Italy-Tuscany-Montecatini Terme

Tour start date(s):	08-10-2021
Duration:	14 days
Location:	group tour
Price (including tax):	€ 1526 EURO

Montecatini Terme is a unique thermal resort town in the Tuscany region, located in the picturesque "Valley of the Fogs” Valdinievole.  The area got its name from the ancient Romans due to the vaporization of the numerous hot springs located at the foot’s hill. Montecatini is really two towns linked by the funicular Funicolare. The old hilltop town of Montecatini Valdinievole, now called Montecatini Alto (Upper Montecatini), has a population of only 700. It is built around an old castle and was the seat of the local government until 1905. The newer, lower town of Montecatini Terme has modern buildings, spas and fine hotels, dating from the belle époque.

In 1530, the first baths were established at the foot of Montecatini to take advantage of the spa waters, which were then known as “Medici” and “of blackbirds.” But by the 18th century the waters had become stagnant. Grand Duke Leopold of Tuscany and later the Emperor Leopold I of Austria, initiated the cutting and digging of new water channels, land was reclaimed and three baths were built to facilitate the use of the popular hot springs: Tettuccio (1779), Bagno Regio (1773) and the Terme Leopoldine (1775). 

The following centuries passed quietly until the early 20th century, specifically 1905, when what was once a small village at the foot of the hill of Montecatini became "City of Bagni di Montecatini". This name, however, was changed later to the present name of "Montecatini Terme".

During the same period around the start of the 20th century, the tourist experience was diversified and improved. The hotels had grown in number and quality. It was also noted the necessity to combine health, fun, relaxation and sport. It soon became home to fashionable restaurants, theaters, nightclubs, and a casino. Celebrities began to frequent the city. In fact, between the end of the 1800s and the early decades of the 1900s it was easy to meet, in the tree-lined avenues, parks or at the bars of the city, people like Giuseppe Verdi, Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Trilussa, Beniamino Gigli, or Luigi Pirandello.

Today Montecatini Terme is one of the most popular destinations in Italy for thermal spa tourism.

If you are looking for a specific cure, you willbe requiredto schedule a visit withthe spa’s doctor. The doctor will then give you a procedure to follow.When you enter the spa, you will be givena glass and required to drink the waterin the morning, for the purification of the body and followed with a walk around the spa’s ground. You should eat lightly during the cure stage. Music is a part of the healing process, it lowers stress andallows the body to heal. There is even a shopping therapy available (yes, a rise in serotonin is seen in women as they shop, and unfortunately, a rise of adrenalin is seen in men). You can go sightseeing duringthe day and return later in the afternoon in order to drink the waterfor the purification of the body.

Departure from Toronto: October 7th, 2021

Day 1 - 08.10.21 

Group arrival at Pisa Airport.  Transfer to Montecatini Terme and check in to Hotel Montecatini Palace. Examination by the doctor and recommendations. Evening water drinking for the purification of the body. Dinner.  

Day 2 - 09.10.19 

Water drinking for the purification of the body, followed by breakfast. 

Free day in Montecatini.  Tour of the old town of Montecatini Alto, located on the hilltop, where you can climb by the forest trail, or travel by the world's oldest funicular railway, which consists of two almost antique, but quite reliable bright red cars named Gigio and Gigi.  There is an old square in the center of Montecatini Alto, surrounded by traditional taverns: Le Maschere or La Torre, where you can taste traditional Tuscan soup. This is where the locals come to admire the magnificent view of Valdinievole.

Evening water drinking for the purification of the body. Dinner.   

Day 3 - 10.10.21 

Water drinking for the purification of the body, followed by breakfast. 

12:00  Noon. - Departure by bus to Pisa, the birthplace of Galileo Galilei. During our walking tour of the city,we will see the composite white marble ofthe city's cathedral, decorated with the famous ornamental leaning tower, built in 1173 and learn about its fascinating history.  Piazza dei Miracoli is a walled 8.87 hectare located in Pisa and recognized as an important center of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes in the world.  Considered sacred by the Catholic Church, the square is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery, the Campanile and the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery).  Piazza dei Cavalieri, the second main square of the city, was the political centre in medieval Pisa. In the second half of the 16th century, the square became the headquarters of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen. Now it is a centre of education, being the main house of the Scuola Normale di Pisa, a higher learning institution which is a part of the University founded by the Medici family.

18:00 p.m. Return to Montecatini Terme by bus. Evening water drinking for the purification of the body.  Dinner.  

Day 4 - 11.10.21

Water drinking for the purification of the body, followed by breakfast. 

12:00 p.m. – Departure by train to Lucca.  Lucca is the capital of the Province of Lucca. It is famous for its intact Renaissance Era city walls.  Initially, built as a defensive rampart, once the walls lost their military importance, they became a pedestrian promenade, the Passeggiata delle Mura Urbane, a street atop the walls linking the bastions.  Walking tour of the city including its major attractions: Piazza Napoleone, created during the French occupation by Napoleon’s sister Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, in the style of the large squares in France, majestic church of San Michele in Foro, with its medieval façade built over the ancient Roman forum, the house where composer Giacomo Puccini was born.  We’ll also see the “Case-Torri” (Tower-Houses) .Though of different heights, the message they conveyed was invariably: “The higher my tower, the greater my power”.  

Return to Montecatini Terme by train. Evening water drinking for the purification of the body.   Dinner. 

Day 5 - 12.10.21

Water drinking for the purification of the body, followed by breakfast.   

11:00 a.m. - Departure by train to Florence, capital of Tuscany. A walking tour of the city’s museum. Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages".  Florence makes up 70% of all Italian places of interest. City tour: spiritual center of the city – cathedral complex Santa Maria del Fiore located in thePiazza del Duomo which includes the Baptistery where Dante was baptized. These three buildings are part of UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence and are a major attraction to tourists visiting Tuscany.  Piazza della Repubblica - the city center, a street of artists and impromptu exhibitions.  Piazza della Signoria which has been the centerof political life in Florence since the 14th century with the prominent Palazzo Vecchio overlooking the square. The sculptures in Piazza della Signoria bristle with political connotations, many of which are fiercely contradictory.  Art salon par excellence, Piazza della Signoria is also the place where the history of the city unfolds: the proud andnoble figure of David, the imposing Palazzo Vecchio, the treasures of the Loggia dei Lanzi and the elegant architecture of the Uffizi set the rhythm of the glorious story of a city that is unique throughoutthe world. You will have free time to explore and we will return in the evening to Montecatini Terme. Evening water drinking for body purification. Dinner. 

Day 6 - 13.10.21 

Water drinking for the purification of the body, followed by breakfast. 

12:00 Noon. - Departure by bus for a tour during which we will explore the Chianti Area, the home for thebest-known and most iconic of all Italian wines. This is one of themost beautiful regions of Tuscany with the typical Tuscan Hills, pretty medieval villages, surrounded by walls, stunning scenery and gastronomic tradition known throughout the world. On request, wine tasting. 

18:00 p.m. - Return to Montecatini Terme. Evening water drinking for the purification of the body. Dinner.   

Day 7 - 14.10.21

Breakfast. Water intake for purification and at 11:00 am - bus tour to Siena, one of the most gothic cities in Tuscany. Siena is home of the palio, and also home of gorgeous palazzos, churches, museums, and delicious food. We will walk through the old town of Siena, with architecture dating back to 14th and 15th century, visit Duomo in Siena, the most important cathedral in the city. It is known as one of the most beautiful cathedral's in Italy.  Return to Montecatini Terme at 18:00pm by bus. Drink water for purification and dinner time. 

Day 8 - 15.10.21

12:00 Noon. - Departure by bus to San Gimignano. Gimignano is known as the City of Beautiful Towers; a classic medieval walled hill town in Tuscany. Its 14 surviving medieval towers create a beautiful skyline visible from the surrounding countryside. The historic center is a UNESCO world heritage site for its architecture. During the middle ages, the town was an important center for trade and for pilgrims traveling to or from Rome on the Via Francigena.  Walking through the Old City means plunging into the Middle Ages and getting a taste of what the city must have been like more than seven hundred years ago.

18:00 p.m. - Return to Montecatini Terme. Evening water drinking for the purification of the body.  Dinner.  

Day 9 - 16.10.21

Morning water. Breakfast, free day in Montecatini. 

Day 10 - 17.10.21 

11:00 a.m. - Departure by train to Florence, capital of Tuscany. Visit the Uffizi Gallery with a guide. Free time in Florence. Return to Montecatini Terme by train. Dinner. 

Day 11 - 18.10.21 

Water drinking for the purification of the body, followed by breakfast. Free day. 

Day 12 - 19.10.21

12pm/noon departure to Forte de Marmi and Viareggio. Walk around the beach side and lunch. Arrive back at Montecatini Terme around 18:00 p.m. 

Day 13 - 20.10.21

Water intake for purification. Breakfast. Free day. 

Day 14 - 21.10.21

Breakfast, departure to airport at either Florence or Pisa

PRICE OF TOUR & ACCOMODATION DETAILS

SNG - 1526 EURO/pp  

DBL - 2046 EURO/pp

5* LHP Montecatini Palace & SPA

Via Puccini, 20, 51016 Montecatini Terme PT, Italy