ACTIVITIES

Montecatine Terme is an ideal location for visiting the most beautiful Tuscan cities such as Pisa, Lucca, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Carrara, Lunigiana and Forte dei Marmi. Directly from Forte dei Marmi’s pier you can take the ferry to the Cinque Terre, UNESCO heritage, in Viareggio you can rent a sail or motor boat and admire from the sea the beautiful Tuscan Islands: Giglio and Elba islands, authentic natural paradises. Pianosa and Montecristo are the islands of silence; Capraia, a treasure trove of volcanic and finally Gorgona and Giannutri with their spectacular cliffs. Among the Tuscan Archipelago and the Ligurian Sea you can find the Cetacean Sanctuary where you can see dolphins and whales. 

Pietrasanta, is a town of considerable artistic and cultural importance where in summer there are exhibitions of painters and sculptors of international renown. Many local restaurants offer dining by candlelight in the streets of the historic center.

In the park of the Apuan Alps you can visit the famous white marble quarries, or the spectacular caves Antro del Corchia and the Grotta del Vento.

Cycling

The area is famous for it’s challenging rides. This is the training grounds for many professional riders including Rolf Sorensen. It hosted the World Championships in 2013. You can find routes suited to all levels and for the moderate to advanced rider, it will offer amazing scenery and sublime cycling. Biking initiaries for Tuscany can be found online on terresiena.it/bici

Bicycles of top quality can be rented and delivered directly to the house. Please visit bikerentalintuscany.com or tuscanbike.it 
The app which is great to use for planning trips is called strava.com Routes for all levels. We can recommend strava.com/routes/2727662816613622584 – 70 km, 1415m elevation. Enjoy.

Tennis

Montecatini Terme has several tennis clubs (see link below). Our all time favourite is The Torretta Tennis Club with red clay tennis courts. They also have a fantastic café and we can highly recommend both the coffee and the freshly squeezed orange juice! Visit: www.circolotennismontecatini.it

Hiking

It’s a wonderful area for walking and hiking. Visit: www.wikiloc.com/trails/hiking/italy/tuscany

Golf

Montecatini Golf is 8 km away where you can find 18 challenging holes between the ups and downs of the Tuscan countryside. Visit: www.montecatinigolf.com

Horse Racing

The Hippodrome Sesana is a point of reference and during the summer races take place in the evening.

Horse Riding

5 different places all near by. Check out the location here.

Minigolf

Just opposite the tennis club, The Torretta, is the entrance to the mini golf club

Grotto Giusti

Visit The Thermal Grotta, which is part of the Grotta Giusti Spa Hotel, located as the foot of the hills of Monsummano. They have a beautiful SPA and Golfcourse and the Grotto can be visited either by foot or by diving where you can see the submerged cavities of Grotta Giusti. Visit: grottagiustispa.com

Funfair for Children

In the center of town by the market, you’ll find a big children’s playground and funfair at certain times of year

Parks

Parco di Pinocchio, a nice park suitable to make children confident with the story of Pinocchio, Mastro Geppetto, il Gatto e la Volpe and La Fata Turchina.

Natural Parks

Grotte di Monsummano and Padule di Fucecchio, for nature lovers, a walk on the hill to Monsummano Alto or visiting Padule di Fucecchio are an unique opportunity to be in contact with nature.

Opera

The Tettuccio is the ideal place for symphonic, choral and opera concerts for its refined elegance and the excellent acoustics. Every year Montecatini Terme has both a jazz and an opera festival (see website for Montecatini)

Tramline to Montecatini Alto

Take the old Funicolare from Montecatini to Montecatini Alto (Parking available on a first come first served base) – it’s a great experience and kids love it.

http://www.funicolare-montecatini.it

Montecatini Alto

Montecatini Alto was a castle of Romanesque origin, 299 meters of altitude that in the past was the seat of the municipality until 1905. Today it’s a pitoresque village, offering not only a spectacular view, but also a great Piazza full of small restaurants and a very lively scene of people and sometimes music in the week-end. You can find a great pizza as well as top gourmet restaurants. (They also do pizza take away…)

http://www.montecatini.it/english/mont_alto.htm

Sailing 5 Terre

There are many ways to see Cinque Terre, and sailing from town to town is definitely one of them. We can highly recommend pmasella@libero.it, mobile +39 3335 8308068. The boat leaves from La Spezia. It’s easy to park in the harbour and the tour can be catered with snack, lunch etc. Truly amazing.

Apperitivo in the Wineyards

Visit Tenute Poggio di Bobi wineyard around 25 min drive from the house. They serve a wonderful apperitivo or dinner amidst the grapes. Call ahead to reserve and find out which days the apperitivo is on or book for dinner using local produce. Via Poggio di boba 4, 51035 Lamporeccho,  Tel: +39 3343365683 facebook.com/tenutepoggiodibobi/

Parco Avventura il gigante

If you fancy a fun day with the kids in the Italian equivalent of “Go Ape” try out either Parco Avventura Il Gigante, 276 via Fiorentina, Pratolino, Florence (from 5 years old) or Canyon Park near Lucca, canyonpark.it which has amazing activities including Canyon zip-lines over gorges and rivers, paddle boarding, climbing and yoga (from 10 years old).