Travels in Tuscany--Montecatini (Part 1 of 4)

While Florence is a wonderful place to visit and live, it is located near many wonderful towns also worth visiting.

One town is Montecatini, a short train ride from Florence.  We visited Montecatini recently and had a wonderful day there.

 Montecatini is actually two towns. The lower town is the much newer Montecatini Terme.  The upper town is the very old hill town Montecatini, or Montecatini Alto.

When we arrived, we first toured Montecatini Terme.  Whenever we see the word Terme, we know we will find a spa town, a destination resort with roman style baths and spa services.  The water is believed to be beneficial for bathing and, in some cases, for drinking. 

When we toured, the town was fairly quiet, since the spa season had passed. Many of the hotels in town were closed for the season.

While touring the town, we saw many luxury shops.  It seems that well-off Italians love to shop between spa treatments.  We suppose a person can't spend all day bathing.

Here are some photos from our visit. 

The main square of Montecatini Terme with a lovely fountain and, in thebackground, one of the many large hotels for visitors 

Another hotel not far from the baths

One of the elegant baths in the middle of a large, private park

Next up:  Montecatini Alto