3 days in Italy: day two – Montecatini Terme and Pisa

From Florence to Montecatini Terme

After a great day in Florence, and an hour driving, late in the evening, we arrived at our hotel, Hotel Michelangelo in Montecatini Terme. Montecatini Terme is a charming town and it is a capital of thermal treatments and spas. It’s an Italian district within the province of Pistoia in Tuscany, Italy. The Michelangelo hotel is really nice, full of art, books, and sculptures. It offers a beautiful view to Montecatini Alto, a nice outdoor pool, and of course all the wellness facilities. Everything was beautiful, clean, the staff was really helpful and friendly, and our room on top of the hotel was beyond awesome!

Montecatini Alto

Montecatini Alto is a medieval village high on the hill. It was the origin of the Montecatini that we know now. A funicular runs from Montecatini Terme up to the hill. There’s a small castle, three churches, a large square with restaurants and cafes, a few tourist shops, and a great view. This picture below was taken from our hotel terrace.

Terme Tettuccio

Terme Tettuccio is a historic spa famous for its thermal waters. It’s a beautiful building with a park and nice places to sit outside. The spa is open daily from May through September and is worth visiting just to see the beautiful interior. The monumental entrance to the pool is protected by a huge gate. We wanted to go in on Saturday, but there was a wedding so we couldn’t interrupt. But I imagine it must have been beautiful. I suppose it’s really worth visiting it, check out some great photos on Pinterest.

Relax

The town is most famous for its thermal springs which were very popular in Roman times. In addition to the spas, there are many parks, shopping streets, restaurants, and pleasant coffee and cocktail spots, such as The Gambrinus bar, with great music. There are a lot of musical performances, especially in summer, theaters, festivals and other outdoor events.
Walking along Viale Verdi you can notice some metal plates in the pavement, on the two sides of the promenade; on each plate is written the year of a visit and the name of celebrities of politics, culture, show business sectors, who visited Montecatini, making this promenade a real Walk of Fame.

Pisa

We spent two nights in Montecatini Terme but didn’t really have time to explore all the corners, because the second day, right after breakfast, we went to Pisa. Pisa is a lovely city in Tuscany, full of Romanesque buildings, Gothic churches, and Renaissance piazzas, although it’s most famous of the leaning tower in Piazza dei Miracoli. The funniest thing in Pisa are people trying to ‘hold’ the Pisa tower and the ones taking a photo, giving them instructions on how to turn their hands. 🙂

Piazza dei Miracoli

The Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), was formally known as Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). Its’t the most famous place in Pisa, especially because of the leaning tower. It is an important center of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes in the world.
Depends on the season, there can be quite crowded, so it’s best you go to Pisa early. There are some parking spots nearby, you can easily find.
In my opinion, the Cathedral and the Baptistery are really mighty and powerful, with all those little details carved and drawn, but often neglected, because everyone takes photos holding the tower.

The Pisa tower

Although the tower still has its charm. It costs 18€ to climb the tower, it’s probably worth to see the view, but it’s best to buy tickets earlier. When we came, there were so many people, so we should wait for almost three hours to get on the tower. But we didn’t have enough time. You can buy tickets online to avoid waiting.

Here are some facts about Pisa:

-The construction of Tower of Pisa began in 1173 and was completed in the 14th century, in 1399
-The original completed height of the Tower of Pisa is 60 meters. Actually, the tower’s height is 56.67 m on the highest side and 55,86 m on the lowest side
-The Leaning Tower has tilted an extra mm every year since construction.
-The cathedral and baptistery are also sinking
-There are several other towers in Pisa that also lean: the bell tower at the church of St. Michele dei Scalzi, and the bell tower at the church of St. Nicola
  

What else is there

Obviously, the main sight is the tower and the piazza around, but you should take a walk around the city. A walk to the river Arno in really pleasant. There is a small church Santa Maria Della Spina, in Gothic style, right next to the river. The Knights’ Square, Piazza dei Cavalieri, is a landmark in Pisa, Italy, and the second main square of the city. It’s probably worth visiting The Orto Botanico di Pisa, also known as the Orto Botanico dell’Università di Pisa, a botanical garden operated by the University of Pisa. If you are not in a hurry, you can easily find some other interesting sights.

Where to stay in Pisa

HOTEL LA PACE – This 3-star hotel is located in the center of Pisa, just 20 minutes walk from the leaning tower.
GRAND HOTEL DUOMO – This one is located just 2 minutes walk from the Duomo, and has an amazing view from the rooftop.
HOTEL BOLOGNA – Another one with a great location, 12-minute walk from the leaning tower.