Montecatini suggestions?

Hi Lori,

I have stayed in Montecatini Terme several times. It is a lovely spa town that is conveniently located for touring. Lucca is not far and is one of my favorites. A visit to Vinci (birthplace of Leonardo) and Collodi (Pinocchio) is fun also. There are also several wineries near Vinci. You can also take the funiculare from Montecatini up to Montecatini Alto, a medieval borgo.

My favorite restaurant is the reasonably priced Pellegrini's Osteria Moderna, on a side street several blocks from the Piazza del Popolo. Ricchiarelli on the Piazza is great for inexpensive pizza (I prefer the freshly made individual, not the pizza sold by the slice), insalatone, and beer/wine. Service at both places is friendly and helpful.

I hope you enjoy Montecatini as much as I have.

Marie

Thanks Marie.
The restaurant recommendation will come in handy! Would you recommend driving to Florence or taking the train? We'll have a car for the week, but I'm not sure if the parking/traffic in the city is worth it. I'm traveling with 3 senior citizens who are fit, but I don't want to wear them out!

Thanks again.

Lori,

I would take the train to Florence. It is easy to walk to the Montecatini Centro train station. There are frequent trains to Florence. Most Florence sites are walkable from the train station. However there are taxi stands throughout Florence if you want to take a taxi at some point. I am 66 years old and most of the time I travel solo. Trains are my preferred method of travel in Italy. I find it easy and comfortable.

Marie

Can you recommend where a 'spa' afternoon can be done?

I'm looking to spend a couple of hours soaking in a thermal pool (not a usual hotel pool) - any recommendations in Montecatini Terme? Thanks!

I think we got that same package deal. We are going in mid May. Try to keep us posted on what you did and how everything with the "deal" worked out.
We are planning on going to Florence at least twice but think we will take the train to avoid the hassles of parking and the fear of driving down one of those "zones" that we shouldn't. Hope the train station in Montecatini isn't far from the hotel.
We are also trying to work out if we will have an opportunity on the last 2 days to get into Milan to see The Last Supper but are hoping we can do it by train since we don't particularly relish the idea of driving and parking in Milan.
Safe travels and enjoy!

Thanks, Sandi. I will update after we return. We are going Feb. 16-23.

I looked into seeing the Last Supper in Milan, but it won't work with our schedule. Do shop around -- take Rick's advice about the proper website to reserve a time and ticket. I found several that offered "tours" with 15 minutes seeing the painting, and they were like 60 euro or more... Unless you want such a tour, you can just buy a ticket to see the painting, for 8 Euro or so, I think. And definitely book ahead. There was limited availability for our potential dates.

We are planning to take the train to Florence instead of the car. I feel the same way about the parking issues in Florence.

if you go to Florence in the morning and return to Montecatini at the end of the day, the train is also faster. Traffic in and out of Florence at rush hour is very heavy.
Montecatini Alto (Upper Montecatini) is very pretty. There is a funicular that can take you up and down as well.

You can buy tickets for Leonardo's Last Supper from a broker without paying for a tour. There is a markup but nothing close to 60€. I often use Select Italy for these tickets.

Hello All,
I think I booked the same trip through Groupon. I am going with my 15 year old daughter. We head out of NYC on Feb 8. We are not going to get the car. From what I have heard and the many people I have talked to, driving can be such a pain and public transportation is very easy. We do not have too much planned, but will be going into Florence, Montecatini Alto, Pisa, Lucca and Chianti region. I am contemplating booking a wine tour that goes from Montecatin into Vinci. We will also be going to Cinque Terre for a day. I extended the trip so when we check out on the 14th we will head to Venice and then Rome. I will try to update you with any "must do's." I am sure we will all have a great time. Too bad we were not all going to be there at the same time. It would have been nice to meet for a glass of vino. Enjoy.

Have a great time! Since there will be four of us (the other three are in their 80s), I decided the car would be worth it rather than a train. But you're right, with two, a train might just be better.

We will drive to La Spezia and then take the train into the Cinque Terre. A friend of mine is going to pick me up for a night soccer game in Bologna and I'll train back - and, conveniently, meet the seniors at the Florence train station, so that will work out well not having to drive to or in Florence.

The rest, we'll probably drive to -- Viareggio has what looks to be a fabulous Carnavale on Sundays in Feb. We're definitely going to hit that, and will probably drive to and from. We do plan on taking the tram up to Montecatini Alto. For some of the other "maybe" towns, Lucca, Pistoia, Prato, we'll play it by ear as far as driving or by train.

Years ago my boyfriend and rented a car in Tuscany for a couple days, and it worked well with him driving and me as the navigator, but traffic in the cities was ridiculous and I don't want to do that again!

I'll look forward to your updates. Make a point to have gelato at least twice a day.

Zoe - thanks for the info. I'll check out Select Italy. I always like to buy tickets direct if possible, but sometimes having a guide makes the experience all the better.
Ciao!

My 10-year-old daughter and I got the same deal, and will arrive May 3rd. We extended our trip by a couple of days so we could head north to Aosta, and are trying to determine what to see on the way south from Aosta to Montecatini. I have enjoyed Turin in the past, so that is a possibility. We are planning a day trip to Cinque Terre, but are undecided about other day trips. I am not hoping to hustle my daughter through all the must-sees; I would rather have a relaxed time that inspires her to return. Thoughts?

Have fun!
I would suggest staying in the Cinque Terre for a couple days. Vernazza is a one-street town essentially and you could feel completely safe allowing your daughter to play with some of the local kids while you relaxed at the beach or read or had lunch or whatever. It's so much better once all the day trippers have left and you can wander around town and say hello to people you recognize from the day before.
It's busy now, but still a sweet area. You guys could walk/hike to the other towns and I bet she would never forget it!!