Montecatini

Italy

Montecatini Terme in Tuscany is the most famous and best developed of all Italian spas. It was the Archduke Leopold I of Tuscany (Pietro Leopoldo) who, in the late 18th century, began to make regular use of the sulphurous springs, which triggered the general development of the small town situated below a hill into a new spa resort.

Officially, the spa's origins date back to 1773, but nowadays Montecatini Terme has more of the atmosphere of the beginning of the 20th century, the period of its greatest prosperity, when most of the spa buildings, hotels and villas were built, including the baths, casinos, theatres, churches and private houses.

In the centre of this spa town there is an extensive landscape park with numerous wellness facilities. The most important spa facilities include the Tettuccio, Terme Regina, Terme Torretta, Terme Tamerici and Terme Excelsior spas. Typical of Montecatini Terme are the elegant colonnades, most of which were completed in the first half of the 20th century, which earned it the nickname "Italian Carlsbad". Numerous celebrities visited Montecatini, including actors, writers, composers, artists and royal families.

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