 20th century the town was one of the world’s most fashionable spa resorts, and those taking the waters here included Luigi Pirandello, Triulussa, Beniamino Gigli, Giuseppe Verdi, Ruggero Leoncavallo and Pietro Mascagni. Today, you can sniff not just sulphur but money in the air at Montecatini Terme. A tree-lined grid of apartment blocks and chi-chi shops, the town boasts retail outlets for Gianfranco Ferre, Gucci and other giants of Italian fashion.
The heart of the town is the Parco delle Terme, ten minutes walk from the railway station, and here you’ll find the nine sulphur springs, each of them enclosed in its own building. At the edge of the parco is the grandiloquent Terme Leopoldine, dedicated to the healing properties of mud. Nearby is Tettucio, with Art Nouveau paintings, ceramics, a very nice cafe and an opportunity to taste the sulphurous waters. All the spas has a different aesthetic, some of them gloriously over the top. There is the Palladian Regina, the mock medieval Torretta, the neoclassical/modernist/Renaissance Excelsior. You’ll find plenty of Montecatini hotels very close to the spa centres.
Other sights in the town include the Accademia d’Arte (where Verdi wrote Otello), the wooded park at Le Panteraie (with swimming pool and deer park), and there is a funicular railway up to the old town of Montecatini Alto. It’s also worth looking for a Montecatini Terme hotel up in the medieval town here – it has lovely views down onto Monsummano. Also check out the prehistoric caves at Grotta Maona, with stalactites hanging from the roof – the kids will love it too.
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