Montecatini
 

Has anyone stayed in this town just north of Florence? If so, what did you think of it as a base for visiting Florence and any other surrounding towns?

We spent a week there in May--check search for my trip report on Fodors--and it was very nice. It was not at all crowded while we were there and I was taking an art course. But it is well located for daily touring---Lucca, Florence, many of the northern Tuscan towns. We stayed at the Hotel Torretta and ate our meals there--it was lovely.

Montecatini is connected by railway to Florence, Lucca, Pistoia (my own favorite: I live in there for half of the time ^_^), Pisa and to the sea resort of Viareggio. But also take a bus to Monsummano terme and go to Grotta giusti, a natural spa cave (http://www.grottagiustispa.com/).

Montecatini is a beautiful town full of wonderful hotels and spas. The Grand Hotel Vittoria is higly recommended. Check out Clubabc.com for their tour. The train station is located in the center of town with frequent trains to Florence (about 1 hour), Lucca (45 minutes) and elsewhere. A car helps if you want to visit other Tuscan towns, especially in the Chianti region. A great spot for dinner is Enoteca Cagiovanni. You should take the funniculora up to Montecatini Alto, a beautiful little hill town that sits above Montecatini

Thank you so much for your responses. I had never heard of the town before and will definitely consider it. Robyn, I will look for your trip report altho' I entered Montecatini in the search forum and nothing came up.

Robyn: I just tried Montecatini again and lots of comments came up. Must have entered it incorrectly. Thanks

Hate to be a wet blanket here but I wouldn't not use Montecatini as a base-there are just so many other beautiful spots..some of my comments about the town are in another thread. You'll find them when you do the search.

Canuck<BR><BR>Montecatini is a sad choche if you are searching for a scenic and quiet town. personally if I were to find myself a base in the area and in a plece from which I will not need a car, I would probably opt for Pescia or Altopascio, which are far nicer and quieter, or, driving, someplace on the mountains that crown Pistoia. But Montecatini has lots of cheapish hotels, something that we must not forget.