Montecatini Terme

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Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley

Washed by the River Nievole, this land has a fantastically long cultural history, as we can see in the hills on either side of the valley, dotted here and there with mediaeval castles and towns.

Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley

Elegant and cosmopolitan, regarded as the capital of European spa towns, Montecatini Terme is the most prestigious of the eleven municipalities that make up the part of the Province of Pistoia called the Nievole Valley (Valdinievole).

Touring Editore

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Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley

Touring Editore

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Every guide-book published by the Touring Club Italiano represents peace of mind for anyone who likes to read up about the places they have decided to visit, study its history, and get an idea of the landscape and the culture before they set off, people who want to get the most out of their holiday.The TCI guides are easy to consult and, at the same time, full of high-quality, reliable information, which is not only interesting but reassuring for the reader. They emanate a confidence which is immediately recognisable in the bookshops where they are displayed. For a very long time now, they have been regarded as an important brand, a classic vademecum for anyone travelling in Italy. To me, the idea of a TCI guide-book devoted entirely to Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley is exactly the sort of thing that our town deserves. It has played such an important role in the history of spa towns, in Italy and elsewhere. It has splendid facilities, or ‘temples’ as I like to call them, marvellous water with healing properties which has been known about since ancient times, magnificent verdant landscape, especially the pine-forest, hotels galore and a tradition of hospitality which has always put tourists coming here in search of a cure first, making them feel as if they are one of us during their stay. It offers food and wines of the highest quality and plays a vital part in this opulent, generous region of Tuscany, situated only a few kilometres from Florence, Lucca, Prato, Pistoia, Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, the Versilia, the Abetone mountains, and so on.

Montecatini Terme lies in the heart of a beautiful area and the Touring Club guide-book will make an ideal companion for anyone who decides to come and spend some time here. Not only that, but it will also provide a new point of reference for people who already know and love the Nievole Valley.

A warm welcome to Montecatini Terme!

Giuseppe Bellandi Mayor of Montecatini

I owe so much to America: a country with broad horizons and an enormous heart, where my dreams, plans, and passion for good cuisine and hospitality have found a niche and have been realised.What I have achieved would not have been possible anywhere else and I can only thank the country which has become my second homeland. But, at the same time, I must admit that the good things in my life have their roots in Italy, in Tuscany, at Montecatini Terme: a town that has always excelled in the art of hospitality, a town engraved in my fondest memories, a town to which I’m linked because I was born there. Every time I serve a Tuscan dish to customers or friends, I’m also putting on the table my great love for Montecatini, enclosed in its simple, authentic flavours, which, like true feelings, remain in your heart for ever. Montecatini Terme is the secret ingredient of my success!

Therefore, I am particularly happy and proud to have been invited to present this new Touring Club guide-book about Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley. Reading it took me back to the places of my childhood, when life was much harder, but also so intense that it cannot be erased from my memory. Wandering in my mind along its avenues, I could smell its familiar smells – good and bad – all over again, I could taste the flavour of freshly-made waffles, feel the joy of a warm greeting from a friend, in front of an aperitif in one of the town’s historic cafés. I could breathe the bracing morning air of the gardens of the Spa Establishments, sip imaginary glasses of its marvellous water. By putting your stomach back into shape, it enables you to enjoy flavour of the cuisine I’m still so fond of even more! (I’ll happily give you a taste of it with the recipe for Tuscan crostini which my family took to America with them!). But Montecatini Terme is not only the past, and this guide-book is the proof. It has succeeded in keeping pace with the times, in moving forward while preserving its old-worldly charm.The building projects now in progress will raise the spa’s status even further: if possible, the new complex will make it even more beautiful and enjoyable. Every time I go back to Montecatini Terme, it’s like taking a dive into an old world with an eye on the future but, more particularly, it’s a way of looking after myself, of getting back to my own pace, of giving myself a renewed sense of well-being which is then transformed into energy that I can then invest in everything I do. I shall certainly make a present of the guide and recommend it to friends, in the conviction that, once they have read it, they won’t be able to resist getting to know my home town of Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley for themselves!

Sirio Maccioni 2

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Contents

1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

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1.1 The north-south axis and the area of the springs 1.2 Tettuccio Spa Building (Stabilimento Tettuccio) 1.3 The east-west axis 1.4 The old castle, Montecatini Alto

12 21 26 29

2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

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2.1 Borghi, villas and castles 2.2 Exploring the wetlands 2.3 The Upper Nievole Valley 2.4 The lands of Leonardo and the Montalbano 2.5 The lands of Pinocchio and the villas around Lucca 2.6 Svizzera Pesciatina

35 39 45 47 52 57

Wine and food itinerary

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Useful addresses

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Touring Club Italiano Chairman: Franco Iseppi Director General: Fabrizio Galeotti Touring Editore Head of cartographic-tourist sector: Fiorenza Frigoni Publishing Director: Cristiana Baietta Editor: Deborah Terrin Copywriter: Paola Bressani Cartography: Paola Zetti Technical Coordinator: Francesco Galati Editing Secretary: Laura Guerini Texts: Bruna Rossi (Montecatini Terme Itineraries, pp. 5-33); Claudio Corbetta (Nievole Valley Itineraries pp. 34-59; Food Itinerary, p. 60) Editorial production: Edicomma Studio Editoriale, Milan with Beatrice Sciascia (graphic design and cover), Tommaso Poletti (layout), Jennifer Robson (translation to English) Map Production: InfoCartoGrafica - Piacenza Photo credits: Photographs were supplied by Terme di Montecatini, Montecatini Terme Town Council, Montecatini Congressi, Monsummano Terme Town Council, Lamporecchio Town Council, Chiesina Uzzanese Town Council and Bruna Rossi, except for the photos on pp. 36, 37, 44, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 57, 58 and 59, which were taken by Claudio Corbetta, and pp. 60 (at the bottom, photos by Lorenzo Borri) and 61 (taken by Giovanni Petronio), from the Giunti Archives.

Edition sponsored by the Touring Editore Special Initiatives Sector Strada 1, Pal. F9, Milanofiori - 20090 Assago (Mi) tel. 0257547281, fax 0257547503 iniziative.speciali@touringclub.com Director: Luciano Mornacchi Guide-book published on the initiative of Montecatini Terme Town Council Pre-press: Sinergie Grafiche, Rozzano (Milan) Printing and binding: Giunti Industrie Grafiche, Iolo (Prato) Touring Club Italiano Corso Italia, 10 - 20122 Milano www.touringclub.it Š 2013 Touring Editore S.r.l. - Milanofiori www.touringclub.com Special edition code: H1632A Printed in April 2013 Touring Club Italiano is a registered trademark of the Touring Club Italiano (Corso Italia 10, Milano, www.touringclub.it) granted under license by Touring Servizi S.r.l. to Touring Editore S.r.l.

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Montecatini Terme, 1 heart of the Nievole Valley Recently, Montecatini Terme joined the EHTTA (European Historical Thermal Town Association), the body approved by the Council of Europe to promote a cultural network of historic spa towns in Europe. The town owes its fame to its spring water, rich in vital minerals which still gives it excellent status in the international spa-town scenario.The impressive and high-quality hotel network offers accommodation to suit every need. It has a mild climate, a tradition of high-class hospitality, excellent cuisine, and plenty of interesting places to visit nearby. So Montecatini Terme is an ideal destination for people who want a base for a really enjoyable holiday, but also for those who want to take advantage of its water for a holiday geared to improving their health and well-being.

The numerous well-equipped, well-organised facilities for conferences, exhibitions and all kinds of other events of every shape and size help to keep the town dynamic and busy throughout the year. It’s elegant and cosmopolitan, yet it still has a human dimension. Montecatini should be explored on foot and there are plenty of places where you can relax and restore your equilibrium: its gardens, its broad avenues and its luxuriant parks, which are the lovely setting of the spa buildings, masterpieces of art and architecture. Along with the other buildings in the Art-Nouveau style erected in the early 20th century, they form a delightful and authentic open-air museum. There are venues and shops galore (open on Sundays and in the evening) and sports facilities, which can be used as sports venues or simply as places to meet and chill out. At the beginning of June the town becomes the dynamic setting for an important sporting event, ‘Time out, Festival della Cultura Sportiva’ (Time out. Sport Culture Festival), attracting public and sports personalities.

Cycling has always been a favourite sport in the Nievole Valley: many of Italy’s cycling champions were born here. In 2013, Montecatini Terme will host the World Road Cycling Championship, along with Florence, Pistoia and Lucca. On an amateur level, the town makes a good base for interesting cycling holidays.The typical Tuscan landscape within cycling distance of the town includes gentle hills, sections on the plain as well as more demanding slopes on the edge of the Apennines. What’s more, the area has much to offer cyclists en route or as destinations: places where they can enjoy nature, wildlife, culture, history, and excellent food and wine. Many of the hotels now have special facilities so that they can offer guests who are also cycling enthusiasts the assistance they require.

r Beauty treatment in the Art-Nouveau hall of Stabilimento Excelsior

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

The history of the hot springs and the town The town’s history is inextricably linked to that of its thermal springs. We do not know for certain when it was founded, but it is certainly very old. Votive objects of Roman date have been found near the crater of the Leopoldine springs.The ‘Bagni’ (baths) of Montecatini are mentioned in a parchment from Lucca written in 1201. In 1387, Marco Datini, the famous merchant of Prato who invented the bill of exchange, treated his stomach with thermal water from here. Later, Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici, used water from the Rinfresco spring to treat certain gynaecological problems. Ugolino Simoni, known as ‘Ugolino da Montecatini’, the famous doctor and Italian father of hydrology, describes the building of a ‘new bath’ (later the Terme Tettuccio), ordered in 1370 by the Florentine Republic.Thanks to

rThe extraordinary wooden tree-like interior of Sala Portoghesi in Terme Tettuccio

him, in 1417, the waters of Montecatini were officially consecrated in his famous work De Balneorum Italiae proprietatibus (a summary of the conclusions of his research on the spring water). Unfortunately, between the 15th and 16th century, use of the springs and the development in the area suffered due to constant battles and incursions. Moreover, the decision on the part of the Florentine government to build a lock at Ponte a Cappiano, on the Guisciana Canal, so that the tables of Florence could be supplied with fresh fish, caused flooding all along the valley. Even Montecatini suffered from the advance of the marshes, which were infested with insects carrying malaria, making life intolerable for everyone who lived nearby.

Even the castle (now Montecatini Alto) suffered. In fact, its extraordinary strategic position and rebellious nature placed it in the centre of squabbles between the various powers. It became difficult to access the hill, and its walls, 25 towers and two fortresses on the top (the castrum vetus on the north side and the castrum novum on the opposite side) made it almost invincible. Thus protected, a little village sprang up around the little square in the flat depression in the centre. Having grown under the influence of Lucca and subsequently wriggled out of its grasp, the commune of Montecatini fought its first disputes with Marliana Castle, ruled by Pistoia, on the side of the Ghibellines, and with the castle of Serravalle, finally establishing its borders along the line of the River Nievole. In 1315 it was besieged by troops from Lucca under the command of Uguccione della Faggiola and Castruccio Castracani.

Having rushed to its aid, the Florentine army suffered one of its worst defeats here, at the bloody battle of Montecatini. On Castruccio’s death, Montecatini joined the League of the Communes of the Nievole Valley, which swore loyalty to Florence in 1328.Very soon, however, the league disbanded and the castle was restored to Lucca. In 1330, during the battles between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the castle was attacked again, this time by the Florentines.

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

After a siege of 11 months, they diverted the course of the Borra and Nievole rivers to induce the thirsty inhabitants of Montecatini to surrender. In 1554, Montecatini was the target of another assault.The town was finally conquered, sacked and much of it was destroyed by the militias of Cosimo I de’ Medici, ally of Emperor Charles V, in the war against Siena and the French, who had placed their troops here under the command of Piero Strozzi. The towers and the walls were dismantled and the documents of the community burnt and lost for ever. Despite these unfortunate episodes, the miraculous properties of the town’s water had not been forgotten.The de’ Medici family began to drain some of the land to encourage people to farm in the Nievole Valley, but the ‘Bagni’ continued to be exploited without ever being improved. Finally, in 1737,Tuscany came under the rule of the House of Habsburg Lorraine and, in 1763, the town was awarded to Peter Leopold, Grand Duke of Tuscany. This man was the true founder and patron of Montecatini and the architect of its rebirth as a spa-town. He consulted his experts to find a way to restore the Nievole Valley to its former healthy state. He removed the locks and the fish ponds and, in a short time, the water meadows had been turned back into healthy, fertile land. In the area of the springs, the Grand Duke ordered that the water should be channelled to facilitate distribution and began an ambitious town-planning project to design a modern spa-town. Avenues were laid out, new buildings and splendid thermal establishments were erected. Cassinese monks from Badia Fiorentina were entrusted with the task of organising and exploiting the spring water and did so with great business flair, enhancing the town with buildings and beautiful works. Following this grand restructuring project, the town expanded considerably, along with the number of hotels and other tourist facilities.The initiative of Peter Leopold was continued by his son, Ferdinand III, during the Napoleonic period, and, after him, by his grandson Leopold II, who was responsible for bringing the railway to the town.The last two grand dukes loved to spend long holidays in the Palazzina Regia.The spa buildings were managed by a Deputation of three people, including Domenico Giusti (father of the poet), who became the manager and financial director of the complex. After Italian Unification, for a few years, the facilities were leased to the company Cesana e Damiani. When they were returned to the State, after various ups and downs, they were entrusted to a businessman from Milan, Antonio Baragiola, whose son, Pietro, undertook many important initiatives to improve the town.

In no time, ‘Bagni di Montecatini’ (as it was known then) had become one of the most highly renowned and exclusive European spas of the Belle Époque. Famous personalities came here from all over the world to ‘drink the waters’, rest, relax, meet, discuss business and politics and to enjoy excellent Tuscan hospitality and cuisine.Theatres, casinos, a hippodrome and other prestigious sports facilities sprang up.The town’s worldly lifestyle – added value in such a beautiful natural setting – attracted key figures from the world of finance, industry, politics,

r The interior of Palazzina Regia, formerly the summer residence of Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Tuscany and his family

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

art, music, and literature, but also scholars and scientists of every conceivable nationality.

After a pause imposed by the painful events of WWII, the town began to grow again, and has never looked back since. Working at the spa complex became the most prestigious job in town.The townsfolk learned to make an art of hospitality, a skill still being passed on today at the Ferdinando Martini Catering School. The pride of the town, the school offers its students a 5-star tourism diploma. Its graduates are in demand all over the world because they know how to handle a refined, demanding clientele. Montecatini has had a long list of prestigious guests: rulers and heads of government; nobles; rich businessmen; writers and poets; composers, including Rossini,Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni,Toscanini, and Leoncavallo, who used to provide musical entertainment on summer evenings at his elegant villa in Montecatini. Sculptors and painters, too, artists like Duprè, Galileo Chini, Lorenzo Viani, Annigoni, Conti and Dalí all visited the spa, enhancing it with their beautiful artworks. Often used as a set for famous films, the town has offered hospitality to some of the most famous names in the cinema. Montecatini still hosts Filmvideo, an international short film festival, initiated in 1949

by FEDIC, the Italian Cineclub Association. In the avenues, the spa establishments and the

Spring water and medical science Even in past centuries, the waters of Montecatini were the object of numerous studies: Ugolino Simoni, or ‘Ugolino da Montecatini’, regarded as the founder of Italian medical hydrology, waxed lyrical about them in his treatise Tractatus de Balneis (1417). In 1470, it was the turn of Michele Savonarola (grandfather of the more famous Fra’ Domenico), while Pompeo dalla Barba (1521-82), Pope Pius IV’s chief physician, prescribed them as an effective cure for his patient. Pope Pius V was also successfully treated with spring water, having had it prescribed by his chief physician, Andrea Bacci (1524-1600).

Andrea Cesalpino (1519-1603), the docs The mixing counter in Terme Tettuccio

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tor and anatomist, prescribed them for Clement VIII. Cosimo I de’ Medici entrusted his minister Inghirami to find out about the state of the ‘Bagni’, where the doctor of his consort, Eleonora di Toledo, had prescribed treatment for her. The faith in spring water demonstrated by the popes’ physicians continued with Giovanni Maria Lancisi (1654-1720), chief physician to Innocent III, Clement IX and Innocent VII, as well as medical advisor to King Louis XIV, the Sun King. The waters were carefully studied by the famous clinician Gabriele Falloppio (1523-62), by Francesco Redi (1626-98), Gaetano Livi (16951778), Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti (171283), Alessandro Bicchierai (1734-97) and many other famous scientists. The period of the rebirth of the Terme di Montecatini, engineered by Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Habsburg Lorraine in the second half of the 18th century, sparked off a growing interest in the springs and their unusual characteristics, which has been continuously renewed and confirmed right up to the present. A plaque inside Terme Tettuccio reminds us that, in 1916, the Polish scientist Marie Skolodowska Curie, better known as ‘Madame Curie’, stayed at Montecatini to study radioactivity in the thermal waters along with two Italian chemists, Camillo Porlezza and Raffaello Nasini.

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

party venues, people showed off their expensive clothes and jewellery. The famous stylist, Christian Dior, spent the last days of his life here. So many politicians visited the spa that, at one point, Bagni di Montecatini was nicknamed ‘little Montecitorio’ (the seat of the Italian parliament). The name ‘Bagni di Montecatini’ used to define the whole thermal area at the bottom of the hill. In fact, Montecatini Alto was once the administrative heart of a single municipality, in the Province of Lucca, consisting of three villages: Montecatini Alto, Bagni di Montecatini and Pieve a Nievole. In 1905, they were separated into three autonomous municipalities: Montecatini Valdinievole (or Montecatini Alto), Bagni di Montecatini and Pieve a Nievole.The r The monumental façade of Terme Leopoldine name Montecatini Terme dates from 1928, when the Nievole Valley came under the new Province of Pistoia. It was not until 1940 that Montecatini Alto became part of the municipality of Montecatini Terme.

The Montecatini spa buildings, which are owned by the Municipal Council of Montecatini Terme and Regione Toscana, is currently operated by Terme di Montecatini S.p.a.

The spring water The spring water is the town’s greatest treasure, endowing it with that aura of holiness which, in Ancient times, was associated with places with natural springs. The water not only sustained people but alleviated their maladies. At Montecatini Terme the springs still have this quality and the town crest depicts a hill above a pool of water, with two lions rampant at the side holding a bowl with the Florentine lily at the top.The hills to the north of the town form a vital basin for supplying and collecting water, but not all the water flows into watercourses on the surface (the Nievole, Borra and Salsero rivers, and the Castagnaregola and Sant’Antonio streams). Because of the geological structure of the hillsides, some of it penetrates to a great depth. Underground, the water temperature rises, and it absorbs minerals from the rocks it encounters along the way: sodium sulphate, iodine, chlorine, potassium, magnesium, bromine, lithium and calcium bicarbonate. When it finds a way up to the surface, the filtered water rises, is bacteriologically pure, yet conserves its therapeutic, thermo-mineral properties.

Based on its chemical composition, the waters of Montecatini r The town crest of Montecatini are classified as the alkaline chlorinated sulphated type, and are especially rich in sodium salts. This confirms the presence of ancient deposits of rock salt in the base rock which it passes on its journey underground. The maximum temperature is around 33.5°C in the Leopoldina spring, but recent drillings have found water which reach body temperature, and thus ideal for feeding the thermal swimming-pools. Once many springs were in use, and some were privately owned. In 1913, as a result of a new law protecting the hydro-geological basin, most of them were closed and only eight remained open.

Now only the most important springs are used for hydropinic cures (drinking therapy) and various other treatments: the Leopoldina, Regina,Tettuccio and Rinfresco springs.The waters 9

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

of Montecatini Terme, which taste slightly saline, are perfectly compatible with the organic liquids of the human body and have specific therapeutic properties which are also recognised by the Italian National Health Service.

So, by presenting a medical prescription, patients can benefit from thermal treatments and only pay the ‘ticket’ (a nominal charge applied to all prescriptions). As well as acting as a detox treatment for the whole digestive tract, the ionic components in the water regulate the metabolic activity of sugar and lower cholesterol. The hydropinic treatment helps to cleanse the liver and empty the digestive system, thus proving to be useful in cases of gastritis and dyspepsia, insufficiencies of the liver and dysfunctions of the bile ducts, curing and preventing the formation of kidney stones and restoring a correct flow of bile from the liver to the intestines. Furthermore, it restores normal intestinal function in cases of chronic constipation; it favours the elimination of waste from the kidneys and helps to replace minerals lost due to sport. Which water to choose, how much you should drink and how often must be decided by a medical specialist, who is available for every patient to consult for an appointment prior to starting treatment and, if necessary, also for follow-up checks. But, as well as the advantages of the drinking treatment, very early on it was noticed that the water was effective for treating skin diseases, diseases of the respiratory system, rheumatism and gynaecological problems.These properties, today rendered even more effective by the use of modern technologies and the experience of highly qualified personnel, are used for mud therapy and bathing therapy in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, peripheral vascular diseases and in muscular and motor rehabilitation, for inhalation therapies and tubular and eardrum insufflations, in treating problems of the female genitalia and for all the treatments which aim to improve aesthetic appearance, re-establish perfect equilibrium between the body and the mind and encourage people’s well-being in general. A new, exclusive line of cosmetics, ‘Montecatini Aquathermal Complex ®’, has been created using spring water as a result of hi-tech research into cosmetics.

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The north-south axis and the area of the springs 1.1 The itinerary starts in Piazza del Popolo. In 1913, the beautiful fountain by Antonio Guidotti, symbolising the springs which are the town’s livelihood, was put here: at the base of an obelisk, it depicts four cherubs riding dolphins pouring water from a cornucopia into four semispherical bowls, feeding the basin below. It was here, in the second half of the 18th century, that the architect, Niccolò Gasparo Paoletti, director of the Regie Fabbriche Granducali (Royal Architect’s Office of the Grand Duchy) under Peter Leopold of Lorraine, started work on an ambitious project. His remit was to create a new town where previously there had been only marshland. The square was the intersection of the ‘Royal Road to Lucca’ and the splendid ‘Stradone dei Bagni’, designed by Engineer Francesco Bombicci.The Great Avenue, later known as the Avenue of the Elms, and then Avenue of the Tettuccio, was finally named after Giuseppe Verdi, who was a regular visitor at the Terme from 1882 onwards. In 1833 the square acquired a fine church, designed by architect Luigi de Cambray Digny.

However it soon proved to be too small to accommodate the town’s growing population and the guests who flocked to Bagni di Montecatini in the spa season. It was demolished just over a century later (the remains of the pronaos are now in the garden of the public library) and replaced with the church you see today, S. Maria Assunta.

Basilica of S. Maria Assunta. Set back a little from the edge of the square, overlooking a broad flat area on two levels, the tall belltower of the church faces Viale Verdi and

r The basilica of S. Maria Assunta

the area of the spas and the green hill of Montecatini Alto.

Its striking design with eastern influences is by architect Raffaello Fagnoni, who was assisted by Spadolini, Stecchetti and Negri. Built of reinforced concrete, it opened for worship on 29th September 1962. It’s decorated with grey stone from the quarry at Maona and is faced with light-coloured travertine from Monsummano, with dressed stones arranged in rows of different heights. Four large doorways framed with marble lead into the church, built on an octagonal plan, with four chapels. The mosaics in glass and concrete above the entrance, by the painter Giorgio Scalco, depict Scenes from the Life of the Virgin, whereas the windows at the sides depict St Catherine and St Francis. The large Crucifix behind the altar is by the sculptor Sauro Cavallini.There is also a large painting, donated to the church by the town’s hoteliers in honour of St Martha, whom Pope Paul VI declared patron saint of hoteliers because of her obvious gift for offering hospitality.

The square marks the crossroads of the two main avenues: to the south,Viale Don Minzoni leads to the first railway station (1853), called Montecatini Centro; Corso Matteotti runs off to the east, and to the west lies Corso Roma, both on the line of the ancient Via Cassia.

Viale Verdi, the hub of the whole plan of the spa-town, runs away towards the old castle, Montecatini Alto, high above the town.

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1.1 The north-south axis and the area of the springs

Elegant buildings with beautiful decoration dating from the early 20th century face the square. Others, which have recently been remodelled, look more modern. The whole area is part of the Centro Commerciale Naturale di Montecatini Terme where the town’s best shops are concentrated. (They stay open even on public holidays.)

If you set off along Viale Verdi, on the right, you find the Locanda Maggiore, a hotel commissioned from Paoletti by the monks of Badia di Firenze in about the 18th century. Giuseppe Verdi made it famous by staying there while writing the third act of Othello. Inside the central courtyard there used to be a fountain of Neptune. The story goes that it stopped working in 1859, when the last Grand Duke, Leopold II, left Tuscany on the eve of the Unification of Italy. The unusual porticoes of Gambrinus, designed by Bernardini and Ugo Giusti and built in 1913, used to be a popular meeting-place for the worldly set, when it was a Café Chantant. Today the square is still used for musical performances, fashion shows and cultural events. Further on, on the left, is Palazzina Regia, designed by Paoletti in 1777 as a summer palace for the Grand Duke’s family. Since Peter Leopold was keen that the new town should develop harmoniously, he ordered that it should be used as a model for residential buildings in the future.Today it houses the spa’s head office. It was exquisitely decorated by Ezio Giovannozzi in about the 1920s.

The former Parco Regio (Royal Park) is now a garden, site of the sombre war memorial, by a sculptor from Lucca, G. Petroni (1925). Below an obelisk, the Genius of the Homeland rides a horse, holding the Victory in his right hand, followed by a crowd of proud citizens of all ages. Immediately beyond it is Teatro Verdi.

Teatro Verdi. The theatre has attracted many world-famous artists, hosted important TV shows and staged major events. In 2010, Woody Allen chose it as the venue to launch the European tour of his New Orleans Jazz Band, who gave just three concerts in Italy. It opened in 1930 with the name of Teatro Giardino Le Terme. Although it was renovated in 1981, it is now the object of a new restructuring plan, which involves moving the entrance into the adjacent Art-Nouveau building, previously a shop selling mineral salts from the Tamerici (Tamarisk) spring. The outside walls of the building, designed in 1903 by Bernardi-

ni, are decorated with gres high-reliefs by Domenico Trentacoste, depicting some of the stages involved in making ceramics (throwing pots, decorating them, putting them in the kiln), and an artist surrounded by Muses. The artist apparently resembles Galileo Chini, founder of the Manifattura Fiorentina Arte della Ceramica, a famous Florentine ceramics company, and an exponent of the great eclectic movement which has some of its finest expressions at Montecatini. Chini is also attributed with the frieze just below the roof of the ‘Salt Pavilion’ and some of the frescoes inside, which were discovered during restoration.

On the opposite side of the avenue is the elegant Town Hall. Many tourists come here to see its beautiful interior decoration.

Town Hall. In the early years of the 20th century, Bagni di Montecatini was in ferment.

The spa establishments had become very fashionable and were attracting famous celebrities from all over the world. The hotel amenities were first-class and, in 1905, the manager of the Grand’Albergo La Pace wrote: «It is extremely important that none of our guests should have to touch a single door-handle from the moment they arrive until they close the door of their room

behind them.» The town was growing and acquiring one elegant building after another.

In 1911, the Town Council decided the time had come to build a new Town Hall, designed by Raffaello Brizzi and Luigi Righetti, on the site of the old stables of the Grand Duchy. Work began in 1913 and was concluded in 1919, with a pause due to WWI. The imposing building, built in the neoRenaissance style, stands at a higher level than the road. A triple arch leads into the 13

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

atrium, which resembles a loggia, and this leads into a hall. On the left is the Registrar’s office, on the right is an identical room, once the post office. It has several artworks by contemporary artists, including a large painting by Pietro Annigoni, Life, dating from the 1960s.The counters around the edge of the

r The frescoed hall of the Town Hall

room have glass decoration by Galileo Chini.

A monumental staircase with wrought-iron banisters leads to the first floor. On the stairs is a bronze bust of Pietro Baragiola, who contributed much to the development of the town, by Romanelli. In the splendid glass roof, a cherub, framed by the words «L’ANTICO FU NUOVO E IL NUOVO ANTICO» (TIME WAS WHEN OLD WAS NEW AND NEW WAS OLD) pours fruit out of a cornucopia. Around it, the painted scenes on the twelve lunettes and eight spandrels are supposed to be allegories of Working, Building, Knowing, and Prospering in Peace.

The offices are arranged around two large balconies, illuminated by Chini’s skylights, with ornamental friezes and the town crest in the centre. The Council Chamber is the main room, with central balconies overlooking Viale Verdi. On the ceiling is a fresco

by Luigi Arcangeli depicting the Apotheosis of Italy. On the right wall is one of Joan Miró’s five largest works, Woman Encircled by the Flight of a Bird, a late work by the Catalan artist, donated to Montecatini to mark the ‘Maggio Miró’ exhibition in 1980.

As well as the town’s administrative offices, part of the building will soon house the prestigious Gallery of Contemporary Art.

The buildings around the Town Hall were built or remodelled in the early 20th century.

Their decoration reflects the floral vogue so popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. Not only small private villas, but also hotels, commercial businesses, shops and bars.

This is also the beginning of the spa area, a glorious succession of imposing spa facilities.

On the corner of Viale Manzoni, on the one hand, you have the original curved portico of the Cinema Excelsior, designed by Giovannozzi in 1922 and recently renovated and, on the other, the Tourist Office (APT). Opposite, in front of the Stabilimento Excelsior, is a small triangular garden with the Swan Fountain by the sculptor Pirro Bianchi, overlooked by a pleasant loggia in the Renaissance style.

Stabilimento Excelsior (Excelsior Spa Building). The oldest part of the building, designed by architect Giulio Bernardini, was originally the Municipal Casino and the Gran Caffè. It dates from 1907 and has preserved all its architectural charm. Later it was used for mixing the thermal waters in winter. In 1915, it was enlarged by Ugo Giovannozzi so that it could also be used for bathing therapy, mud therapy, gynaecological treatments and inhalation treatments. The outer 14

part of the building was demolished in 1968 and replaced by a modern, functional building with four floors, for innovative aesthetic and remise en forme programmes, and holistic treatments.You enter it through a light-filled hall with large windows overlooking the garden. The dominant feature here is the enormous glass chandelier, made by the Venini glass factory on Murano. The Art-Nouveau room, cunningly connected to the modern part of the complex,

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1.1 The north-south axis and the area of the springs

r The outside loggia of Stabilimento Excelsior, with its decorative enamelled terracotta medallions

is mainly used for conferences, exhibitions and concerts.The two exedras at each side, surrounded by decorative glass windows and spanned by Corinthian columns, still contain the old counters where they used to mix the watering (now done in the main hall). The mural in tempera on the ceiling is

by Ernesto Bellandi. The 16 windows in the

upper perimeter of the hall are decorated with coloured glass and depict the crests of old Tuscan towns. Below them is a stucco frieze with low reliefs of cherubs and festoons.The elegant loggia outside is decorated with eight enamelled terracotta medallions depicting famous figures in Montecatini’s history.

Other avenues perpendicular to Viale Verdi lead off to the left towards Palazzo dei Congressi, the Tamerici Spa and the Grocco Spa. Palazzo dei Congressi.The conference centre stands on the site of the historic Garage Alessio. Designed by Bernardini in 1919, the main façade still bears many typical features of the Art-Nouveau and Art-DÊco styles.

Having been completely renovated and extended, today, the building is an elegant, modular, multi-functional centre. The largest conference hall has seating for 900 delegates. Palazzo dei Congressi is only one of the many facilities, often housed in prestigious hotels or spa buildings that can be used for business meetings, rendez-vous, conferences and all kinds of other events. The facilities here offer efficient, hi-tech solutions to suit every requirement, charming settings and the option of combining work with relaxation and wellness.

Stabilimento Tamerici (Tamerici Spa Building). Deep in the thermal park, the Tamerici Spa is named after the tamarisk trees that grow next to it. First it was called Villa Schmitz, after the owners who discovered the spring in 1843. It was restructured in the early 20th century by Giulio Bernardini and Ugo Giusti, who used a magical and highly successful mixture of styles: from the Tuscan Renaissance to the Venetian Moorish one.

However, the predominant style is neomediaeval, with turrets, merlons, arches and crests. This unusual, interesting building was used as a venue for the permanent exhibition of the Academy of Art and, later, as a club-house, the Circolo Forestieri. It embodies an incredible number of tiny treasures, such as the splendid masterpieces by Gali15

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

r Terme Tamerici, a cunning blend of architectural styles, ranging from the Tuscan Renaissance to the Venetian Moorish style

leo Chini: frescoes depicting cherubs and festoons; majolica decoration on the walls, the floors, the mixing counters and the fountains; smoked glass which enhances the large two-light and three-light windows with proud lion’s heads on either side.The garden contains a neo-15th-century well; a copy of the Fountain of the Naiads by Mario Rutelli; a pergola with six marble columns and a wrought-iron dome from Gabriele d’Annunzio’s villa La Capponcina. The fountains fed with water from the various springs are located in a delightful corner of the garden: the fountain decorated by Galileo Chini for Acqua Giulia is particularly striking. The elegant loggia designed by Bernardini leads into the main hall, with a beautiful mobile glass roof framed by a decorated wooden coffered ceiling and, in the middle of the longest wall, a large stone fireplace. The hall can also be accessed from the opposite side of the building, site of the Fountain of the Cherub and the Frog, by Raffaello Romanelli. The logo ‘TMC’, which is also repeated on the wall around the park, stands for both Terme di Montecatini and the name of this particular spa building, which is now used for important exhibitions, concerts and conferences.

Stabilimento Grocco (Grocco Spa Building). For many years, this building, which used water which rose to the surface after the earthquake of 1902, was an important centre for bathing therapy, physiotherapy and mud-bath treatments. It’s named after Dr Pietro Grocco, Giuseppe Verdi’s personal doctor and Medical Director at the spa.

Grocco persuaded the Maestro to ‘take the waters’ at Montecatini for 18 years, became his friend, looked after him until the end and issued his death certificate.The treatments have been transferred to the modern Stabilimento Redi (Redi Spa Building), and soon, the building will be used as a centre for sports medicine. Two extremely old palmtrees stand at one of the many entrances to the vast thermal park. The ‘Pineta’ is almost the soul of Montecatini, its huge ‘green lung’.

The park can easily be accessed from various points in the town. The Castagnaregola Stream flows through it, but suddenly disappears underground, continuing its course until it merges with the nearby River Salsero.

On either side of the tree-lined avenues and hidden footpaths, the grass is fringed with rare species of trees. As well as being a perfect place to relax, it’s also a botanical garden.

To the right of Viale Verdi is the picturesque permanent market of Viale Grocco, where shops and stalls sells all kinds of wares at very reasonable prices. Nearby is a children’s playground, Termeland. At the end of the avenue, on the left, is the entrance to the Stabilimento La Salute.

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1.1 The north-south axis and the area of the springs

Stabilimento La Salute (La Salute Spa Building). The spa was built to exploit the ‘Acqua della Salute’ (literally, ‘Water of Health’), a spring discovered in 1860 by Benedetto Gabbrielli. After 1920 it was extended and altered several times. A wooden gate leads into a shady garden. In the centre is a rotunda with a polygonal dome supported by columns. The mosaics decorating the mixing counters on the left depict two dolphins, the symbol of the spa. From here, a few steps lead down to a magical little courtyard. In the centre, above the well over the spring, is the symbolic lion of Florence, the Marzocco. On one side, a neoClassical building merges with a natural crack in the rock, where crystal-clear water gushes out of the rock wall, forming a small stream: a

reminder of the mysterious ‘Volatiche Grotto’, a cave praised in early descriptions of the spa which claimed it was beneficial in the treatment of skin diseases. The main body of the building is built in the rustic Tuscan style.

Behind it, tree-lined avenues and pleasant footpaths dotted with pools and fountains wind along to the bottom of the hill of Montecatini Alto, with its broad, green terraces.

Here, the architect Massimiliano Fuksas has designed a water theme park which is destined to become one of the town’s main attractions. In the meantime, La Salute offers its guests the water-drinking (hydropinic) treatment in the mornings and lays on various forms of entertainment including music, dancing and other events.

South from here, it’s only a short walk to the modern spa of Stabilimento Redi.

Stabilimento Redi (Redi Spa Building). The spa is named after Francesco Redi, a famous Tuscan doctor, scientist and writer in the 17th century who, having studied the waters of Montecatini, prescribed them as an extremely effective remedy for treating numerous health problems. The building dates from 1962 and was designed by Gian Luigi Giordani and Ippolito Malaguzzi Valeri.

It was completely renovated and extended by the architect Oreste Ruggiero and opened in the spring of 2010 as the top spa in the offering of non-hydropinic treatments.

The complex was built in compliance with

anti-seismic regulations and it relies on alternative forms of energy. It’s divided into various areas: the brand new Inhalation Therapy Department has 154 computerised appliances of the last generation, ten of which are for paediatric patients; it covers 1,100 m² and has a spacious hall, two inhalation rooms, two doctors’ studios, a paediatric department, facilities for tubular and eardrum insufflations, pulmonary ventilation and nebulising treatment. The Mud and Bath Therapy Department has 66 individual rooms, 28 double rooms for bathing and massage and eight surgeries.

r Small lakes and fountains in the luxuriant park surrounding Terme della Salute

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

r Bathers relax in the elegant thermal swimming-pools in Stabilimento Redi

The basement houses the modern and very well-equipped Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, which has thermal swimming-pools with hydro-massage and waterfalls, rehabilitation routes, a vascular treatment path and two gyms for improving posture with the ‘pancafit’ method, training and functional recovery with kinesis, specific sessions for slimming on a scientific basis and osteopathic treatment.The centre also prepares customised programs for athletes. Every tiny detail of this department helps to create a beautiful

and protective environment, pervaded by the sweet-smelling vapours of precious spring water.Yoga courses, and holistic and Ayurvedic treatments are also offered in the conviction that the health of the body depends partly on harmony of the spirit.

The staff here are highly specialised and they use the very latest hi-tech equipment.

The different areas are extremely spacious, elegant, and pleasing to the eye. The furnishings are of high quality materials and every detail has been designed to create a relaxing environment.

Returning to our tour along Viale Verdi, after the Excelsior, you come to the imposing Stabilimento Leopoldine (Leopoldine Spa Building), the old heart of the brand new design for a Spa Village created by architect Massimiliano Fuksas.

Stabilimento Leopoldine (Leopoldine Spa Building). Ugolino da Montecatini describes the spring being used in 1417, and Bicchierai reported the discovery of votive idols below the crater around the spring, proof that the water has been regarded as sacred and therapeutic for a long time. It had the greatest concentration of minerals and was the hottest spring. In fact, the place was called the ‘Bagno Caldo’ (Hot Bath). Also called the ‘Mange Bath’ and the ‘Blackbird Bath’, the spring was later named ‘Terme Leopoldine’ in honour of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Peter Leopold of Lorraine. In 1775, he asked Niccolò Gasparo Paoletti to design a palatial neo-Classical building with two porticoed wings around three sides of the great pool in the crater. The entrance consisted of a taller central block, fronted by two massive Doric columns supporting a triangular tympanum with the inscription «Aesculapio et saluti» 18

(Aesculapius and health). In fact, the pronaos is the only part of the original building that was kept when the building was restructured

by Giovannozzi in 1926. But, now, another important restructuring project is nearing completion. The architect Massimiliano Fuksas has chosen this spa building as the focus of a project to renew the whole spa area, basing his ideas on Ancient Roman Baths. On the right, the first large pool is connected directly to the vast outdoor swimming-pool by the frigidarium (cold bath) and the tepidarium (warm bath), with an area for relaxation and treatments, attractive stone steps, clusters of rocks and other pleasing decorative features. Altering the temperature of the water from the Leopoldina spring creates an alternating hot-cold effect. The calidarium lies at the end of it, with a sauna, bio-sauna and an enormous Turkish bath.The left wing contains the area dedicated to mud- and bath-

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1.1 The north-south axis and the area of the springs

therapy and other treatments using spring water.The indoor area, with its beautiful ArtNouveau decoration, has large glassed-off areas furnished with different colours and materials which overlook the outdoor pools.

The first floor is designated for motor rehabi-

litation, aesthetic treatments, surgeries and changing-rooms. A large area has also been designated as an ideal environment for holistic treatments. After the Terme Leopoldine, Viale Verdi curves slightly to the left and emerges in the broad square named after

Domenico Giusti. In 1998, a steel sculpture, a fountain named Water Duet, by the Japanese artist Susumo Shingu, was placed in the long central flower-bed.The whole square is dominated by the spectacular façade of the Stabilimento Tettuccio (Tettuccio Spa Building; see itinerary 1.2, p. 21), the architectural jewel that has become one of the spa-town’s icons.To the left of it, the broad avenue of Viale del Rinfresco leads us through the quiet of the park to Piazzale della Torretta, one of the spa’s oldest and most romantic places. Opposite is a building with a tower that looks mediaeval: the Stabilimento Torretta (Torretta Spa Building).

Stabilimento Torretta (Torretta Spa Buildin). Inside the doorway is the broad loggia designed by Bernardini, named after Giuseppe Verdi.This is where the afternoon drinking therapy sessions used to take place.

Afterwards, various concerts and shows were put on to entertain the guests, who could also go for a stroll in the park. Down to the left is a charming English-style garden.The Castagnaregola Stream flows through it on its way to a small, shining lake. Situated on a low hill and surrounded by the remains of ruined towers is an octagonal, neo-Gothic chapel. Below it, a maze of mysteriouslooking tunnels leads to underground rooms with colonnades, domes and traces of frescoes on the walls. Inside the chapel, if you look through a hole protected by an old octagonal wooden balustrade, you can see the room where Countess Teresa Corsi Magnani was buried (thought to have been the Grand Duke of Tuscany’s lover). All around, among the ancient trees, a romantic

neo-Classical aura prevails, with statues, seats, flights of steps, wells and springs…. a magical place where time seems to have stopped.

The Torretta Spa Building was opened in 1829 by Count Baldino Baldini after the discovery of the Torretta spring. It was in private hands until 1916, when it merged with the nearby Stabilimento Rinfresco (Rinfresco Spa Building), owned by the Terme di Montecatini, located to the right of the main building. The Rinfresco Spring was already famous in the 14th century, when it was known as the ‘Bagno Tondo’ (Round Bath).

Later it became the ‘Bagno Mediceo’ after the crest of the de’ Medici family on the façade of the building. It was rebuilt by Giuseppe Manetti in 1798 for the monks of Badia Fiorentina, and was altered again in 1927 by Ugo Giovannozzi. He kept only the central pronaos, transforming the Emanatorio (where the water was distributed) into what we see today: an elegant temple containing the pool with a roof made of grès and stained glass, the interior of which is decorated with graffiti by Ezio Giovannozzi. Further on and slightly higher up, the little Temple of Acqua Giulia, by Bernardini, rises above the large pool below. Until a few years ago the Torretta Spa was regarded as one of the most enjoyable venues in the spa park.

However, after a period of neglect, there are now plans to restore the building, enhance its botanical and historical features, and its trails based on symbols and energy. v A view of Stabilimento Torretta

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

On the left-hand side of the square is another little Art-Nouveau jewel: the Sports Park, built in 1925, and headquarters of the famous La Torretta Tennis Club. Beyond the ring-road, a small tree-lined road leads to a keep-fit trail, a pleasant path on a slight slope that winds through the maquis, and the tourist resort of Lido le Panteraie, with its historic swimming-pool. On the main road, beyond the putting green, the road leads uphill to Montecatini Alto. If you go east from here, you come to the funicular station and the Scalabrino Academy of Art. Since Montecatini Terme is fringed by hills to the north, the town has developed more towards the south, beyond the railway line, and now stretches beyond the A11 Firenze-Mare motorway (the village of Biscolla).To the south, several important sports facilities have been built: before the railway are the football stadium and the bowling green; just beyond there are the Sesana Hippodrome, the Leonardo da Vinci municipal gym with the Pala-Bellandi building adjacent to it and some pitches for five-a-side football. Every Thursday morning, the vast space in front of the stadium, named after Grand Duke Leopold, is the scene of a popular weekly market, one of the largest in Tuscany. Not far away is the covered market, which operates on weekdays, where you can buy local products straight from the producer. Continuing south-east, you come to the Palazzetto dello Sport (sports complex), the municipal swimming-pools and various private gyms. Beyond the motorway is the Sporting Club and, nearby, a shooting range: the high standard of its members has given the town and, indeed, Italy many prestigious medals in European and World championships and Olympic events. The Montecatini Pieve a Nievole club has four skeet shooting ranges, six Olympic trap ranges, 2 Sporting range, one Compak range, one American trap range and one Double Trap range.The excellent range of shooting facilities means that the club can host competitions of the various specialities at national level.The International Shooting School supervises the training of young athletes. The vast complex includes accommodation and other facilities so that it can be used to host trade fairs.

Ippodromo Sesana (Sesana Hippodrome).

The Sesana Hippodrome is one of Italy’s foremost trotting-race venues. Its vast area includes 17,000 m² of race-track, an area of 30,000 m² reserved for the spectators, a warming-up track, stables and various facilities including 53 saddler’s shops, 30 hay-stores, 14 warehouses, 5 smithies, a round indoor exercise building, a vet clinic with a testing laboratory, quarantine boxes, accommodation and facilities for staff, a canteen, a restaurant, a bar and a private carpark. However, the passion for horseracing at Montecatini goes back a long way. 19thcentury maps show that, in the square

behind the Torretta Spa, there used to be a race-track which used to encourage racegoers to come to a ‘Race of the Amazons’ and another one, the Santarelli Arena, just behind the present Town Hall.

The hippodrome was built thanks to Baron Giuseppe Patrone, a wealthy Italian Argentine who owned various properties in the town. In 1914, he acquired the land and, to begin with, operated the track with Commendatore Giuseppe Sesana. In 1934, the latter became the sole owner, greatly improved the facilities and began the tradition of illuminated evening races. Since Sesana died, the race-track has had various owners, but the hippodrome has remained an important benchmark in the international trotting scenario. Famous races have taken place on the track here, involving horses and jockeys which have become racing legends. For more than 50 years now, the Città di Montecatini Grand Prix, also known as the Ferragosto Grand Prix has been a popular annual event. v Evening races at the Sesana Hippodrome

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Tettuccio Spa Building (Stabilimento Tettuccio) 1.2 The Tettuccio Spa Building sits majestically at the far end of Viale Verdi.The grand doorway is sheltered by a semi-circular Art-Nouveau wrought-iron canopy with stained glass by Berti of Pistoia. The row of beautiful Carrara marble statues above it was carved by Corrado Vigny and depicts the Spring, Medicine, Hygiene and Health. The central crest is by Aristide Aloisi, who also designed the interior decoration: masks, festoons, capitals, balustrades, and so on. In 1370 the building here was fairly simple and known as the ‘Bagno Nuovo’ (New Bath).Then spring was protected by a small wooden roof, hence its name, Tettuccio, which is used to refer to both the water and the spa building.The water from this spring was used mainly for extracting salt. Later the spring became famous for its therapeutic properties: it had a lower salt content than the water from the other springs traditionally used for baths or mud-treatments, yet had the same excellent properties for treating skin problems. Tettuccio water could be drunk, too, and soon proved to be extremely beneficial to the whole digestive tract. The famous doctor Francesco Redi (1626-97) wrote: «This water is slightly salty: ordinary people seem to be only superficially interested in it, but it seems to be something really unbelievable.This water is the only really effective remedy against all forms of dysentery and, this being so, people in Florence who die of dysentery are indeed unfortunate. Furthermore, I feel confident in prescribing it to treat every form of liver complaint, which can be reliably and easily weakened by this water… And, in the same way, with the same confidence, I am happy to prescribe it for all colic of the stomach caused by bile, and every other kind of colic, and also for diseases of the uterus». The very first spa building was erected between 1779 and 1781 by Grand Duke Peter Leopold, as part of the urban restructuring plan overseen by Niccolò Gasparo Paoletti (1727-1813). Although it was a very impressive building, it was quite different from the present one. In 1914, a competition was announced so that it could be rebuilt, deemed necessary because the spa-town had become so immensely famous worldwide. However, only a few years later the Florentine architect Ugo Giovannozzi came up with a design. The new complex was erected between 1923 and 1927, along with the nearby Stabilimento Regina. A broad façade of Monsummano travertine, enhanced s The grand staircase leading to the terrace of Terme Tettuccio

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

by Ionic columns, replaced Paoletti’s old facade, which wasn’t destroyed, merely moved and placed in the west wing, as an integral part of the new building. Now a national monument, it can still be seen at the end of the Mixing Gallery. The Tettuccio, based on an old Roman Bath, was built like a temple, to reinforce the sacred and essential nature of its water with its magical regenerating properties, conveyor of health and beauty. The atrium consists of an elaborate ambulatory with columns, and a long ceiling frescoed by Galileo Chini, an elaborate glass skylight and a fresco by Giuseppe Moroni depicting the Spring. It opens onto broad open-air terraces, fringed on each side by a continuation of the colonnade. On the right is a sort of small temple, with an inscription running around the edge: «Balsamo che tolto vien di sotterra e s’apre al chiaro giorno» (Balsam taken from underground that opens to the light of day).The semi-circle surrounds and protects the Crocodile Fountain. Beyond it, in a large round pool, water from the Tettuccio spring gushes out of a lion’s mouth.

Crocodile Fountain. In a town founded on thermal springs, fountains had to be an important part of the visual plan. The finest example is the fountain at the Tettuccio spa, where everyone who comes here in search of a cure for their ailments goes to drink its health-giving water. Two bronze crocodiles

r The Crocodile Fountain, by Sirio Tofanari

almost seem to be slithering into the fountain. Above them is a shell-shaped basin in dark granite from Labrador. Water from the Tettuccio spring pours from this into the pool below, surrounded by a delightful decorative sea-horse motif. Around the travertine base, other sea creatures enjoy the splashing of the water which, on cold days, steams because it’s warmer than the outside air. You may wonder what crocodiles are doing in Montecatini. In Ancient Egypt, crocodiles symbolised the energy of water, the divine nature of strength, fertility but, above all, they were regarded as protectors of the sick, bearers of cures and good health. The octopus was associated with intelligence and virility; in certain cultures, the toad had a positive connotation associated with the Mother Goddess, and was synonymous with fertility, transformation, and rebirth; the dolphin, symbol of the saving power of water, represented the feminine – as did the shell – and friendship with man.The Florentine artist, Sirio Tofanari (1886-1969), was one of the finest sculptors of the early 20th century. His bronze and marble sculptures are displayed in the world’s most important galleries. His subjects are always animals, meticulously and imaginatively depicted in their most natural poses.

There’s an exedra around the pool formed by columns carved with festoons. From here there’s a spectacular view over the garden, famous for its variety of botanical species, dominated by the hill and the Stabilimento Regina. Formerly separated from the Tettuccio spa by the old Via Chella, which led from the spa area to Montecatini Alto, the Regina spa was later incorporated within the area of the main building.

The courtyard on the left of the atrium leads into the charming Writing Room, with delicate frescoes by Giuseppe Moroni and, beyond it, the Salone Portoghesi.

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1.2 Tettuccio Spa Building (Stabilimento Tettuccio)

Salone Portoghesi. This is the Tettuccio Spa Building’s most recent addition, created between 1987 and 1989 to a design by a Roman architect, Paolo Portoghesi. It’s a very beautiful and striking ambience, almost like a modern rendering of the Art-Nouveau style. Twelve wooden pillars form an unusual large elliptical hall, reminiscent of a stylised forest of tree-trunks and branches.

The sinuous and curving lines of the glued laminated timber spread upwards and

outwards, supporting a large polychrome glass roof.The geometric motifs in the floor and the glass are fascinating.

The hall is used for exhibitions and conferences but it makes a particularly good venue for concerts. It’s the annual venue of the Borsa del Turismo Sportivo (Sport Tourism Fair), which occupies the whole area of the Tettuccio Spa Building and is attended by thousands of tour operators from Italy and abroad.

With a magnificent interplay of vanishing points, symmetries and perspectives, the front of the atrium opens onto the main courtyard, with the little Temple of Music on the right and, just beyond it, the Coffee House, a splendid room in the Belle Époque style which still has all its early 20th-century charm. The wooden furnishings are all original, also the delicate allegorical frescoes by Giulio Bargellini and the magnificent paintings by Maria Biseo and Giuseppe Moroni, depicting the bucolic landscapes of Ancient Roman baths.

Temple of Music. Designed by Ugo Giovannozzi and decorated by his brother Ezio, the Temple of Music (or Temple of the Orchestra) occupies the place of honour in the centre of the building. The eye of the dome is the sun, surrounded by bands of angels flying over an earthly paradise, with trees laden with fruit and twelve playing fountains.

A frescoed balustrade, with alternating win-

dow-sills and balconies below it, rings the garden. Three groups of girls singing and three groups of boys playing instruments look out of them. The instruments are supposed to represent different types of music: rustic (oboe and flute), chamber (strings and piano), military (brass and tympani), and religious (organ and harp). Sound is depicted in the lower band (the cock, the siren, bells, the

r The Temple of Music, with Ionic columns and a majolica-tiled dome

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

wind…), to which Petrarch’s verses are dedicated, carved in gold on the outer cornice: «Il suon che di dolcezza i sensi lega» (The rapt sense, by such enchantment bound). The dome, resting on travertine

Ionic columns, is tiled with majolica produced by Galileo Chini’s ceramics workshop.

On the stage, fringed with a delightful railing with lyre motifs, an orchestra plays, filling the air with unforgettable harmonies.

On the other side of the Temple of Music, the Mixing Gallery occupies the whole length of the portico.

Mixing Gallery. The mixing counters are arranged along the length of the gallery.

r The splendid Mixing Gallery, a rare work of art

Made of inlaid polychrome marble, with reliefs of grotesque masks, each one is an individual work of art. At the original waterspouts, you can sample all the different spring waters currently used at Montecatini for hydropinic treatments. Behind the counters are seven large panels with ceramic mosaics, a fine work by an artist from Pescara, Basilio Cascella (1860-1950).The scenes depicted contain figures from Classical times, allegorical representations of the importance of water at every age, for men and women alike.The central panel depicts the Spring, with Beauty and Strength on either side; the panels at each end depict Childhood and Adolescence, and Maturity and Old Age. Above each panel is an ornamental frieze by Ezio Giovannozzi.

Beyond the courtyard, the portico leads into a broad mall. Before it, the triangular tympanum contains a large clock with a mother-of-pearl face on a gold mosaic background. It’s surrounded by a garland of flowers and has bronze figures by Guido Calori on either side: Venus, with the horn of plenty, and Mercury, symbolising commerce, but also male strength and beauty. At the end of the mall of shops you come out into the open again, at the Fountain of the water of the Cipollo spring, also by Calori. At each side, a monumental staircase leads to a viewing terrace, the site of the Mask Fountain, one of the Tettuccio’s oldest, in a niche overlooked by the water goddess, described in the poems of Giuseppe Giusti.

Next to the staircase, a more modern building leads into a large commercial area, with lounges and baths. Leaving the main building, enter the park and walk towards Viale delle Quattro Stagioni. At the bottom is a copy of Tacca’s famous Porcellino (Wild Boar) in the loggia of the Mercato Nuovo in Florence.

Continuing along the street, a bust of the architect Ugo Giovannozzi stands outside another of his creations, Stabilimento Regina. In front of it is the Fountain of the Heron and the Frog, created in 1925 by Raffaele Romanelli. The heron is depicted in the act of taking off, having been driven away by the frog. The sculpture represents and summarises the story of the town and the fountain has become one of its symbols: the two animals are depicted in the act of abandoning the marshes, which have now been drained, to make way for the new spa-town.

Stabilimento Regina (Regina Spa Building).

This splendid travertine building has a wide neo-Renaissance portico with rounded 24

arches, and is surrounded by green lawns, flowerbeds and beautiful old trees. The building, erected between 1923 and 1927

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1.2 Tettuccio Spa Building (Stabilimento Tettuccio)

on the site of the former Bagno Regio (Royal Bath) and Bagno dei Cavalli (Horse Bath) was named after the water from the Regina crater, known since very early times for its therapeutic properties. Large glass doors lead into the building, which is divided into three sections.The areas on either side were used for mixing the waters and for serving refreshment. The central hall is partly illuminated by the roof, divided into nine squares and decorated with stainedglass windows. In the central octagonal rose window is the crown of the Regina, surrounded by marine symbols. Behind the hall is a secluded garden protected by high

walls, almost hidden from view. In the centre is a lovely fountain with four sea lions.

Above them are four hemi-spherical bowls with penguins on the top. Although the venue is no longer used for thermal treatments, it makes a marvellous setting for international conferences, conventions, events of various kinds, concerts, gala lunches and official ceremonies. Further on, deep in the luxuriant vegetation of the park, the little Temple of Regina Water is reminiscent of the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum. The spring bubbles under a glass dome, protected by another dome resting on twelve columns.

On the side facing the road, another flight of steps leads down to the Fountain of Dripping Water, where the ‘Horse Bath’ used to stand. Horses were made to stand in a large tank to treat their diseases. The spa building’s majestic architecture and outstanding decoration make it a true masterpiece of Art Nouveau, with contributions from some of the finest artists of the time. In fact, we can say that, at Montecatini, health is an art! Every time you come here you discover new corners of interest, details you hadn’t noticed before: little jewels cleverly introduced into a harmonious whole, and augmenting the extreme sense of well being that pervades the place. Beds of flowers and glorious trees provide a pleasant setting wherever you go.The park is a botanical garden of rare and interesting plant species.

It’s the perfect place to attend a yoga course, and lessons in such a setting benefit from complete symbiosis with Nature.The Tettuccio Spa Building is the regular venue for the traditional Regina Summer Music Festival, just one of the many events which have found an ideal location in this splendid environment.

r The broad neo-Renaissance portico of Terme Regina, in the garden of Terme Tettuccio

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The east-west axis 1.3 The east side of Montecatini Terme begins at Mezzomiglio, where the Montecatini-Monsummano railway station is the chief architectural feature.

Montecatini-Monsummano railway station. Opened in 1937, the station was designed by the architect Angiolo Mazzoni, based on the aesthetic principles of Futurism but bearing the Tuscan tradition in mind.

The long façade of the main building is made of pink Monsummano travertine decorated with darker horizontal bands.

Above it is a projecting canopy, and, at one end, a pentagonal clock tower about 25 m high, a symbolic light-house to enable passengers to get their bearings.The tower juts

out into the square in front of the station, extending into a long island, almost completely occupied by a fountain descending in a series of steps. Various other buildings form part of the complex. Unfortunately, many of Mazzoni’s original furnishings have been lost. For many years, the station played only a marginal role in the town, due to the fact that it is quite a long way from the spa area.

Fortunately, due to the fact that the town has grown, it is has now become a key part of the transport system again.

Essentially, the centre of the town lies around the axis formed by Corso Matteotti and Corso Roma (east and west of Piazza del Popolo respectively), formerly part of the Via Regia Lucchese (Royal Road to Lucca).

Corso Matteotti and Corso Roma. It’s interesting to walk along these streets packed with shops.There are elegant bouti-

r Corso Roma, a popular place for shopping and strolling

ques selling designer labels, art galleries, perfume-shops, jewellers and cake-shops.

They attract large numbers of people, even more so at weekends and on summer evenings. The charming cafés with their tables out on the street, surrounded by boxes of flowers, transform the town-centre into a dynamic, worldly sitting room. In the nearby streets, in summer, hotels compete to offer their guests candle-lit dinners and dancing under the stars, fashion-shows, music and cabaret, historical pageants, and tastings of local dishes and products. Despite the fact that many of these elegant buildings have been modernised and restructured, they still have many of the original decoration dating from the early 20th century: human and grotesque faces, stuccoes, friezes and frescoes with floral motifs which, alone, deserve your attention.

In Piazza del Popolo you encounter the Locanda Maggiore, one of the town’s first hotels, built in 1787 by the Cassinese monks of Badia di Firenze, whom Grand Duke Peter Leopold had entrusted with developing the spa area. Beyond Piazza del Popolo, on the right, is the entrance of the Grand Hotel & La Pace.

Grand Hotel & La Pace. Although it has been rebuilt and extended at various times 26

in its history, the Grand Hotel & La Pace has always been the top luxury hotel in town.

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1.3 The east-west axis

Its rooms and suites have welcomed royalty and many other extremely illustrious figures.

Furnished with beautiful antiques, it’s one of Montecatini’s finest jewels of Art Nouveau.

You can see a small sample of it in the entrance, by Galileo Chini, made of wrought iron and coloured glass.The rooms inside al-

so live up to their reputation, especially the ceilings frescoed by Chini.

Recently the hotel has acquired a new and luxurious beauty centre.

But many of the hotels offer their guests special treatments in the warm atmosphere of their spa.

A bit further on, opposite the historic Caffè New York,Viale IV Novembre stretches away to the north.The whole of the first block on the right is the garden of the Grand Hotel & La Pace. Opposite is a series of shops and other venues. Further on, we come to the big hotels and elegant Art-Nouveau villas and, eventually, the road leads to the spa park with its pleasant shady footpaths. Next on Corso Roma is the Kursaal complex.

The Kursaal. Built in 1904, from the outset, rooms and facilities for private clubs. Unforthis building was the centre of worldly living tunately, its popularity was not matched by in Montecatini. It once had a beautiful theatre fortune. Much of it was demolished and and the ‘Cinema Giardino’, an open-air cine- replaced by a more functional building. It ma, where, in 1933, thanks to new equip- remained closed for many years and has only ment, films with sound were shown for the recently come back to life. Its historic façade first time in Italy. In 1957 both were demoli- has been restored and is now part of a new shed to make room for the new Cinema and elegant complex designed by Aldo Rossi, Teatro Kursaal. Five large glass doors led into after whom the large inner courtyard is a spacious marble atrium, the top of which named. But not a single trace remains of the was decorated with ceramic reliefs by Jorio glorious theatre.

Vivarelli, depicting scenes from I Pagliacci. The theatre, which was air-conditioned, had seating for 820 in the stalls, and 470 in the gallery, with boxes at each side. The numerous dressing rooms for the performers all had private bathrooms, and the stage was large enough to accommodate top-class productions. Around the theatre was a row of shops, which were popular with people taking their daily passeggiata. The Kursaal also had a casino, a famous dance hall, a nightclub, meeting-rooms, gaming- r The new Kursaal complex, designed by Aldo Rossi Beyond the Kursaal, other avenues lead off on the left: at the end of Viale Puccini you can catch a glimpse of the splendid Grand Hotel Vittoria; further on, in Viale Balducci, is the 18th-century villa known as ‘Il Colombaione’, and, beyond it, the neo-Gothic church of S. Antonio, by Bernardini. Finally, the imposing Circolo Didattico, a sombre but important example of the Art-Nouveau style, is the headquarters of the local education authority.

Our walk continues, slightly uphill now, to the junction with the avenues forming the ring road. Beyond it, Corso Roma becomes Via Lucchese and continues towards Pescia and 27

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

Lucca. About half-way along the Montecatini section of the main road to Lucca, a wroughtiron gate on the left leads into an avenue that marches off across a large park with many beautiful old trees, to the front of another important building: Villa Forini Lippi.

Villa Forini Lippi. The building has two floors, an attic and a vaulted basement and is now the public library. In the middle of the handsome façade, a double central staircase leads to the first floor, while the floor above has a small three-arched loggia. It’s thought that this was once the site of the Hospice of S. Quirico of Brusceto, site of the famous battle of Montecatini in 1315 between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. It used to provide shelter for pilgrims and travelling merchants. At that time it was situated near the port of Calderaio, one of the 30 or more mooring-points on the banks of the Padule di Fucecchio (the place-name appears to derive from ‘foce a cerchio’, meaning a circular estuary). In other words, it was probably the town’s first hotel.

In the 17th century, the land around the villa belonged to the Marsigli family and, later on, to the Bravieri. The estate comprised all the land between Via Marruota and the River Borra. In the early 19th century, this was divided into twelve parts, the largest being the Bravieri estate, which included the villa and was directly connected to the

r The entrance to Villa Forini Lippi, now the public library

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Via Regia Lucchese (Royal Road to Lucca).

In the mid-19th century, the land and the villa were bought by Cavaliere Emilio Forini, who offered the Town Council part of his land.They accepted and used it to build the railway line, the station of Montecatini Centro and Viale Don Minzoni (formerly Viale Forini), which linked the station to the town-centre. Little by little, the area gradually developed. In the countryside behind the villa, the land was used to build a football stadium, a bowling green and the Sesana Hippodrome (see p. 20).

In the last century, the villa was donated to a charity (the ‘Madonnina del Grappa Pious Work of Divine Providence’), run by a priest, Don Giulio Facibeni. He made it into an orphanage during WWII, and managed to save many Jews and other refugees. In 1979 Villa Forini Lippi was purchased by Montecatini Terme Town Council with a contribution from Regione Toscana and, since 1988, has been the public library. In the garden, to the right of the small chapel, you can see the ruins of the pronaos of the old church of the estate, built by Luigi de Cambray Digny.

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The old castle, Montecatini Alto 1.4 Montecatini Alto, the origin of Montecatini Terme, is its real old town-centre. Also referred to as 'il Castello', it lies with its mediaeval buildings on a low hill, known as the ‘crescent-shaped hill’ on account of its long, curved shape, like a new moon lying on its side. Because of its strategic position, the hill was transformed into an impregnable stronghold on a border contested by the powers of Lucca, Pisa and Florence. Defended by a ring of strong walls about 2 km long, with two forts and 25 towers, it lay at the centre of many of the disputes between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, until 1330, when it was forced to submit to the Republic of Florence after an eleven-month siege.The castle became a battlefield again in the war between France and Spain. It was conquered and almost completely destroyed in 1554 by Cosimo I de’ Medici, who ordered that its entire defensive system should be razed to the ground. Even the town archives were burnt in public, condemning the earliest history of this glorious place to fade into oblivion. The old town can be accessed by several roads: the usual route is the

r The mediaeval town of Montecatini Alto, set on the hill above the town in a strategic position

one that winds up from the Casina Rossa, north of the spa area, and climbs up the side of the hill for about 6 km. After a short distance, there’s a turn-off for the Maona Cave (see box p.

33), then at a place called Vico, the road forks again. One road goes to Marliana and the mountains, and the other descends towards Nievole, a small village famous for its strawberries and olive oil, situated on the river of the same name. From here it’s not far to the hill of Serravalle and the main road to Pistoia.To get to Montecatini Alto, either follow the main road to Porta di Borgo or continue to the car parks in Piazza Campioni, Largo Martinelli and Piazza Barbano e Giovanetti, site of the funicular railway station. In fact this is another fun way of getting up to the castle (see box p. 31). The funicular railway rises steeply up the main valley of the hill, taking you to the town-centre in no time.

The cobbled street leads straight to the square named after the poet Giuseppe Giusti, who lived here with his family for many years. If you prefer to walk, it’s a pleasant hike up through the olive-groves for about 3 km along the ‘La Corta’ trail, to the top funicular railway station. If you enjoy trekking, the CAI (Italian Alpine club) has restored many of the footpaths leading up to the old town: ‘Colloredo’, ‘Via Amore’, ‘Foresta’, to name but a few. If you go by car, the first point of access to the town is Porta di Borgo, the only one to survive of the seven gates which once led into the castle. Just beyond it, on the left, is the convent of the Visitazione and the church of S. Maria a Ripa, situated in the lowest corner of the fortifications.

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

r The intimate Piazza Giusti, the traditional setting of the ‘Sagra della Fett’unta’ festival

Convent of the Visitazione. Founded by a group of women from Montecatini, the convent started as an Augustinian convent and finally became a Benedictine convent.

Having remained closed for many years, it has recently opened its doors again. It has maintained its mystical atmosphere but now allows the public to visit it and, on request, hires out some of its facilities and

its lovely cloister for meetings, retreats and small-scale ceremonies. Its considerable library of sacred works contains more than 3,000 volumes. The Romanesque church (12th century) with its double nave contains a stone altar, some fine paintings, a beautiful organ and a Baroque choir. The chapel inside the convent contains a fresco by the workshop of Giotto.

From the convent, looking towards Montecatini, continue along the path through the forest; to the east, in the direction of Serravalle, lies the hill of Poggio alla Guardia, which rises up from the River Nievole and flattens out near Porta di Borgo. This was the most vulnerable side of the hill, where Florentine troops used to camp during a siege. Enemy troops used to march up the narrow road from Pieve a Nievole (now Via de’Tanelli) to launch their attacks.

The Dante bridge is named after the poet, who stopped here to hear the outcome of the terrible battle of Montecatini in 1315, when thousands of men lost their lives.

The furthest part of the Poggio is the site of an Augustinian monastery, founded in 1276 and suppressed in 1782. It’s now a retirement home, the Casa di Riposo S. Francesco. Nearby, the ruins of the Romanesque church of S. Margherita are open to the sky. It once housed a fresco of the Triumph of Christ, attributed to the workshop of Andrea Orcagna, which is now in the parish museum in S. Pietro Apostolo.

Now, where the fortifications once stood, at a height of almost 300 m, a long footpath winds around the hill like a noble terrace, with views of the whole Nievole Valley and the castles on the hilltops around it. The spa buildings of Montecatini peep out of the green swathe below, and you can clearly see the line of Viale Verdi, the main buildings, the churches, the hotels and the sports facilities. Because of the dense urban sprawl it’s now difficult to make out where Montecatini ends and the neighbouring towns begin. Beyond the town lies the wetland of Padule di Fucecchio and, on the far side of it, the River Arno, and the mountains of Pisa.

Further round, to the west, lie the hills of Montecarlo, Buggiano, Massa and Cozzile. To the east, you can see the hill of Monsummano Alto protruding in the middle of the broad valley, and the hills of Montalbano, very reminiscent of the landscapes drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci.

On the far side, beyond Poggio alla Guardia, Serravalle Castle with its towers stands up 30

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1.4 The old castle, Montecatini Alto

proudly, with the plain of Florence and Pistoia behind. To the north, towards the Apennines, you can pick out the towns of Casore, Marliana and Avaglio. All along this delightful perimeter walk, narrow cobbled streets lead up through the mediaeval town, to Piazza Giusti.

Piazza Giusti. The intimate atmosphere of the square is immediately obvious. It feels like a comfortable sitting room, with little artisans’ shops and bars and restaurants whose tables occupy most of the space. Why not sit down to a typically Tuscan meal or let yourself be tempted by the famous fett’unta, a toasted slice of Tuscan bread drizzled with really good, fresh olive oil, tasty salamis and hams accompanied by crostini (toasted bread with toppings of meat or chicken livers; see the recipe in the Wine and Food

Itinerary, p. 61), or the old-fashioned necci (crepes made with chestnut flour) served with ricotta cheese, or freshly-made icecream? There are several interesting buildings overlooking the square: on the left, the Ugolino Tower. In 1345, this was the birthplace of Ugolino di Giovanni Caccini, also known as Ugolino da Montecatini, the doctor who first studied the spring water of Montecatini and praised its therapeutic properties. On the right is the Tavarnelli Tower: inside is a tiny 15th-century chapel, now a war memorial.

The funicular railway To improve communications between Montecatini Alto and the spa area of Bagni di Montecatini, in 1896, an engineer from Genoa, Alessandro Ferretti, designed a funicular railway about 1,050 m long, which was built with private funding. The new funicular station was opened on 4th June 1898, in the presence of several celebrities, notably Giuseppe Verdi. Connected to the two stations by large cables activated by a powerful steam turbine, the two carriages set off simultaneously. One went up and the other came down, and they passed each other about half-way, covering a height of 202 metres in ten minutes. In 1921 electric engines were installed.The funicular was closed in 1944 due to damage resulting from WWII. In 1949, a Florentine businessman repaired the damage and, in no time, the funicular railway became popular again with the tourists who flocked to the spa-town.

Today, the two red carriages, ‘Gigio’ and ‘Gigia’, merrily ply up and down the hill, simplifying the task of going up and down, not only for the residents but also for the town’s numerous visitors.

This short but interesting journey has become a ‘must’, partly because it’s now the world’s oldest functioning funicular railway. The system is operated by reli-

able modern engines, but the carriages, despite having been restored, are still the originals, with lovely old wooden seats and furnishings. They have little platforms at each end so that a few lucky passengers can admire the view as they are swept up (or down) the sweetsmelling green hillside. The ‘La Corta’ trail follows the line of the funicular closely, and is dotted with the tiny chapels of the Stations of the Cross.

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1 Montecatini Terme, heart of the Nievole Valley

Originally it was dedicated to the Virgin, who appears in a fresco with St John the Evangelist and St John the Baptist. Near the far end of the square, next to the War Memorial, stands Palazzo di Giustizia or Palazzo del Podestà (seat of the governor in mediaeval times),

emblazoned with stone mediaeval family crests. The Teatro degli Accademici Risorti (Theatre of Resurrected Academics) was built in 1820 in the eclectic style. Below it, the Loggia del Parlascio was once used for meetings and as a market-place.

Walking up the steep little street of Via della Rocca, you come to the church of S. Pietro Apostolo. But before entering the church, do just have another look at the view. Just below the church is the house of Giuseppe Giusti.

Church of S. Pietro Apostolo. The church is mentioned as early as 716, and was formerly dedicated to St Michael. Rebuilt in the 12th century, when it became the parish church, it has a nave and two aisles. It was altered again following damage caused during the siege by Florentine troops in the 16th century, and remodelled in the 18th century in the Baroque style by Antonio Zannoni. Restoration done in the last century revealed the original Romanesque capitals englobed within the pillars.

Inside, there is a stone Crucifix from the late 14th century, a font dating from 1580 and an organ with features from the same period. Artworks here include a Nativity by Andrea del Sarto and some good works

by Jacopo Ligozzi and Santi di Tito. The

Museum of Sacred Art and Furnishings houses the fresco of the Triumph of Christ, attributed to the workshop of Orcagna: 7 metres wide, the painting has been returned to its former splendour thanks to recent restoration.

Two paintings depict Scenes from the Life and Martyrdom of St Barbara, patron saint of the town of Montecatini, who is celebrated on 4th December. There is also a precious reliquary containing the top of her skull.

Beyond the church, whose bell-tower is a converted lookout tower, at the top of a few steps, the four armed forces placed under the saint’s protection (the fire brigade, the artillery, military engineers and the Navy) have erected an unusual monument.

Beyond it is the entrance to the castle.

There is only one castle entrance. It consists of a huge parade ground, completely surrounded by high walls, with a keep, and is rendered more charming by the row of tall cypresses standing outside the walls. Leaving the castle, you can proceed along the path and rejoin Via delle Mura lower down, or go back to Piazza Giusti and head for the opposite spur of the hill, known as ‘il Carmine’. There was once another fort here, called Castel Nuovo or Castel Lemmi, subsequently destroyed and replaced by a Carmelite monastery. Founded in 1296, it comprises the church of Ss. Jacopo e Filippo. As well as some fine 17th-century paintings, it contains ten life-size terracotta statues representing saints of the Carmelite order. Overlooking the valley to the south of the town is the oratory of S. Sebav The church of S. Pietro Apostolo, dating from the 12th century and first mentioned in 716

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1.4 The old castle, Montecatini Alto

Maona Cave Situated between the valley and Montecatini Alto, in the old days, Maona Hill was inhabited by the Lambardi counts of Maona, who are mentioned in the earliest documents from this area.

According to the very few surviving documents, there was once a castle here and a church dedicated to St Stephen. It’s thought that there may also have been a monastery which has since been destroyed. Maona Hill was exploited for centuries as a quarry: its grey stone can be seen in the walls of the basilica of S. Maria Assunta.

The natural cave was discovered in 1860 as the result of a landslide caused by an explosion. There were already rumours about another cave, known as the ‘Buca delle Fate’ (Fairy Hole), which led to some very long, deep tunnels

traversed by watercourses. Today, part of Maona Cave is open to the public. It’s the only cave in Italy to have a shaft at the entrance at one end and another shaft for the exit at the other.

The path winds along several levels for a distance of almost 300 metres, giving you the chance to admire the strange formations created by the slow dripping of water: stalagmites, stalactites, and underground lakes forming amazing shapes and landscapes. Prehistoric remains found in the cave prove that it was used in very ancient times. The temperature in the cave is a constant 15°C. Outside the cave is a dancing venue, which is popular in the cool summer evenings. s Stalactites in Maona Cave

stiano. It has a single chamber, and a small porch resting on stone columns. Walking along the section of walls dedicated to Pietro Grocco, you come to the villa where he lived. It was built on the advice of Giuseppe Verdi, who, when he saw this valley, exclaimed, «This is one of the most splendid views I’ve ever seen!» As you descend towards the town-centre again you pass remains of other towers. The most interesting is the De’ Lemmi Tower, which has an interesting 19th-century clock at the top with only six hours on the face, called a ‘Roman-style’ clock. There are also several private buildings in the Art-Nouveau-style, almost all of which have been restored. Every year, in spring, the castle is the scene of traditional events such as the ‘Sagra della Fett’unta’ (celebrating the classic Tuscan dish of toasted bread and olive oil) and pageants, with an archery competition for the ‘Palio dei Quartieri’ (a competition between the town’s districts) and the ‘Disfida dei Castelli della Grande Valdinievole’ (a competition between the castles in the Nievole Valley).

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Tourist itineraries 2 in the Nievole Valley The Nievole Valley lies in the north-west of the Province of Pistoia, covering an area of about 380 km² and the River Nievole is the main water course. The toponym ‘Valdinievole’ comes from ‘Vallis Nebulae’ or ‘Valley of Clouds’, because that is what the plain must have looked like when it was almost completely covered by the water of the marsh called the Padule di Fucecchio. They began to drain the marsh in the 18th century. The area has a long history, as we know from the many archaeological finds dating from Neolithic, Etruscan and Roman settlements, and the mediaeval castles and towns (borghi) on the hills overlooking the valley.

Morphologically, the Nievole Valley can be subdivided into several areas: the Montalbano hills, the upper Nievole Valley and Valleriana which embrace the lower Nievole Valley, and the Padule di Fucecchio marshland, stretching southwards.The area has an excellent road system.

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Borghi, villas and castles 2.1 Car itinerary of about 70 km, starting on SS (state highway) 436, then continuing on minor roads around the Padule di Fucecchio wetland, returning to Montecatini via Ponte Buggianese on the SP (provincial highway) 26 (map on p. 34).

This itinerary explores the western part of the valley, first moving up into the hills to look at some of the most interesting towns, following minor roads that meander past vineyards and olive-groves. This is ideal terrain for mountain bikes, and there are many walking trails linking the roads. The various little towns higher up and on the plain of Buggiano are good examples of the typical settlements in the valley. People have drifted away from the hills and the castles, and most of the commercial enterprises and administrative offices have moved

r Montecarlo Castle

down into towns in the plain, often on main roads. The itinerary ends in the Province of Lucca, visiting Montecarlo and Altopascio, which have historical links with the Nievole Valley. Driving west from Montecatini on the SS 435 road, you soon reach a junction where you turn right onto the SP 29 to Buggiano. After about 8 km you come to Massa and then (3 km) Cozzile. Go back to Massa and down to Colle di Buggiano (1 km), then to Buggiano Castello (2 km) and Buggiano Borgo (1.6 km) to Villa Bellavista (1,5 km).

Drive south to Chiesina Uzzanese (4 km).

From here, the SP 33 road leads to Montecarlo (5.4 km) and then Altopascio (5.4 km).

You can easily return to Montecatini on the A11 Firenze-Mare motorway (15.2 km).

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2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

r View of the mediaeval borgo of Massa e Cozzile

zile.This is dominated by Palazzo de Gubernatis, a 19th-century remodelling of the mediaeval castle. If you enter by Porta di Levante, it doesn’t take long to walk up though the town to the church of S. Jacopo, rebuilt in the 16th century, after which you can leave by Porta Nuova. From there you will have amazing and extensive views over the Nievole Valley. Leaving Cozzile by Via Croci, you arrive to the sanctuary church of the Beata Vergine del Carmelo, near the ruins of Verruca Castle, destroyed in the 13th century by the inhabitants of Massa and subsequently abandoned.

Massa and Cozzile The villages of this scattered municipality stretch from the foothills of the Apennines to the edge of the Padule di Fucecchio. Formerly they were separate, first documented in Roman times and then from the 11th century onwards. For centuries they remained under the control of Lucca and were involved in Lucca’s struggles with Pisa and Florence. In 1339, they came under Florentine rule, but remained independent. This state of affairs lasted from the late 18th century until the early 19th century, when they were temporarily annexed to Buggiano.

Massa, the main town, began as a rural settlement in the 3rd-4th century AD. Today it still looks like a mediaeval fortified town. Of the three gates which once graced its walls, you can still see Porta Fontana, to the west, and the 14th-century Porta ai Campi, which faces south and leads into Piazza Cavour.

Here, the Romanesque parish church of S. Maria Assunta, with its 16th-century facade, has a fine 11th-century bell-tower, also altered in the 16th century. The Renaissance interior has a fine wooden Crucifix dating from the 15th century. The mediaeval Via Roma leads from the square to Piazza Matteotti, which has been the centre of the tiny citadel since it was founded. On the north side of the square stands the 13th-century Loggia del Podestà, seat of the governor, emblazoned with the coats-of-arms of noble families. If you continue to walk uphill, you finally reach the ruins of the old mediaeval castle, hidden among the olive trees.

A mediaeval road leads from Massa to Coz36

Buggiano From Cozzile, head south into the territory of Buggiano, which also comprises many interesting little hill towns and has expanded in modern times, especially down in the plain around Borgo a Buggiano. Since 1775, this has been the town’s main seat of government.Throughout the Middle Ages, its elevated position above the road between Lucca and Florence helped the town to prosper, and it became autonomous in the 11th century. In more recent times, the local economy prospered thanks to farming and commercial activities (cattle-farming and silk-worms), and then manufacturing. If you are following the itinerary, the tour begins at Colle di Buggiano, a squat little fortified castle dating from 1238. The white façade of the church of S. Lorenzo overlooks the main square. Built on the site of a hospice run by the Knights of the Order of Malta, its Romanesque bell-tower has survived intact. The interior dates from the 16th century and contains some fine wooden furnishings (the gallery and the choir-stalls in the choir) and a 15th-century wooden Crucifix, a copy of the more famous one at Borgo a Buggiano.Moving on towards the plain, you come to Buggiano Castello, formerly the main town of the municipality, in a fine position overlooking the valley, surrounded by extensive olive groves. The borgo, whose layout has changed little since the Middle Ages, is also famous for its gardens planted with citrus trees. These are hidden away behind the old red-plastered buildings and are opened to the public every two

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2.1 Borghi, villas and castles

years in April and May. On the main square, Palazzo del Podestà dates from the 13th century and is decorated with coats-of-arms of noble families from the 15th and 16th centuries. The nearby Romanesque church of Madonna della Salute e di S. Niccolao, founded in 1038, has a large bell-tower with one-light and two-light windows. Inside the church, the nave and aisles are separated by rows of columns whose capitals are carved with animal motifs, dating from the 13th century. It has a 14th-century Crucifix and a font dating from the 12th-13th century, as well as various artworks from the Renaissance period. At the top of the town you can see the ruins of the castle and some of the fortifications. Drive out of the town and continue down the hill. On the far side of the railway is the town of Borgo a Buggiano. The main street, Corso Indipendenza, runs through the old town centre. The main square was formerly the market place. Opposite is the church of SS. Crocifisso, which was enlarged in the 14th century and rebuilt in 1773. A plaque on the wall commemorates the fact that the towns of the Nievole Valley gained control of the locks of the Padule di Fucecchio, after decades of disputes with the towns of the Arno Valley. Inside, note the lovely wooden 14th-century Crucifix, much revered by the people of Buggiano. North of Buggiano, we suggest two possible detours.

One is to Stignano, another example of a mediaeval borgo, and birthplace of Coluccio Salutati, the Tuscan humanist and man of letters who lived in the 14th century. Here the church of S. Andrea (10th century), has a Romanesque bell-tower and traces of 14thcentury frescoes. The other is to the River Cessana, where you can see old water mills and other evidence of facilities for collecting and channelling the water. The hydraulic system is explained on various information boards nearby. If you leave the town and head for Chiesina Uzzanese, you pass the village of Selva. Here, the church of S. Maria in Selva, built in the Gothic style and altered in the 17th century, has fragments of the original frescoes and a cycle depicting the Ascension of the Virgin Mary by Niccolò Nannetti (18th century). Just beyond the church is

Villa Bellavista, a classic example of a Baroque mansion, built by the rich Feroni family in the late 17th century to a design by Antonio Maria Ferri, who at the time was architect to the Grand Duchy, and frescoed by Dandini.

A grand avenue leads up to the front of the palace, which has a turret at each corner. In the garden is the family chapel, built on a central plan. The farm buildings are now in the hands of the local fire brigade, who have created a small museum about the corps.

Chiesina Uzzanese On the far side of the Firenze-Mare motorway, you enter the territory of Chiesina Uzzanese. Built in the Middle Ages as a hospice for pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena, the town developed in the second half of the 18th century when the Padule marsh was drained.Today the town is famous for its flower and plant nurseries.The ‘chiesina’ (the original name for the pilgrims’ hospice, meaning ‘little church’) was rebuilt in the 19th century, incorporating parts of the original building in the doorway, and dedicated to S. Maria della Neve. A plaque on a building in the same square points out that this is the birthplace of opera singer Giovan Francesco Grossi (1655-97), one of the most famous singers of the time.

rView of Colle di Buggiano, a borgo fortified in the 13th century

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2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

Montecarlo Having crossed the motorway again, follow the SP 33 road, past well-tended vineyards on either side, and gradually climb onto the ridge which marks the border between the Nievole Valley and the plain of Lucca, to the town of Montecarlo. Now it’s a famous winetown. In fact it’s one of the stops on the Province of Lucca’s ‘Strada del Vino e dell’Olio’ (Wine and Oil Route), which winds along towards the Versilia area.The town originated with Cerruglio Castle, founded in 1330 by Charles IV of Bohemia. This man liberated Lucca from Pisan occupation and it thus became part of the territory ruled by the De’ Medici in the 15th century.The town has a pleasing layout, and you can still see the remains of some of the fortifications and two of the three original 14th-century gates. The castle, now privately owned, stands at the top of the hill.The present building is the result of several enlargements which continued until Grand Duke Peter Leopold brought peace to the area in 1775. On the modern street of Via Roma, the town’s original main street, stands the Collegiate church of S. Andrea, built in the 18th century but with a Gothic façade and doorway. Inside is the much-revered fresco of the Madonna del Soccorso, in the chapel of the same name, a work by a painter of the Lucca school in the 15th century.

Opposite the church is the 17th-century convent of the Poor Clares (now the public library and town archives) with the little

r From Montecarlo, looking down over the Nievole Valley

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church of S.Anna.The former cloister has been made into a public garden. The Teatro Comunale dei Rassicurati in Via Carmignani was built in the early 18th century and is still a functioning theatre. Driving out of the town towards Pescia, after 4 km, you come to the parish church of S. Pietro in Campo, mentioned in a document of 846. The church was falling into ruin by the 14th or 15th century but has since been restored. The present structure, which dates from the 12th century, is one of the finest examples of a small Romanesque church in the Nievole Valley.

Altopascio By dropping down on the far side of the hill of Montecarlo, you come to Altopascio. The town, famous these days for its bread, began as an important Hospice run by the Hospitallers of St James (or Knights of Altopascio), mentioned in 1084 as being on the Via Francigena. Pieces of the old walls and the gates are incorporated in the houses of the town, around Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Ricasoli, and in the perimeter wall of the old hospice.

You can still see the cloisters and some of the rooms still used for pilgrim accommodation, and the 16th-century Porta Vettori, with the Voltola Tower. Some of the space in the Piaggione (the silo of the hospice) now houses a museum (Centro di Documentazione sulla Vita Materiale dell’Antica Comunità). The church of Ss. Jacopo, Cristoforo ed Eligio dates from the mediaeval period but only parts of the original structure are still visible (parts of the façade and the apse).The merloned bell-tower, which dates from the second half of the 13th century, has a bell known as ‘la smarrita’ (the lost sheep; 1327), because they used to ring it to help pilgrims find their way when they were lost in the woods or in the fog on the marsh. To the west, in Badia Pozzeveri is the abbey of S. Pietro, dating from the early 11th century. East of here lies the Riserva Naturale del Lago di Sibolla, created in 1966 to protect the lake (now about 12,000 m² but once much larger). The nature reserve is an important wetland, with many water channels and ditches, and areas of woodland containing wetland plant species.

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Exploring the wetlands 2.2 Car itinerary of about 70 km, starting on SS (state highway) 436, then continuing on minor roads around the Padule di Fucecchio wetland, returning to Montecatini via Ponte Buggianese on the SP (provincial highway) 26 (map on p. 34).

The central part of this itinerary explores the extraordinary wetland of Padule di Fucecchio, a marshy area that has always conditioned the life of the people who live in the valley with its resources and its caprices.The governments that succeeded each other over centuries spent a great deal of effort trying to manage the area effectively and control the water and the wetlands, draining, registering and privatising the land.You can visit many parts of the area, either on your own or by joining some of the activities organised by the Visitors’ Centre in Castelmartini. A good place to start if you want to know more about the Padule is the museum at Monsummano Terme, where our itinerary starts. This town, which is full of tourist attractions and cultural interest, is well worth exploring. It’s also one of the most important towns in the valley with a flourishing economy.

Head east from Montecatini on the SR 435 road, then take the SS 436 (road to Empoli).

Soon you come to Pieve a Nievole (3.3 km).

Continue along the same road to Monsummano Terme (1.4 km). Find Via Cavour and head north out of the town. The road leads uphill to Monsummano Alto (4.1 km). From Monsummano keep to the same road, passing Grotta Giusti and continue towards Montevettolini (9 km from Monsummano Alto). Pass the Montecatini Golf Club and continue to Larciano (7.9 km). Drop down rThe Padule del Fucecchio, a marshland of interest to the plain again to Castelmartini, where to naturalists you can enter the Padule di Fucecchio (5.4 km). Continue south to Fucecchio and Ponte a Cappiano, at the southern tip of the Padule (8.5 km). Climb uphill again, passing Massarella (6.1 km) to Ponte Buggianese (10.9 km), also situated on the edge of the wetland. From here, drive back to Montecatini on the SP 26 road (6.5 km).

Pieve a Nievole The town, which didn’t become autonomous until 1905, is situated between the larger towns of Monsummano and Montecatini, on the main roads crossing the plain of the Padule marsh. The town sprang up around the parish church of Neure, recorded as being one of the earliest Christian settlements in the valley. The old town centre lies between Piazza XX Settembre, the social and commercial hub of the town since the earliest times, and Piazza della Chiesa, where the oldest buildings are located. The church of Ss. Pietro e Marco is a 19th-century remake of the mediaeval building, of which very little has survived. The interior compri-

ses a nave and two aisles separated by Ionic columns, an interesting organ dating from the 19th century and a few artworks. The 17thcentury altarpiece of the Immaculate Conception with St Anthony of Padua and St Francis is attributed to Panfilo Nuvoloni. The belltower here is the highest in the Nievole Valley. South of the town, near the Padule marsh, lies the Terzo Farm complex, the last of the large farms in the Grand Duchy to be built by the De’ Medici family. It was built when the Grand Dukes sold two-thirds of the estates of Montevettolini Farm to the Bartolommei, and there was a need to create a place to administer the remaining land (the remaining third, ‘terzo’ in Italian).

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2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

Monsummano Terme and Monsummano Alto Founded in the early Middle Ages, the town first developed around the two castles of Monsummano Alto and Montevettolini.They were first recorded in about the year 1000 and remained important for several centuries, while disputes raged between the republics of Florence and Lucca. In the 16th and 17th centuries, when the sanctuary church of Madonna di Fontenuova was built, the most important facilities and the inhabitants of the town moved downhill, and a new, dynamic little town grew up around the main square. Monsummano Alto was especially affected by this mass exodus, whereas Montevettolini continued to thrive thanks to the construction of a large villa for the De’ Medici family. The two towns were subsequently merged and became the ‘Comunità delle due Terre’ (Community of the Two Lands) under a decree issued by Grand Duke Peter Leopold in 1775. In the middle of the 19th century, they discovered the thermal caves, which are still one of the town’s major tourist attractions. In the early 20th century, Monsummano began to develop as a manufacturing town, specialising in the footwear sector. The town of Monsummano Terme developed in modern times around the sanctuary church of Madonna di Fontenuova, begun in 1602 to commemorate a miraculous vision of the Virgin Mary in 1573. The church was built by the architect to the Grand Duchy, Gherardo Mechini, who gave it a Latin-cross plan. The lunettes of the portico on one side of the great square contain a cycle of frescoes by the Florentine painter Giovanni di San Gio-

r Monsummano Alto, a splendid viewpoint

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vanni (1630-33) based on the Miracles of the Madonna of Fontenuova.The interior is decorated in the Baroque style, with works by Matteo Rosselli and Gregorio Pagani. At the high altar, the tabernacle contains an image of the Virgin. Next to the church is a small museum with a large number of votive offerings, a Crucifix, possibly by Il Giambologna, and a splendid crown inlaid with precious stones, a gift To the sanctuary from Grand Duke Cosimo II. In the crypt, you can still see the original spring, the water of which is believed to have miracle-working properties.

Opposite the church is the building known as the Osteria dei Pellegrini (Pilgrims’ Hospice), built by Grand Duke Ferdinand I, now the Museo della Città e del Territorio. Opened in 1988, this has become one of the leading research centres focusing on the area.

The little town has many cultural institutions worthy of note. The Teatro Comunale, named after the famous actor Yves Montand (who was born in Monsummano under the name Ivo Livi) opened in the late 19th century. The birthplace of Giuseppe Giusti, the famous 19th-century poet, is now a museum, while Villa Renatico, which once belonged to Ferdinando Martini, is now the Museo di Arte Contemporanea e del Novecento.

Heading east from the town, drive along the side of the hill of Monsummano to the spa complex which has developed around Grotta Giusti. Inside this lovely old park there is a large open-air swimming pool with water at a temperature of 35 °C. The buildings here offer treatments based on the water gushing from the spring in a cavity in the rock.

Another underground spring feeds the neoClassical spa complex of Grotta Parlanti that has grown up north of the town. A pretty winding road leads to the ruins of Monsummano Alto, at the top of a hill, and extraordinary views. Almost all of the elliptical set of defensive walls has survived, along with the gates and a pentagonal tower. Inside the walls, you can make out the outlines of the buildings which used to stand here as you walk up the dirt road leading to the little church of S. Nicolao, with its simple Romanesque plan. It contains the remains of some frescoes and a wooden 15th-century Crucifix.

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2.2 Exploring the wetlands

The Museums of the Nievole Valley For some years now, the Provincial Authority of Pistoia has been working hard to create a network of the main museums of the Nievole Valley.The aim of the project is to give visitors to the area a unique tool that will enable them to cover the territory in a more informed way, and to optimise the efforts of individual museums in terms of promotion and cooperation. The ‘museum system’ is a wide-ranging project.

It is not merely a simple list of museums but involves an on-going effort to renew the offering. Fifteen museums belong to the network: in Pescia, the Gipsoteca Libero Andreotti and the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali ed Archeologia, also the Parco Monumentale di Pinocchio and the Storico Giardino Garzoni in Collodi and the Museo

Montevettolini Heading south out of the town, you soon come to a fork where a road winds up the hill to Montevettolini. The town started as a castle in the 12th century. The De’ Medici used it during their hunting parties and it became very popular at the end of the 16th century when Ferdinando I De’ Medici built his imposing villa, now owned by the Borghese family. The design by Gherardo Mechini and Domenico Marcacci incorporated the remains of a mediaeval fort and can be clearly seen as you enter this authentic mediaeval little town. On one side of the main square is the church of Ss. Michele e Lorenzo, built in the 13th century and subsequently enlarged. Artworks here include a Madonna in Glory with Saints, by Santi di Tito, and a wooden 15th-century Crucifix. Every three

della Carta in Pietrabuona; in Monsummano, the Museo della Città e del Territorio and the Museo di Arte Contemporanea e del Novecento; in Montecatini, Palazzo del Municipio; at Larciano, the Museo Civico and Castello di Larciano; at Casore del Monte (Marliana), the Museo della Cultura Contadina; at Massa, the Museo San Michele; at Castelmartini, the Centro Visite Padule di Fucecchio; at Lamporecchio, Villa Rospigliosi; at Serravalle Pistoiese, the Museo all’Aperto della Città. The museums have been divided into seven thematic routes, focusing on religion and worship, buildings and monumental gardens, technical civilisation, 20th-century and contemporary art, archaeology, the area and the people who live in the valley. years, for more than half a century, the Crucifix has been paraded through the streets of the town by locals dressed in period costume, an event known as the ‘Processione del Gesù Morto’ (Procession of the Dead Jesus). Outside the town, the oratory of S. Maria della Neve has a very fine fresco of the Virgin, attributed to the workshop of Gentile da Fabriano.

w Montevettolini: the parish church of Ss. Michele e Lorenzo and, behind it, the De’ Medici villa

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2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

Towards Larciano Retracing your steps from Montevettolini, continue along the side of hill, past the Montecatini Golf Club and then Larciano, a municipality that comprises a number of borghi higher up and lower down the hill, and near the Padule marsh. First you come to the little town of Cecina, which began in the Middle Ages as a castle built to defend the southern frontier of the land belonging to Pistoia. It’s still surrounded by the original set of defensive walls. The focal point of this pretty little town is the Romanesque church of S. Niccolò, although the only original feature now visible is the apse. Inside, the church has a single nave and a rare wooden 14th-century Crucifix, much revered by the locals for its miracleworking properties, and a late 15th-century fresco by Donnino Donnini. The historic centre of the municipality is the borgo of Larciano Castello, which was mentioned even in Roman times. It later became a feud of the Counts of Guidi before being annexed by Pistoia. The town’s position on the crossroads of the pilgrim route of the Via Francigena and the road that winds up from here into the Montalbano area proved to be of strategic advantage to the castle. You can

visit it and climb up to the top of its mighty square tower. Not only does it house the Museo civico but there are superb views of the Nievole Valley from the top. From the castle we drop down to the plain, passing the village of San Rocco, now the seat of the municipality, to Castelmartini, one of the best places to access the Padule wetland.

This town is famous for the tragic events that took place here on 23rd August 1944, when the Nazi-Fascists murdered 175 people, mainly women, elderly people and children. They were taken out of their homes and killed on what is now remembered as one of the darkest days of WWII. In 1996, Andrea Dami created a Memorial Garden in the town’s old cemetery, a moving monumental installation to commemorate this tragic event. On the opposite side of the road is the Padule Visitors’ Centre, which has an interesting collection of documents and photographs about the wetland. From here you can walk to the Porto delle Morette, across Chiusi Wood. From the harbour, if you walk along the bank of the Terzo for a short distance, you come to the Casotto Verde, a pale-green house that has been made into a vantage point for bird-watching.

Montecatini Golf Club La Pievaccia Only a few kilometres from Montecatini Terme, the golf course is situated in the area of La Pievaccia, in the heart of the beautiful Tuscan countryside, in the municipality of Monsummano Terme. The 18hole, par-72 course is 5,857 m long. Built on the estate of an old Tuscan family (Etruscan and Roman finds were discovered on the site of the club house), this is a place of outstanding beauty, both in terms of its

varied and luxuriant vegetation and because of its sites of historical and cultural interest.The course, which follows the natural contours of the hills, has several holes which are very demanding from the technical point of view and the setting: the first nine holes are planted with olive trees which mark the gentle dog-legs of the fairways and the edges of the course, whereas the second series has been made to look like the Mediterranean maquis, with the vibrant colours and heady perfumes of heather, broom and bay.Two lakes situated at strategic points make the game even more challenging. Many of the hotels offer golfing customers a special deal for the Montecatini Golf Club. v La Pievaccia Golf Club, in the Montalbano countryside

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2.2 Exploring the wetlands

The Padule di Fucecchio The Padule di Fucecchio lies in parts of the provinces of Firenze, Pistoia and Lucca.

It lies in the south of the Nievole Valley, and includes all the watercourses, although its only outlet is the Usciana Canal, which eventually flows into the River Arno.

Since Antiquity, the Padule marsh has been a fundamental element of the landscape and life in the plain. In the past, its mooring-points meant that it was an important communication route connecting the whole of the hydrographic basin of the Arno with the Tyrrhenian Sea and the mountains of the Apennines of Tuscany and Emilia.This vast wetland included the large Lake Bientina, into which the River Serchio flowed before its course was diverted in order to drain land for farming. A true wildlife habitat, today the Padule di Fucecchio is a vast wetland of rare beauty, rich in interesting species of flora and fauna. Look out for the royal fern, a vast selection of water lilies, frogbit, bladderwort (a small carnivorous plant); with regard to birds, herons and egrets nest in the heronry, including the squacco heron, and visitors such as cranes and black storks. Recently, much to the delight of visitors of all ages, the white stork has begun nesting here again. Overall, the wetland is used by more than 150 species of birds, many of which pause here to feed on migration as they move inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Thousands of waders winter here. It’s a real paradise for naturelovers and birdwatchers. The wetland is home to the harvest mouse, regarded as Europe’s tiniest rodent. About 230 hectares of the Padule is protected by nature reserves created in recent years by the Provincial Authorities of Pistoia (206 hectares) and Firenze (25 hectares). The importance of this area is increased because of its proximity to other areas of environmental importance: the Montalbano area, the Cerbaie hills and Lake Sibolla, which is connected to the Padule by the Sibolla Ditch. The facilities of the Riserva Naturale del Padule di Fucecchio include

a typical marshland house which has been converted into a vantage point for birdwatching. For centuries, the Padule has established the pace and the activities of the people who live here. Today we can still see some of the buildings which were used for drying and maturing tobacco.

Some of the local craft activities depend on marshland plants, such as the acacia, or sarello and the lesser bulrush, which are used to make chairs or to coverings for the famous Tuscan wine-flasks (fiaschi).The historical links of the Padule di Fucecchio are also fascinating. Hannibal’s armies are supposed to have passed by here, this section of the Via Francigena has been trodden by countless pilgrims through the ages, it features on very early maps, its landscape was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, the De’ Medici and Lorraine families tried to regulate its waters and, in 1944, it was also the scene of the murders perpetrated by the Nazis. The Padule di Fucecchio Nature Reserve is managed by the Centro di Ricerca, Documentazione e Promozione del Padule, which organises wildlife courses, meetings, workshops and guided tours. The Consorzio del Padule di Fucecchio, which was created to maintain and safeguard the whole of the water basin that flows into the reserve from an environmental point of view, has also undertaken works which have transformed the water landscape of the Nievole Valley, upgrading the banks and the footpaths so that they can be enjoyed not only by walkers but by mountain-bikers.

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2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

Around Padule di Fucecchio

Ponte Buggianese

By making a long diversion, if you are exploring by car (or by mountain bike, given the gentle slopes involved), you can drive all the way around the Padule wetland area, stopping now and again at the most interesting places relating to the history of the area. If you proceed down from Castelmartini towards Fucecchio you then come to Ponte a Cappiano, the nerve centre of the Padule’s hydraulic system, on the edge of the Arno Valley. The De’ Medici and Lorraine families carried out numerous public works on the locks which regulate the flow of water of the Usciana Canal, either filling up the basin in order to farm fish, or emptying it in order to create land for farming. The 16th-century bridge, which is now a youth hostel, is the successor to the previous bridge, documented in the 8th century as being situated on the Via Francigena. From Ponte a Cappiano continue towards Massarella, where the old tradition of weaving baskets from the local reeds is still alive. From here, descend towards the Porto di Salanova, a mooring point for the traditional local boats. If you continue along minor roads you come to the Piaggione tobacco-drying facilities, which show how important tobacco farming was here in the early 20th century. If you continue round the marsh, you come to the Porto del Capannone, one of the main harbours of the Padule marshland. From here, having passed Anchione, you eventually reach Ponte Buggianese.

This town built on the River Pescia di Pescia is the last stop on the itinerary. You have now reached the northern tip of the Padule marshland.The town was built fairly recently, after the area had been drained several times. Originally a joint municipality with the town of Buggiano, the town benefitted from the land management of the Dukes of Lorraine and became autonomous in 1883.The town’s main monument is the church of S. Michele Arcangelo, situated on the town’s pretty main square. Built in the 17th century, it was altered in the 19th century and has a broad porch spanning the façade. Inside is an important fresco cycle by Pietro Annigoni, painted between 1967 and 1988; this work, which is one of Annigoni’s finest, covers 350 m² of the walls. It depicts the Passion of Christ but there are also some interesting scenes from the Apocalypse and other subjects, which were painted later by pupils of the artist from Milan, who executed the frescoes free of charge. In the sacristy is a small museum with sacred artworks, furnishings and vestments dating from the 17th-19th centuries. If you walk from the church along the pleasant, busy street of Via Matteotti you come to Piazza Banditori. In this square, in 1993, the sculptor from Pistoia, Jorio Vivarelli inaugurated the Memorial to the Victims of All Wars, a remarkable and complex bronze sculpture depicting the victory of life over death.

r Ponte Buggianese, situated on the River Pescia di Pescia

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The Upper Nievole Valley 2.3 Car itinerary of about 61 km keeping mostly to the provincial highway with a few brief detours to visit places of interest, returning to Montecatini on the SS (state highway) 435 (see map on p. 34).

The area to the north of Montecatini becomes mountainous quite quickly and is deeply marked by the Nievole and Ombrone rivers and their tributaries.This is a wild, mountainous area where small towns developed partly as a result of the strategic control of the border between Tuscany and Emilia. The itinerary sets out to discover its surprising landscape and low-key treasures, sometimes hidden deep in the woods, like the parish church of Furfalo.

These small local communities rely on a traditional mountain economy (chestnuts and charcoal production) and have recently benefitted from a considerable rise in tourism.

Leaving Montecatini on the SP 633 head for Vico (3.9 km), which is still within the territory of Montecatini. From here, go north for another 6.5 km to Marliana, the main town of a scattered municipality. After 5.7 km you come to Goraiolo and then Panicagliora (2.4 km). From Panicagliora, make a brief detour of 1.5 km to visit Avaglio; another detour on the left takes you to Serra Pistoiese (2.3 km).The SP 633 road continues through Femminamorta towards Casore del Monte (7.3 km).Then head south, passing through Nievole (6.1 km) on the way to Serravalle Pistoiese (5 km). Finally you can return to Montecatini (8.2 km) on the SS 435.

Marliana The fortified part of this mediaeval town, situated on a ridge with wonderful views, is documented from 1137 onwards. This area was first settled by tribes of the Liguri and then by the Romans. Occupied first by the Luccan troops of Castruccio Castracani, the town was then taken by Pistoia and later by Florence. The defensive walls, which once surrounded the town, have almost disappeared, but its original mediaeval layout has survived. Steep, winding streets surround the church of S. Niccolò, built in the 12th century and partly destroyed when the town was conquered by Castracani. Despite having being altered several times, the interior still has the original nave and two aisles, columns with Romanesque capitals and several works of art. Some of them are kept in the adjacent Museo diocesano, including a polychrome terracotta Madonna and Child by the workshop of Benedetto Buglioni. If you drive further up onto the ridge of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, after Goraiolo, you come to the village of Panicagliora, situated between the valleys of the Nievole and the Pescia. It has magnificent views over the Montalbano area and the Nievole Valley and, to the north, towards the 'Svizzera Pesciati-

na' and the mountains of Abetone.The village, which, historically relied on a mountain economy based on chestnuts and charcoal production, has recently experienced a boom in tourism. From here, a short detour leads to the small town of Avaglio, where the castle was first recorded in the first half of the 14th century.The town was practically destroyed by Castruccio Castracani and lay for centuries in a state of neglect.The church of S. Michele dates from the 14th century and was rebuilt in the 18th century, when it was promoted to being a parish church.

Today it has a 19th-century facade and very little remains of the original oratory.

Serra Pistoiese Just beyond Avaglio, another detour leads to the town of Serra Pistoiese, built around the central street that used to unite two of the town gates. The castle, first mentioned in 1040 and destroyed by Castruccio Castracani, was surrounded by a set of defensive walls.

The church of S. Leonardo, the walls of which incorporate some of the mediaeval fortifications, began as the church of the castle governor, but then took over the role of the parish church of Furfalo. Also known as the Pievaccia, it’s one of the earliest parish churches in 45

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the area, and was recorded as early as 998.

The ruins on the mountainside have recently been studied and excavated.The parish church was part of a defensive system put in place by the Byzantines to counter the advance of the Lombards from the Lucca area towards the mountains of Pistoia. From Serra, continue to Femminamorta. According to the legend, the town owes its name to the fact that the unknown corpse of a little girl was found here. Once the town was a customs post on the border between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Duchy of Lucca.

North of the town, you can follow trails into the woods of the Macchia Antonini, where you can see the remains of the ‘Gothic Line’, where the last stages of WWII were fought.

Casore del Monte Continuing down the ridge between the valley of the Nievole and the valley of the Ombrone that lies in the Province of Pistoia, you come to a small village, which you can tell from its circular layout once had a castle, destroyed by Castruccio Castracani. One of the towers became a bell-tower for the church of S. Bartolomeo. Situated in the top part of the town, the church was altered from the 16th century onwards but the main structure is Romanesque. South of Casore, in the little town of Campore, is the oratory of S. Maria delle Grazie, also known as the oratory of the Crusade. Inside, a plaque commemorates the founding of the oratory

by Oliviero Francescani, on his return from the First Crusade.

Serravalle Pistoiese From Casore del Monte you drop down to Serravalle Pistoiese, situated near the FirenzeMare motorway, in an elevated position. It was fortified from the 12th century onwards and was possibly founded even earlier as an outpost controlling the Via Cassia between Lucca and Florence. The castle and the mediaeval town, which were often involved in the disputes between Pistoia and Lucca, eventually came under the control of Florence, after which they were able to enjoy a fairly peaceful period. In recent years, flower nurseries have sprung up around the town, and 46

r Serravalle Pistoiese with the old borgo in the background

the traditional skill of embroidery is still alive and well. On the east side of the town, you can still see parts of the 13th-century castle: the Tower of Barbarossa, which dates from 1177, has recently been restored and is now open to the public. Inside the perimeter of the castle is the parish church of S. Stefano, with a Romanesque façade and bell-tower built with material from the fortifications.The interior of the church was damaged by a fire in 1501 and has been altered several times. It contains several works of art: a 19th-century organ built by the Agati of Pistoia, some terracotta statues made by the workshop of the Buglione family (St Louis of Toulouse and St Anthony), and a wooden Crucifix dating from the early 17th century. Another monument on the church square is the tiny oratory of the Compagnia della Vergine Assunta. Some remarkable frescoes dating from the late 14th century have been found here depicting Scenes from the Passion, a Last Judgement and the Assumption. The church of S. Michele, founded in the 13th century, has also preserved its Romanesque layout, although Baroque features were added in the 16th and 17th centuries. Inside, note the triptych depicting the Madonna and Child with Saints, a work by an artist from Pistoia, Bartolomeo di Andrea Bocchi (1483), and a panel with the Madonna and Child Enthroned, dating from the late 15th century.There’s also an unusual 14th-century fresco of St Blaise saving the life of a boy who had half-swallowed a fishbone.

On the west side of the town, you can see some of the remaining strictures of the 14thcentury castle built by Castruccio Castracani: sections of wall, the Porta della Gabella (Tax Gate) and an unusual hexagonal tower facing the Nievole Valley.

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The lands of Leonardo and the Montalbano 2.4 Car itinerary of about 95 km following the Empoli road and then the SS 67 road in the Province of Prato. Return to Montecatini via San Baronto and Lamporecchio, on the SP 22 (see map on p. 34).

The itinerary explores both sides of the Montalbano area, a mountainous massif on the east side of the Nievole Valley with an amazing variety of natural environments and others shaped by human activity. Much of the landscape here is covered with olive-groves and vineyards, but also forests of turkey oak, pubescent oak, with chestnut woods higher up.The hills lower down have the typical vegetation of the Mediterranean maquis. Borghi (mediaeval fortified towns) and villas feature highly in the itinerary. There are some superb examples of noble mansions, built by the De’ Medici for economic purposes, but also for leisure (a whole park, the Barco Reale, was created to satisfy their passion for hunting). One of the towns on the itinerary is Vinci, where Leonardo Da Vinci was born. Many of the towns in this part of the valley have associations with this great Renaissance man. From Montecatini, drive to Lamporecchio (15.8 km), on the SP 22 and continue to Vinci, on the slopes of the Montalbano Massif (5 km). From here, descend to Cerreto Guidi (5.4 km) and continue towards Empoli, then climb up the other side of the Montalbano Massif, following the SS 67 to Artimino (21.6 km). Climb for another 6.2 km passing through Serra, on the SP 11, to Carmignano (4.1 km) and Poggio a Caiano (3.1 km).Then drop down to the valley floor on the SS 66, and climb up again to Quarrata (9 km). Finally climb up again to cross the Montalbano Massif to visit San Baronto (11.7 km) and return to Montecatini again on the SS 22.

Lamporecchio The vast municipality of Lamporecchio, which sprawls across the middle of the Montalbano Massif, includes several villages perched on the top of the ridge (described later) and others situated down on the Padule di Fucecchio marsh. After centuries

of traditional economy, based on the exploitation of wetland plants, the latter have developed considerably in the last century. There is only documentary evidence of the Roman settlement of this area but there are plenty of visible testimonials from mediaeval and modern times. Lamporec-

rThe 17th-century Villa Rospigliosi, the prestigious mansion built at the orders of Cardinal Giulio Rospigliosi, later Pope Clement IX

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chio is famous for having invented brigidini, the special biscuits made all over the Nievole Valley, and which provide the excuse for a special festival. The town’s most famous monument, situated in the village of Spicchio, is Villa Rospigliosi, probably designed by Bernini and built by a pupil of his, Mattia de Rossi, at the orders of Cardinal Giulio Rospigliosi (later Pope Clement IX), in 1667.The lines of the villa are highlighted in grey pietra serena. The main central part of the villa is higher than the wings on either side and the building is surrounded by a large garden laid out on a geometric plan. In the village of Orbignano, south of the main town, is the church of S. Maria del Pruno. It contains some 14th-century frescoes, a low relief by the school of Donatello (Madonna and Child) and a much-revered wooden statue of the Madonna of the Plumtree, dating from the 14th century.

Vinci This town, situated on the lowest hills of the Montalbano Massif on the main road to Empoli, doesn’t really need an introduction, since it’s named after its most famous son.

Shaped rather like an almond, the town was founded in the 11th century around the castle of the Counts of Guidi. After many vicissitudes, it eventually came under the control of Florence. In 1919, when the last

rThe borgo of Vinci, huddled around the castle of the Counts of Guidi

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owners sold the castle to the local council, efforts began to launch a project that would exploit Vinci’s unique role as the ‘birth-place of Leonardo’. In fact, visiting the town is a must for anyone interested in the great genius of the Renaissance. The Museo Leonardiano in the castle, founded in 1953 thanks to a donation from IBM, reopened recently after restoration work. It contains an extensive collection of machines and models based on Leonardo’s inventions as an engineer, architect and scientist, displayed together with copies of his drawings and interpreted with the aid of multimedia installations. In the vast square behind the castle is The Man of Vinci (1987), a wooden sculpture

by Mario Ceroli based on Leonardo’s drawing of the Vitruvian Man. The bronze equestrian monument (1997) by Nina Akamu was based on Leonardo’s drawings of horses. In the old town centre, as well as the rich and extensive Biblioteca Leonardiana (Leonardo Library), is the church of S. Croce, founded in the 13th century. Its present appearance in the neo-Renaissance style is the result of clumsy restoration conducted in the first half of the 20th century. Inside there are several artworks dating from the 16th century but, most of all, people come here to see the font, situated in a chapel on the right, which was restored in 1952. Tradition has it that Leonardo was christened here on 16th April 1452. In the lower part of the town, the old wine-cellars of the castle now house the Museo Ideale Leonardo da Vinci, a private collection inspired by the idea of emphasising the relevance of Leonardo’s thinking to the present day. The house where Leonardo was born is at Anchiano, surrounded by the ancient olive-trees of the Montalbano. It’s a simple rustic 15thcentury house, where Leonardo is supposed to have been born on 15th April 1452. The display documents the life and the earliest works of the artist (including a copy of the famous early map of the Arno Valley) and is in the process of being improved and enlarged.

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2.4 The lands of Leonardo and the Montalbano

rThe 15th-century house where Leonardo Da Vinci was born, at Anchiano near Vinci

Cerreto Guidi The first evidence for a fortified town dates from the early Middle Ages. Its strategic position at the point where the Arno Valley meets the Pisan Plain and only a short distance from the Via Francigena was certainly an advantage. The castle was built by the Counts of Guidi, the feudal lords of this area. In the late 13th century it passed into the hands of Florence and was subsequently converted, during the centuries of De’ Medici rule, into a pleasure palace for hunting. Now little remains of the original fortifications, except what was salvaged to build the Medicean villa, at the orders of Cosimo I, possibly designed by Bernardo Buontalenti in 1566. Since 2002, the villa has been housing the Museo Storico della Caccia e del

Territorio. It has a display of hunting weapons dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, and other sections with furnishings and objects which belonged to the De’ Medici family. The picture gallery contains works by Guercino, Domenichino, Luca Giordano, Solimena and Longhi. Next to the villa is the parish church of S. Leonardo, originally the private chapel of the governor of the castle, which has been clumsily restored. Inside is a font by the school of the Della Robbia, dated 1511. Just below the De’ Medici villa is the oratory of the SS. Trinità. Further away from the centre is the 14th-century sanctuary church of S. Liberata, the patron saint of the town. Every year, the Palio del Cerro, a race between the districts of the town, is held in honour of St Liberata.

The Lands of the Renaissance The town of Vinci is the headquarters of the museum and tourism network called ‘Le Terre del Rinascimento’. It involves the towns of Capraia and Limite, Cerreto Guidi, Empoli, Fucecchio, Montelupo Fiorentino and Vinci. The aim of the network is to coordinate activities to raise the profile of and promote the cultural assets and museums of this area, which are some of the most famous in the countryside around Florence. There are many places of interest in the circuit,

including the Medicean villas at Cerreto Guidi, Fucecchio and Ponte a Cappiano, the artworks in the Museo della Collegiata in Empoli; the traditional ceramics made in Montelupo Fiorentino, Capraia and Limite and the town of Vinci, with its special charm and cultural heritage associated with Leonardo.

The network also has a communal Tourist Office based in Vinci which coordinates activities and provides information and welcome facilities for visitors.

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The Barco Reale In 1626, a large slice of the Montalbano area was chosen by the De’ Medici as being suitable for creating a large hunting estate to entertain (in the form of hunting) the Grand Dukes when they came to stay at their farms or villas in the area.

The hunting estate, called the ‘Barco Reale’, was duly created, by building a wall around it about 50 km long to protect the wildlife – consisting of wild boar, hare, grey partridge, pheasant and rock partridge – and to safeguard its woods and plant species. In the first decades of the 18th century, the park began to decline quite quickly, due to a contraction of inte-

Carmignano Situated in an area that was first settled in ancient times – evidence of an Etruscan settlement has been found at Artimino – the town was founded when several pieces of land and separate communities were amalgamated, a fact recorded in about the year 1000. It was fortified by Pistoia to defend its border with the Arno Valley. When the town came under Florentine rule, the De’ Medici began to ‘colonise’ the area, and left some of the finest examples of Renaissance mansions here. Before you enter Carmignano, as you approach the town from Montelupo Fiorentino, you go through Artimino, a small fortified town. The fortified gate that provides access to the town has a tower

rest in hunting, a problem accentuated with the arrival of the Dukes of Lorraine, who gradually began to privatise the area. This process continued for decades, partly because of the high costs of managing the Barco. Finally, under Peter Leopold, who was good at finding solutions, the reserve was dismantled and sold.

Only about 20 km of the original walls remain. They are in a bad condition and are scattered between the towns and villages of the Montalbano, between San Baronto and Carmignano. The villa at Carmignano used to be the operations centre of the Barco. with merlons. The town owes its fame to the Villa La Ferdinanda, again built by the De’ Medici. This imposing mansion is one of the masterpieces of Bernardo Buontalenti, from whom Ferdinando I commissioned the design in 1596. It was also the last link in the regional network of estates through which the De’ Medici managed to reinforce their hold on the territory. This was the Grand Duke’s favourite villa, which he built as the focal point of the ‘Barco Reale’, the estate created to give vent to the ruling family’s passion for hunting. In the late 18th century, the villa passed into the hands of the Bartolommei, and has now been converted into a hotel and conference centre.

Inside the villa is a room with an unusual fea-

rVilla La Magia, the mansion built by the De’ Medici in the town of Quarrata

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2.4 The lands of Leonardo and the Montalbano

ture. With almost terrifying precision, the Flemish artist Giusto Utens painted 17 lunettes of the Medicean villas from an unusual ‘bird’s eye’ perspective. Since 1983, the villa has also housed the municipal Archaeological Museum, which has a display of all the most important archaeological finds from municipality of Carmignano (especially artefacts from the tumulus of Montefortini and the Tomb of the Boschetti). Just outside Artimino stands the parish church of S. Leonardo. Another interesting church is S. Giusto al Pinone, dating from the 12th century. In Carmignano itself – you can see the remains of the castle at the top – the main building of interest is the parish church of Ss. Michele e Francesco. It is famous for a painting of the Visitation, a masterpiece by Pontormo (1528-29).

Poggio a Caiano The ‘poggio’ (hill) near the River Ombrone, in the middle of a rather marshy area that was difficult to cross, was first developed as a fortified town and later, from the 14th century onwards, as a river port for transporting goods to and from Pisa and Livorno. When the De’ Medici arrived on the scene, and chose this town as the site for their famous pleasure palace, the town developed quickly. Craftsmen and professional people arrived in large numbers to work on the villa. Eventually it passed into the hands of the Savoys, who, in the end, donated it to the State. The Medicean villa, designed by Giuliano da Sangallo, was begun in 1445 by Lorenzo de’ Medici on the site of a mediaeval castle. It’s a perfect blend of Classical Vitruvian models and rural Tuscan architecture. Inside, the Leo X Hall contains a famous fresco cycle begun

by Andrea del Sarto and continued by Pontormo. The gardens, which were originally laid out according to the geometric criteria based on the model of the ‘secret garden’, were altered in the 19th century to look more like natural landscape. In 2007, on the upper floors, Italy’s first Still Life Museum was opened. It has a display of more than 180 works, dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

rThe parish church of San Baronto

Quarrata From Poggio a Caiano continue up the SS 66 to Quarrata. Grand Duke Francesco had Villa La Magia built here to a design by Buontalenti. Two towers project slightly at the corners and frame the main central part of the villa, built in the late-Renaissance style. The south side of the villa has a Baroque garden. On the opposite side is a vast landscaped public park with many ancient trees.

San Baronto From Quarrata proceed towards Casalguidi and begin to cross the Montalbano Massif following signs for Lamporecchio. On the way you will pass San Baronto, a village belonging to the same town, where you can pause to visit the church of S. Baronto.

According to the legend, it was the dedicatory saint himself who founded the church, a French monk who chose to live out his last days as a hermit. The oratory, which houses his tomb, was rebuilt in the Romanesque style in the early 11th century.

In the nearby village of Porciano, the church of S. Giorgio dates from the 12th century. Inside, the tie-beam roof dates from the 14th century. The 17th-century decoration is in grey pietra serena. The arched panel depicting the Madonna and Child Enthroned with St Anthony Abbott and St Nicholas of Bari is by a painter from Pistoia, Gerino Gerini (1520).

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The lands of Pinocchio 2.5 and the villas around Lucca Car itinerary of about 63 km following the SS 435 and then minor roads up to the Pizzorne Plateau. You can easily return to Montecatini from Capannori on the SS 435 (see map on p. 34).

Pescia is the main goal of this itinerary.This little town is well worth taking time to explore.

It still has plenty of interesting old monuments resulting from its religious and civic past, dotted around its pleasant town layout. Another ‘must’ is Collodi, a beautiful little town which has risen to international fame thanks to the character of Pinocchio, after whom the original themed park is named. From here, you begin to climb up towards the Pizzorne hills, first past olive-groves and vineyards and then past wooded hillsides which culminate in the Pizzorne Plateau, much frequented by sporty types and walkers.Then you drop down again into the area around Lucca, away from the traditional borders of the Nievole Valley, to visit some of the fine noble mansions built around the city of Lucca. Leave Montecatini on the SS 435 and head for Uzzano (7.2 km). Continuing along the state highway, after 2.9 km, you reach Pescia. 3.6 km separate Pescia from Collodi, after which you start climbing towards Villa Basilica, with a recommended detour (3.2 km) to visit San Gennaro. You reach Villa Basilica after 5 km on the SP 35, following the valley floor. Proceed towards the Pizzorne Plateau (7.3 km), then drive down the other side in the direction of Capannori to Marlia (12.1 km) and return to Montecatini on the SS 435 to Capannori (23.8 km).

Uzzano Turn briefly off the SS 435 to reach this little mediaeval town, perched on a hill with wonderful views. A 14th-century gate, Porta delle Pille, leads into a dense maze of narrow streets. The town was first mentioned in about the year 1000, and established itself as a free commune, before falling under the control of Florence in 1339. One side of the main square overlooks the Nievole Valley like a balcony. It’s overlooked by the large, imposing Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, the seat of the governor in mediaeval times, which has a broad loggia on the ground floor resting on strong pillars and a series of onelight windows on the upper floors. It houses an important archive. Further into the town we come to the parish church of Ss. Jacopo e Martino, a Romanesque building dating from the 11th century. It has a single nave, a beautiful gabled facade with a fake loggia and an elegant rose window in Prato marble. To the right is a bell-tower, with two-light windows at the top.The austere interior contains several works of art, including a 13th-century marble holy water stoup, a sculpture of St Anthony Abbott, by one of the Della Robbia family, and frescoes and paintings dating from 52

the 16th to 18th centuries. Other important religious buildings here include the oratory of the Madonna del Canale, built in the 17th century near one of the town gates, much frequented by the locals, and the oratory of S. Antonio da Padova, formerly a chapel belonging to a monastery that was suppressed, with Baroque decor and works of art. In the nearby village of Costa, the Romanesque church of Ss. Bartolomeo and Silvestro has remarkable fresco fragments dating from the 15th century.

Pescia The River Pescia di Pescia, which flows through the hills of ‘Svizzera Pesciatina’, divides the town into two parts, emphasising its long, thin shape. It lies on a north-south axis, linking the towns further up the hill with the important Firenze-Lucca motorway. It’s not only a geographical division because, over the centuries, the two opposite banks have played specific social and civic roles. In fact, on the left bank, the town grew up around the cathedral of S. Maria Assunta, whereas, on the right bank, the political and civic part of the town developed around the main square. Again, it was the town’s situation that determined its fortunes.

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2.5 The lands of Pinocchio and the villas around Lucca

For many centuries, it was the main town in the valley, the only real ‘town’, having prospered thanks to the successful development of farming and industry, especially the paper sector, even back in the time of Grand Duke Peter Leopold. In the 20th century, it was the flower and nursery sector that came to the fore, making Pescia one of the Pistoia area’s two most highly specialised centres for flower and plant production. A number of bridges link the two banks of the Pescia, leading to the town’s oldest districts and main monuments. But quite apart from these, and the most important cultural institutions, it is this elegant, compact town as a whole, which demands to be explored, either walking along the riverbanks or through the parallel streets of the town, into its elegant squares.

Enter the town from the south, on the left bank, passing through the elegant and monumental Porta Fiorentina, and proceed along the historic Via Giusti. The first building you come to is the church of S. Giuliano, erected in 1722 and designed by Giovan Battista Foggini. Next you come to the cathedral of S. Maria Assunta. Built in the late 17th century, it was designed by Antonio Ferri, and was intended to replace the old parish church of the same name, first recorded in the 6th century. Inside it has a single chamber and the various works of art are located in the sidechapels and the presbytery: on the left, two marble holy water stoups (early 16th century), in the choir, a 17th-century painting of the Annunciation by Luigi Garzi, in the presbytery, a beautiful 12th-century marble ambo. In the right transept, the Turini Chapel contains a

funerary monument by the school of Michelangelo. The left transept leads into the sacristy, which contains inlaid wooden furnishings dating from the late 15th century, and the Chapter Library, which contains some valuable books and some important works of art, including a Coronation of the Virgin by Bicci di Lorenzo (c. 1420). Below the bell-tower is the chapel of the Vescovado, where there is a glazed terracotta triptych by the Della Robbia school. Opposite the cathedral, the church of S. Maria Maddalena has a beautiful and much revered Crucifix made of cedar wood. If you continue north and cross Piazza Ducci, full of character, you come to the 14th-century oratory of S. Antonio Abate in Via Cesare Battisti. It was founded by the Hospitallers of St James and incorporated in the hospital of Ss. Cosma e Damiano in the 18th century. Inside there are two important works: the wooden sculpture of the Deposition of Christ (12th century) by the TuscanUmbrian school and a vast fresco cycle by Bicci di Lorenzo, from the first half of the 15th century. Further north, you find the church of S. Francesco in the square that shares its name. Built in the Gothic style on the site of an oratory donated to the saint in 1211, it has been remodelled several times. Inside, the Cardini Chapel, decorated in the Renaissance style in the second half of the 15th century, is remarkable architecturally and because of the artworks it contains. A fine cycle of 14th-century frescoes attributed to Neri di Bicci and Niccolò Gerini decorates the main chapel and the apse.There is a very unusual work on the altar of the Mainardi

r Pescia, a town divided into two parts, has a long history and is now famous for its floriculture and plant nurseries

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Chapel: a panel depicting St Francis and Stories from the Life of St Francis, dated 1235. Attributed to Bonaventura Berlinghieri, this is the earliest and most life-like portrait of the saint of Assisi. Leaving the square, walk across the Pescia to Piazza degli Obizzi. Here you visit the collegiate church of Ss. Stefano e Niccolao, built around the year 1000 and remodelled in the 17th and 18th centuries. In front of it is a double flight of steps dating from the 18th century. The church contains a rare wooden Annunciation from the 15th century and a fine painting of the St Peter Released from Prison by Alessandro Tiarini, dated 1606.

On the same square, Palazzo Galeotti now houses the public library and the Museo Civico Magnani. The museum has a collection of artworks from the 14th and 15th centuries, archaeological material, tapestries, weapons and illuminated hymnbooks.

Nearby, in Piazza del Palagio, in Palazzo del Podestà, the Gipsoteca Libero Andreotti is named after the sculptor from the Pescia area (1875-1933). The collection has more than 150 plaster casts and an enormous amount of information about the sculptor’s life. From here take the mediaeval street of

Ruga degli Orlandi, which leads down parallel to the central square, Piazza Mazzini. This is the market square and where the Palio dei Rioni is held (on the first Sunday of September). In the past it was called the ‘mercato longo’, because of its unusual shape. On the north side of the square is Palazzo del Vicario, now the Town Hall, with the Monument to Victory by Andreotti in the courtyard; the south side is overlooked by the façade of the church of the Madonna di Pié di Piazza, built in the mid-15th century and designed by Buggiano. The interior is decorated in the Baroque style with a caissoned ceiling and a 17th-century altar with an image of the Virgin (15th century), attributed with miraculous powers. In the lower part of the town, beyond the Museo di Scienze Naturali e Archeologia della Valdinievole (Via Amendola), is an example of Rationalist architecture: the old flower market, designed in 1951 by Antonio Gori, Leonardo Ricci, Leonardo Savioli and Emilio Brizzi. The new flower market lies outside the town, near the train station. This huge building, designed by Leonardo Savioli and finished in 1980, is one of the largest in Italy, with a roofed area of

Carlo Lorenzini, alias Collodi At the beginning of any biography of Carlo Lorenzini (Firenze, 1826-1890), it is immediately obvious that the writer must have had very strong links with the little mediaeval town, whose name he decided to use as a nom de plume. Born into a poor, numerous family, and destined to follow a career that was anything but literary, he owes his education to Collodi, where his mother worked as a servant at Villa Garzoni. Although he did not feel at ease sitting at a school desk, he was sent to a seminary.

Once he had been released from poverty, he began his career as a journalist; his writings were often censored. He also published some stories, developing his humorous side, and slowly began to develop an interest in children’s literature.This led him first to write a few school text-books and then, in 1881, The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Story of a marionette, published in episodes 54

at first and then, two years later, in book form.The book travelled all round the globe and was translated into 260 languages, but the author never knew. His sudden death in 1890 prevented him from enjoying the fruits of the huge success of his masterpiece. The foundation which promotes and organises the ‘exhibition network’ in Collodi, including the park and Villa Garzoni and the Butterfly House, is named after Carlo Collodi. Opposite the headquarters of the foundation, a large wooden Pinocchio, 16 m high welcomes visitors with a benign smile. Nearby, at San Martino in Colle, there is an enormous oak (it apparently dates from the 15th century), known as the Quercione (Big Oak) or Quercia delle Streghe (Witches’ Oak), which, it is said, inspired Carlo Lorenini to write the famous episode in which Pinocchio buries some coins.

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2.5 The lands of Pinocchio and the villas around Lucca

40,000 m².You get a good bird’s eye view of it from the monastery of Colleviti, which you can visit by turning off the SS 435 towards Collodi.The monastery has maintained all its Renaissance charm and has several good artworks in the church dedicated to St Louis of Toulouse.

Collodi The “town of Pinocchio” is like any other mediaeval Apennine town in the Nievole Valley, yet it has a more fairy-tale-like and enchanted aura, not only because of the famous wooden puppet.The road that leads to the bottom of the old town continues towards the Pizzorne hills and disappears into the narrow gorge between the mountains. The stone houses are arranged close together on the steep slope of the hill. In the foreground, the sumptuous Villa Garzoni and its gardens, then, behind it, the steep streets full of interesting details. Its history begins to sound familiar: an early settlement based on a mediaeval castle, the difficult centuries of struggles for power between Florence and Lucca. In the 15th century, Collodi came under the control of Lucca. Its economic development was based on paper-mills, spinning-mills and flour-mills. The major monument in the mediaeval town is the church of S. Bartolomeo, at the top of the town, founded in the 12th century. It contains some interesting works of sculpture from the Tuscan Renaissance. Below Collodi Vecchio is Villa Garzoni, a splendid example of a Luccan noble mansion, built between 1633 and 1662 in the Baroque style. The interior has beautiful frescoes by Angelo Michele Colonna, who specialised in painting architectural settings. What makes this mansion unique is its extraordinary garden, created in the 17th and 18th centuries and regarded as one of the most splendid in Italy. Various paths lead up towards the villa, with its beds of flowers and water features, statues and interesting settings. Recently, in the bottom of the garden, they have opened a Butterfly House, a long steel and glass building with a tropical environment and more than 400 species of butterflies. It’s regarded as Europe’s most beautiful hi-tech butterfly house.

rThe lovely town of Collodi,with Villa Garzoni in the foreground

On the opposite side of the road, on the far side of the River Pescia di Collodi, is the Parco di Pinocchio, a park created not merely as an amusement park or a celebration of the immortal character invented by Carlo Collodi, but a place where people can use their imagination and try out their artistic skills.

The trail inside the park, which opened in 1956, is divided into sections designed by leading contemporary artists, who have given a form to the writer’s imagination, blending art, architecture and landscape.The famous sculpture of Pinocchio and the Fairy,

by Emilio Greco (1956), stands at the entrance to a world that is continuously enhanced by theatre performances, entertainment and educational workshops for children. In 1963, the ‘Osteria del Gambero Rosso’ opened here, designed by Giovanni Michelucci, who also designed the Museo Biblioteca ‘Laboratorio delle Parole e delle Figure’, a library-cum-museum where they hold workshops using words and pictures.

San Gennaro On the road that follows the River Pescia di Collodi towards Villa Basilica, a turning to the left leads up to San Gennaro, situated in a lovely position, surrounded by vast olive-groves and vineyards, on the last slopes of the Pizzorne hills. This small mediaeval town was founded by a colony of Neapolitans in the 6th century.The town is clustered around the attractive parish church of S. Gennaro, rebuilt in the 12th century in the Romanesque style on the site of an early-mediaeval 55

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2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

church. Inside, there is a pulpit dating from 1162 signed by ‘Maestro Filippo’, a 15th-century statue of the Madonna del Parto, and a 15th-century angel that has recently been attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.

Villa Basilica The town was first recorded in about the year 1000. In the Middle Ages, it was famous for producing swords, made in foundries located along the course of the River Pescia.

The river was also exploited by paper-mills. In the town, the 17th-century Palazzo Biscotti belonged to a noble family of armourers, but its most interesting monument is the parish church of S. Maria Assunta, first recorded in 807 and rebuilt in the Luccan Romanesque style in the 12th and 13th centuries. It has small blind loggias on the façade and a belltower based on an earlier lookout tower. Inside, the nave and two aisles are decorated with columns with carved capitals. The crypt belonged to the previous church and contains the remains of the low reliefs of the ambo and a 13th-century Crucifix attributed to Berlinghiero Berlinghieri. Each year, Villa Basilica hosts the Festival Nazionale Cinema Teatro Televisione, a cultural showcase for the cinema, the theatre, the stage and television.

The Pizzorne Plateau The Pizzorne Massif is a secondary branch of the Apennine Chain which stretches from Pescia down to the plain of Lucca. In the past, the plateau, which can be reached by driving up a road with dense chestnut groves on either side, was a stopping-place for travellers and pilgrims. Over the centuries, the little church of the Crocifisso and the church of S. Bartolomeo were erected with these travellers in mind.Today the people who come to the plateau are generally tourists, or parapenting and hang-gliding enthusiasts. There are also plenty of trails for walkers and tracks for mountain-bikes and off-road vehicles.

The villas around Lucca From the Pizzorne Plateau, on the way down towards Capannori, there are a good number of these noble residences.They were built by wealthy families from Lucca in the 16th 56

and 17th centuries so that they could escape to the hills above the plain of Lucca and enjoy the milder climate. Many of them are now open to the public and belong to the circuit of the Associazione delle Ville e dei Palazzi Lucchesi, an association of the villas and palaces around Lucca. At San Pancrazio you can visit the elegant Villa Grabau, built in the 16th century by the Deodati family and surrounded by a large park laid out in the ‘English style’. The house itself is accessed from the Italian-style garden, with its statues and fountains. The interior is decorated in the style of the period with trompe-l’œil frescoes. In the same village, Villa Oliva, built by Lodovico Buonvisi in the early 16th century, has a typical high loggia looking out over the park, which is laid out on three levels. At Marlia, the magnificent Villa Reale, is a neo-Classical, Frenchified version of an earlier mansion.

Having once belonged to Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister, it later became the residence of Charles of Savoy, the brother of Italy’s first king, who spent a great deal of time here with his companion, Penelope Smith. The elaborate 18th-century park is absolutely fascinating, with its teatro d’acqua (water theatre) and teatro di verzura (an open-air theatre built of vegetation). At Segromigno Monte, Villa Mansi formerly belonged to the Cenami family, who built it in the late 16th century. The mansion was remodelled in the following century, based on a design by Muzio Oddi, with an open loggia on the first floor and a serliana at the top.

Filippo Juvarra contributed to the design of the garden, in particular the wood, the fishpond and the theatre. Inside, the main hall is frescoed with mythological scenes painted by Stefano Tofanelli. However, the finest example of a Baroque noble residence is undoubtedly Villa Torrigiani at Camigliano, built in the 17th century on the site of a 16th-century complex belonging to the Buonvisi family.The design of the garden is particularly elaborate (it’s possible that Le Nôtre, the architect of the garden at Versailles participated in the project). There are interesting water features and beds of flowers, as well as an original Baroque feature called the “garden of Flora”, a sunken garden.

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Svizzera Pesciatina 2.6 Car itinerary of about 88.4 km along the Pescia di Pescia Valley and the Forfora Valley, with several detours to explore places of interest. You can return to Montecatini from Pescia, on the SS 435 (see map on p. 34).

It was the Swiss economist Charles-Léonard Simonde de Sismondi who coined the expression ‘Svizzera Pesciatina’ (meaning ‘Switzerland of the Pescia area’) to refer to the mountainous Valleriana area, which extends into the Apennines, up the course of the River Pescia. A beautiful natural environment, parts of which are positively ‘Alpine’, and others, lower down, with the cultivation of vines and olives. The area comprises ten mediaeval towns, also known as ‘castella’, clinging the hillside, built to defend this land on the border between Lucca and Florence.Ten little towns to be explored without a car, silent and remote, shaped by the conformation of the mountainside on which they are built. They are surprisingly complete and beautiful.You can do all or part of the itinerary on a bike, or on foot, by following the signs of the walking routes of the Valleriana. From Montecatini follow the SS 435 to Pescia, after which you begin to climb, following the River Pescia, to Pietrabuona (14.3 km). Beyond Pietrabuona, a 5-km detour takes you to Medicina. Back on the Torbola road, go on for another 1.5 km and come to the turning for Fibbialla, only 1.9 km away. Back on the Torbola road, after 3.8 km another detour on the right takes you to Aramo (1 km).

The itinerary continues to San Quirico (3.8 km) and then, by making a short detour, to Castelvecchio (1.4 km). Back on the main road, continue for 4.2 km up to Stiappa and from there to Pontito (5.6 km).Then you begin to drop down into the Forfora Valley, passing Lanciole (3.4 km). After 6.8 km, there’s a turning on the right to Vellano, which you reach after 3.8 km. Back on the Forfora Valley road, after 800 m, on the left, turn off again to Ponte di Castelvecchio and Sorana (3.4 km) and return to Montecatini on the SS 435 (20.3 km).

rThe fortified town of Pietrabuona, overlooking the River Pescia

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2 Tourist itineraries in the Nievole Valley

Pietrabuona This fortified mediaeval town, which became autonomous in 1775, is situated in a strategic position on a hill high above the River Pescia. In this area there are many paper mills, which, for centuries, were the driving force behind the local manufacturing sector and, today, have become important monuments of industrial archaeology.

The Centro di Documentazione sulla Lavorazione della Carta (Paper Processing Documentation Centre) is in charge of this activity. It also created the Museo della Carta, housed in an 18th-century paper mill, in which the facilities and the machinery have been preserved and form part of the museum itinerary. One gate and a few sections of the walls are all that remain of the mediaeval fortifications. Inside the town, the church of S. Matteo has some fine polychrome wooden sculptures dating from the early 15th century.

Medicina The castle here was first recorded before the year 1000 and for a long time was a bone of contention between the powers of Lucca and Florence because of its position astride the two valleys. Only the castle gate is

still standing. The town is quite compact and is dominated by the old parish church of Ss. Sisto e Martino, rebuilt in the 19th century. It has a few works of art, including a 16th-century font and a 15th-century wooden carving of the Madonna and Child.

Aramo Continuing up the hill towards Aramo, another detour takes you to Fibbialla, a castle first mentioned in the 10th century. At the entrance to the town stands the church of S. Michele, which was remodelled in the late 19th century, and houses a 15th-century statue of the Annunciation.The small castle of Aramo, which stands over a vertical drop overlooking the Torbola Valley, was sacked in 1383 and destroyed during the struggles between Lucca and Florence. At the top of the town stands the church of S. Frediano, while, on the outskirts, the little oratory of the NativitĂ di Maria contains a fresco of the Madonna Enthroned with St Roch and St Sebastian (15th-16th century).

San Quirico Continue up the hill beyond Aramo to San Quirico. The castle here was first recorded in 980 and the town was almost completely abandoned in the early 14th century as a result of the plague.

When the population returned and the town came under the rule of Lucca, it became famous on account of its bell foundries.

In the Romanesque church, which has been remodelled, there are two beautiful stone fonts and a ciborium dating from the 17th century.

Castelvecchio

r Part of the old town of Medicina

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Outside the town is the isolated parish church of Ss. Ansano e Tommaso, one of the most interesting Romanesque churches in the valley, built in the 11th century by stone-masons from Lake Como (Comacine masters) on the site of an earlier building. It was rebuilt after it collapsed in

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2.6 Svizzera Pesciatina

the 19th century. The interior, built on a basilica plan, still has the original crypt and cross vaulting. Behind the apses stands the free-standing bell-tower. As you enter the fortified town, the narrow, winding streets lead up to the church of S. Giovanni Battista, of mediaeval origin.

Stiappa The old castle stands on the slopes of Mt Battifolle, on a site which once lay on the border between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Duchy of Lucca. Its stone houses, arranged to resemble a fortified wall, reflect a compact urban layout, the focus of which is the parish church of S. Maria Assunta, near the top of the town. It’s easy to see the Romanesque plan of the building, which houses a painting from the mid-17th century of the Assumption and a 19th-century gallery.

Pontito The castle here is one of the oldest in the Valleriana. It developed around the source of the River Pescia as a feud of the bishop of Lucca. The layout of the town is quite unusual, the streets and houses forming a kind of fan around the solid Romanesque church of Ss.Andrea e Lucia. Despite being altered over the centuries, the church has conserved its original features. Inside is a 15th-century carved marble font for baptisms involving immersion and a fine polychrome marble altar.

r A typical view of the fortified town of Pontito

century. It contains some remarkable works of art: two wooden statues of St Sixtus and St Martin, by the Luccan school (15th century) and, in the sacristy, the original font of the church and a fine 14th-century Crucifix.

Vellano Coming from Pontito, you reach the Forfora Valley at Lanciole, with its ruined castle and mediaeval walls, after which you can continue down the valley to Vellano, the ‘capital’ of Svizzera Pesciatina.The town was recorded in the 10th century and is now a popular holiday resort. It was a feud of the Garzoni family until 1366, when the writer and Humanist, Coluccio Salutati edited its statutes of autonomy. Outside the castle walls, the parish was attached to a Benedictine monastery before the year 1000.

The church was later remodelled several times and then altered again in the 19th

Sorana Another detour on the slopes of Mt Petritulo leads to this fortified mediaeval town, once clustered around its ‘sovereign’ castle (hence its name), now only partly recognisable. The town’s unusual oval shape culminates in the square of the church of Ss. Pietro e Paolo. On the façade, the lunette above the door contains a 15th-century fresco depicting the town’s two patron saints. Inside, the church has a single chamber and is decorated with sacred furnishings.The town is also famous for its special beans, which have a very delicate flavour.

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Wine and food itinerary ‘Made in the Valdinievole’ may not be one of the most famous labels you see in delicatessens, but there are good reasons for being interested in an area that produces a wide range of excellent traditional foods in its mountains, hills and on the plain. This small area has three routes of taste, starting near Lucca and ending in the Montalbano, via the Apennines of Pistoia. Many local versions of the recipes found elsewhere in Tuscany are also found in this valley, from soups to meat and cured meats.Then there are other purely local recipes: the cioncia pesciatina is a sort of bollito (boiled meat) made with the less noble parts of the calf, flavoured with tomato, carrot, celery and onion, and served in a bowl with slices of Tuscan bread. At Fucecchio they make fegatelli fucecchiesi (pork liver cooked with fennel) while, in the area around the Padule wetland they specialise in frittura di ranocchi (fried frogs). The favourite local dish around Pistoia is the frittata con gli zoccoli (literally, a ‘clog omelette’) actually made with bacon cubes. Many excellent foods are produced in the valley: Sorana beans IGP and giant asparagus from Pescia, but also traditional bread from Altopascio, now protected by the ‘Marchio Collettivo del Pane di Altopascio’ brand and the focus of a festival in August. The dried fig tradition in Carmignano is very old and, in the area of Pescia, for centuries, they have made mallegato (or biroldo), a boiled salami made with spices and calf’s blood. Many varieties of cheese are made in the mountains above Pistoia, including pecorino a latte crudo IGP (cheese made with raw ewe’s milk), and chestnuts are still used in many local recipes, including the famous necci (crepes made with chestnut flour) and castagnaccio (a smoky-flavoured cake also made with chestnut flour). Vines and olive-trees dominate the hills around the valley. In the Montalbano area they produce DOC Chianti and Carmignano, and the olive oil here is also famous. In the Province of Lucca, the wines and oil have been produced around Montecarlo for centuries.The Bianco della Valdinievole is the only DOC wine produced in the Province of Pistoia. It’s made with Tuscan Trebbiano grapes, grown in vineyards between Buggiano and Monsummano.This light, pleasant white wine is also made into vin santo, a sweet wine perfect for drinking with the delicious cakes and desserts of the area: brigidini (biscuits) flavoured with aniseed, from Lamporecchio, and waffles from Montecatini, filled with sugar and ground almonds. However, with regard to sweet things, it’s chocolate which makes this area a ‘must’ for people with a sweet tooth. The chocolatemaking area between Prato and Pisa is known, believe it or not, as ‘Chocolate Valley’ and is famous all over the world for its hand-made chocolate workshops). Every year, the showcase of ‘Cioccolosità’ attracts crowds of visitors and chocolate connoisseurs to Monsummano Terme.

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Wine and food itinerary

Crostini with chicken livers (recipe from the book by Egi Maccioni and Peter Kaminsky, The Maccioni Family Cookbook. Recipes and Memories from an Italian-American Kitchen. Foreword by Marco, Mario and Mauro Maccioni of the ‘Le Cirque’ and ‘Osteria del Circo’ restaurants, edited by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, NY).

Ingredients w

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan until it ½ cup of olive oil ¾ cup of chopped onions is fairly hot. Add the onions, sage and gar6 leaves of fresh sage, cut finely, lic and cook gently for 3 or 4 minutes until or a spoonful of dried sage the onions begin to go soft. Add the 1 clove of garlic, peeled and chicken livers and boil slowly, stirring well cut finely for 2 or 3 minutes until the chicken-liver 1 lb (c. ½ kg) of chicken livers, chopped into rough pieces pieces look cooked on the outside.

2 spoonfuls of white wine w Add the diluted tomato paste and the 1 teaspoon of tomato concentrate wine. Mix well and continue to stir until dissolved in half a cup of water the water has evaporated, for 30 to 40 2 spoonfuls of melted butter minutes.

2 oz (c. 60 g) of capers (c. ¼ of a w Remove the pan from the heat and add cup), chopped finely 2 oz (c. 60 g) of anchovies, the butter, stirring until it has melted. chopped finely w Add the capers and the anchovies and salt mix well. pepper w Add salt and pepper to taste (not too a little red chilli sauce/chilli powder much salt because the capers and ancho1 baguette or ½ loaf of Tuscan bread vies are already quite salty). w Add some spicy sauce or some chilli (optional). w Cut the bread into small slices and toast slightly. Pour a generous amount of chicken-liver sauce over each one. Serve hot.

If you wish, the chicken-liver mixture can be made a few days before, but without the butter, capers, anchovies, salt, pepper and chilli. When you want to use it, heat the mixture gently, toast the bread and add the other ingredients just before serving.

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Useful addresses Where to stay j Grand Hotel Bellavista-Palace & Golf, viale Fedeli 2, 057278122, 057275212 Grand Hotel & La Pace, corso Roma 12, 057275801 i Adua e Regina di Saba Wellness and Beauty, viale Manzoni 46, 057278134 Ambasciatori Grand Hotel Cristallo, viale IV Novembre 12, 057273301 Ariston, viale Manzoni 30, 057279535 Astoria, viale Fedeli 1, 057271191 Biondi, viale IV Novembre 83, 057271341 Boston, viale Bicchierai 16, 057270379 Columbia, corso Roma 19, 057270661 Cristallino, viale Diaz 10, 057272031 Da Vinci, viale Bicchierai 31, 057270377 Du Park et Regina, viale Diaz 8, 057279232, 3473581207 Ercolini & Savi, via San Martino 18, 057270331 Francia e Quirinale, viale IV Novembre 77, 057270271 Grande Bretagne, viale Don Minzoni 3, 0572771951, 3358182067 Grand Hotel Croce di Malta, viale IV Novembre 18, 05729201 Grand Hotel Plaza e Locanda Maggiore, piazza del Popolo 7, 057275831 Grand Hotel Tamerici e Principe, viale IV Novembre 2, 057271041 Grand Hotel Tettuccio, viale Verdi 74, 057278051 Michelangelo, viale Fedeli 11, 0572911700, 057274571 Minerva Palace, via Cavour 14, 0572904406 Nizza et Suisse, viale Verdi 72, 057279691 Panoramic, viale Bustichini 65, 057278381 Puccini, corso Roma 97, 0572904458

Royal Palace, viale Bicchierai 113, 057270161 Settentrionale Esplanade, via Grocco 2, 057270021 Torretta, viale Bustichini 63, 057270305 Tuscany Inn, viale Cividale 86/e, 057270302, 0572773768 Vittoria, viale della Libertà 2/a, 057279271 h Agriturismo Il Pillone, via Renaggio 26, 057267065 Airone, viale Amendola 15, 057279449 Alassio, via dell’Angiolo 20, 057279415 Alba, via Palestro 16, 0572767496 Ambrosiano, corso Matteotti 65, 057270055, 057272177 Arnolfo, via Trieste 31, 0572737711 Augustus, viale Manzoni 21, 057270119, 057270191 Bartolini, via Cavallotti 106, 0572770646, 057275037 Belvedere, viale Fedeli 10, 057270251 Brasile, viale Bicchierai 53, 057270362, 057270363 Brennero e Varsavia, viale Bicchierai 72, 057270086 Buenos Ayres, viale Don Minzoni 15, 0572771915 Byron, viale Bicchierai 68, 0572911223 Camping Belsito, via delle Vigne 1/a, 057267373 Cappelli Croce di Savoia, viale Bicchierai 139, 057271151 Casa Rossa, viale Fedeli 68, 0572773499, 3476243536 Cavallotti, via Cavallotti 103, 057278847 Colonna, via Cavallotti 107/a, 057270175 Corallo, via Cavallotti 116, 057278288 De La Ville, viale San Francesco 5, 057270321

Online Information provided by the Province of Pistoia Tourism and Promotion Service.You can book online through the website: www.provincia.pistoia.it/ TURISMO/StruttureRicettive.asp www.comune.montecatini-terme.pt.it www.paduledifucecchio.it www.termemontecatini.it www.zoneumidetoscane.it www.montecatinicongressi.com/ www.funicolare1898.it www.montecatinicentrocommercialenaturale.it www.grottamaona.it www.montecatiniturismo.it/ www.montecatinigolf.com www.montecatini-terme.it/ www.trenno.it/monte2.html www.apamontecatini.it/montecatini.htm www.tavmontecatini.it www.montecatinipromozione.com/ www.sportingclub-montecatini.it www.confesercenti.pistoia.it www.tennistorretta.it www.montecatinibikehotels.it www.lidolepanteraie.it www.montecatini-alto.it For information: Montecatini Congressi - Convention & Visitors Bureau of the Province of Pistoia,Viale Manzoni 7 51016 Montecatini Terme (PT) - +390572904330 - fax +390572906114 62

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Useful addresses

Delizia Genovese, via Cavallotti 38, 057271375 Donatello, via Puccini 16, 057274124 Europa Hotel, via della Querceta 2, 0572771851, 3331862374 Florida, via Michelangelo 16, 057270227 Florio, via Montebello 41, 057278343, 057278632, 3479128689 Giglio, viale Bicchierai 99, 057270356 Giotto, via Cavallotti 86, 057278847 Giovanna, via Cavallotti 126, 057278935, 057272089 Gloria, via delle Saline 18, 0572910033 Granduca Leopoldo, via Venezia 11, 0572767621 Guhel Hotel, via Torino 4, 057270010 Holiday, via Cavallotti 52, 057279718 Hotel Medici, via Montebello 70, 0572767621 Hotel Rubens, via Torino 10, 057278852 Hotel Villa Anna, viale Rosselli 33, 057278416 Hotel Villa Rita, viale Marconi 10, 057271171, 3471084264 Hotel Villa Rita Depandance, viale Marconi 8, 057278622 Hotel Villa Rita Resort, viale Marconi 55, 057278201 Imperial Garden, via Puccini 20, 0572910862 Impero, viale Bicchierai 83, 057271121, 057271122 Innocenti, via Gioberti 5, 057278820 La Pia, via Montebello 30, 057278600, 057278512 La Querceta, via Peloni 10, 057279354 La Riviera, viale Marconi 17, 057279455, 0572767640 Lazzerini, via Cavallotti 80, 057278717 Le Fonti, viale San Francesco 4, 0572773566 Le Saline, via delle Saline 28, 0572766441 Maestoso, via Puccini 63, 057278214 Manzoni, viale Manzoni 28, 057270175 Marina, via Cavallotti 31, 057270128 Massimo d’Azeglio, corso Matteotti 42, 0572770188 Mediterraneo, via Baragiola 1, 057271321 Metropole, via della Torretta 13, 057270092, 057270093 Miramonti, viale Marconi 44, 057270647 Mirò, viale Bicchierai 82, 0572911113 Montebello, via Montebello 54, 057278112, 057270076 Moschini, via Tripoli 21, 057278283 Nuova Italia, via Grocco 15, 057270381 Nuovo Excelsior, via Cavallotti 115, 057270212, 0572911203 Nuovo Savi, corso Matteotti 83, 057272142 Paradiso, via Palestro 59, 057270353, 3384948154 Parigi, via Trento 38, 057278753 Park Hotel Moderno, via Gorizia 11, 057271056 Parma e Oriente, via Cavallotti 135, 057278313, 057272135, 3479127678

Piccadilly, via Trento 10, 057275064 Piccolo Hotel, via Palestro 25, 0572767358 Prati, viale Rosselli 27, 057278708, 0572910572 President, corso Matteotti 119, 057275665 Raphael, via Derna 9, 057270242, 3496121144 Reale, via Palestro 7, 057278073 Residence Maria Sole, corso Matteotti 156, 0572772117 Residenza Ancillotti, via del Prataccio 5, 0572766291, 3292950883 Rinascente, via Gioberti 10, 0572910386 Salus, viale Marconi 5, 057278581 San Giorgio, via Trieste 23, 057278433 San Marco, viale Rosselli 3, 057271221 San Pietro, via Curtatone e Montanara 9, 0572767594 Santa Barbara, via Marlianese 4, 057267353 Savoia e Campana, via Cavallotti 10, 0572772670 Savona, via Leopardi 10, 057270120 Terme Pellegrini, piazza del Popolo 34, 0572910046 Tiffany, viale Bicchierai 37, 0572772301, 0572504067, 335459014 Tonfoni e Mafalda, via delle Saline 42, 057278286 Touring e Internazionale, via Cavallotti 66, 057271387 Trieste, via Puccini 15, 057279427 Universo Resort, corso Matteotti 51, 057278784 Valtorta, via Cavallotti, 92, 057278218, 057278219 Venezia, via Cavallotti 39, 057271294 Villa Gaia, via Mura P. Grocco 11, 0572770738 Vintage Hotel, via Sardegna 12, 057278432 Vittorio Veneto, viale Bicchierai 10, 057274353, 3384935545 Zenith, via Cavour 20, 0572773398 Zucconi, via Gioberti 8, 057278819 g Abas, via Tripoli 5, 0572772763 Accademia, via dell’Oleandro 8, 0572904287, 3384421131 Ambrogini, via delle Saline 15, 0572767445 Avia, via Montebello 56, 057279587, 3924208336 Belfiore, via Puglie 22, 057279592 Cioci, via Montebello 24, 057278335, 3470140365 Conchiglia, via delle Saline 82, 057278913, 3386730941 Concordia, via della Salute 16, 057278928, 057274865 Continentale, via Puccini 18, 057270389 Diamond, via Pastrengo 13, 0572772359, 3403072406 Eur, via Cavallotti 76, 057274775 Frascati, via Cavallotti 19, 057278546 63

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Useful addresses

Hotel Bijoux, via Imbriani 16, 0572386212, 3275671428 Il Cantastorie, via Sano 15, 0572674496 Il Capannaccio, via Poggio alla Guardia 2, 057273448 Il Parco, via Galvani 8, 0572766900 Iris, via Cavallotti 26, 057278213 Italia, piazza Italia 2, 057278181 Lara, via Cavallotti 87, 057278537 L’Etoile de la Ville, corso Matteotti 136, 0572913222 Lombardia e Sorgenti, viale Manzoni 9, 0572767658, 057278490 Molino di Ciapo, via Renaggio 12, 057267225, 3384483732 Nuovo Mondo, viale Marconi 24, 057272046 Pesi, via Derna 24, 057271240 Serenissima, via delle Saline 34, 057270398 Splendid, via Mazzini 36, 057275004, 3346064200 Trinacria, via Montebello 47, 057278343, 057278632, 3479128689 Umbria, via delle Saline 19, 057271369 Valdinievole, via Torino 21, 057278721 Villa Le Ferrette, via di Riaffrico 10, 057275391, 3470750182 f Corsaro Verde, via Michelangelo 2/a, 0572911650 La Bolognola, via Bolognola 19, 055317494, 3357224991 Natucci, via Cavallotti 102, 057270380

Farm stays and B&Bs Antico borgo toscano, via Bolognola 1/c, 3288257851 Casa Albertina e Mario, via F.lli Guermani 12, 0572912639, 3472545759 Casa Nonna Zaira, via Petrarca 14, 057275383, 3282326360 Clodiani Marzia, viale della Libertà 10, 057270318 Da Zia Rina, via Volturno 18, 057273847, 3477487716 Fedora di Gori Rosalba, via Peloni 14, 057279619 Le Prunecce, via Montaccolle 14/b, 057267011 Maloca, via Porta di Borgo 30, 0572090048, 3476255916 Meucci Davide, viale Fedeli 15, 0572911700, 057274571, 3355208547 Petit Chateau, viale Rosselli 10, 0572905900 Podere La Colombaia, via dei Giannini 17, 0572674431, 057267029, 3271605283 Residence Valmarina, via San Michele 3, 057278951, 3355427604 Scardigli Gianfranco, via Imbriani 7, 057275764 Storai Franca, viale Marconi 84, 057270531 Tacconi Patrizia, corso Matteotti 114, 057279223, 3395295341 Villa Maria, via Maona 21, 0572771744

Where to eat Caffè Giusti, piazza Giusti 24, Montecatini Alto, 057270186 Corsaro Verde, piazza XX Settembre 11, 0572911650 Costante, corso Matteotti 90, 057278832 Da Egisto, piazza Battisti 13, 057278413 Da Lorenzo, corso Roma 45, 057279557 Da Pellegrino, via Renaggio 6, 057267158 Dinner Moving Tocqueville Restaurant, via Pistoiese 34, 0572766182 Enoteca Giovanni, via Garibaldi 25-27/A, 057273080 Gourmet, viale Amendola 6, 0572771012 Gran Caffè Giardino, piazza Giusti 22, Montecatini Alto, 057273116 Il Discepolo, viale Fedeli 56, 057278541 Il Gallo, via Del Gallo 148, 057280335 Il Gatto Bianco, via Galvani 18, 057278419 I Gemelli, via Foscolo 11-15, 057271229 La Barca - Mare Mosso, via Ponte dei Bari, 0572906318 La Bottega dell’Oste, via Biscolla 57, 0572913982 La Cascina, viale Verdi 43, 057278474 La Pecora Nera, via San Martino 18, 057270331 La Rughetta, piazza Giusti 6, Montecatini Alto, 057273208 64

La Polveriera, via Marlianese 4, 057267353 La Torre, piazza Giusti 8, Montecatini Alto, 057270650 Le Maschere, piazza Giusti 19-21, Montecatini Alto, 0572770085 Le Prunecce, via Montaccolle 14, 0572674500 Lidò Le Panteraie, via delle Panteraie 26, 057271958 Monnalisa, via Pistoiese 49, 0572770807 Montecristo, via Pistoiese 59, 0572910077 Oca Nera, viale Marconi 58, 057279346 Osteria Il Bivio, via Vico 1, 057267319 Ristorante Margherita, via Renaggio 2, 057267155 Ristorante Montaccolle, via Marlianese 27, 057272480 Ristorante Wow, via F.lli Guermani 2, 0572911381 San Francisco, via Simoncini 2/E, 057279632 Trattoria Da Guido, via Mazzini 2, 057278469 Trattoria Il Vicolo, via Bovio 1, 0572771976 Tornese e Crevalcore, via Da Vinci 13, 0572773074 Villa Patrizia, via Poggio alla Guardia, 057267186

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Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley

Washed by the River Nievole, this land has a fantastically long cultural history, as we can see in the hills on either side of the valley, dotted here and there with mediaeval castles and towns.

Montecatini Terme and the Nievole Valley

Elegant and cosmopolitan, regarded as the capital of European spa towns, Montecatini Terme is the most prestigious of the eleven municipalities that make up the part of the Province of Pistoia called the Nievole Valley (Valdinievole).

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