Montecatini Terme day 2

Had a good nights sleep and felt a bit better this morning. My throat is still soar but on the mend and hopefully I'll have this beat by Saturday.

Started the morning off with the a really nice breakfast that is included with my hotel. A yummy buffet with cheese, ham, yogurt, cereal and homemade bread and croissants.  To walk off all the food I'd just devoured I headed off to explore the city. I found the different spas none, or which were open as there is a conference going on and it seems they are occupying the spaces. It's the 3rd Annual Golden Age Gym Festival. Which explains all the senior citizens in matching jogging outfits that I saw the night before. They are from all over the world and each "team" as they are referred to have their countries prominently displayed all over their clothes, backpacks, hats, etc. I saw some from Denmark, France, Netherlands and Italy this morning and they're all so energetic and up early to go for a walk or jog or, in the case of those I saw on the temporary staging placed in front of the larger spa where you take the waters, taking a salsa class. I got a picture of them as you can see.

So these lovely seniors are her for a the week just having fun and competing and exercising and basically enjoying life. I love that!!! I'm sure my mother is reading this now and thinking, I wonder if they have a US team. Well I'm not sure as I haven't seen one but I would imagine there is.

I left the dancers and continued on my walk and found the funicular that takes you to Montecatini Alto (Montecatini High) which I'm sure you've gathered is at the top of a mountain and overlooks the flatland Montecatini below.  I am afraid of heights so not sure this was a good idea but since they had indoor seating and all the seniors were lined up to go I figured why not and the town looked so charming from where I was standing.  So off we went up, up and up some more. It wasn't so bad and I'm glad I did it because it's a really beautiful view of the area on all sides. There are so many small towns scattered about in this Tuscan region and several on the top of neighboring mountains in the distance. I would imagine it would takes a year or so to just travel to every little town in Northern Italy, perhaps even longer. I have no interest in trying that, I'm just making an observation that it would take a long time.

There are two churches, a fortress of some sort, a clock tower and many residential homes. It's clearly the place to live if you have money as the mansions that lined the outer part of the town were incredible and this is not a large space, it can me walked in about 15-20 minutes.

I did have to laugh a little at this Italian man who clearly lived in this beautiful town yelling at these German tourists who were trying to looking in a first floor window. He was about 50 feet away from them in front of his little car and he kept yelling them "Che cazzo vuoi" ..it means "What the f#@& do you want? and then at times he'd add before it "They're not at home. " He was so animated and truly annoyed with these people but the funny thing is they didn't realize he was talking to them or else they really just didn't care. Either way, it was a great slice of Italian life.

So back down on the funicular which moved along slowly as I talked with a couple from England how were on a motor coach trip from their hometown near Wolverhampton, England. I only mention Wolverhampton because my mom will remember we stayed there right after we left Liverpool two Christmas' ago. She didn't love the place but I thought it was interesting.

We parted ways at the bottom and I went off to explore and enjoy the day which I did and then I went to the pool that is not in my hotel but a partner hotel called the Grand Hotel La Pace. The pool is outdoors as you can see from the pictures and it's really very nice. Some people were out in their bathing suits sunning themselves but it was a little cold for me so I went to the tiny indoor pool where the Turkish steam room was. I stayed for two hours and went between the pool and steam room and then rested in their quiet lounge area. My head got a little clearer and my throat felt a little better so it turned out to be a good idea.

And this hotel is actually a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of The World organization and back in the hay day (1970's - 1990's) this was the place for lots of Hollywood stars to come. They had Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, Humphrey Bogart, and the likes. It must have been an incredible place to visit back then. Now the town is nice but it's so commercial with lots of fancy stores and there isn't a sense of  peace like there must of been back then because Audrey Hepburn wrote to the hotel owners thanking them for "a real sense of peace."

 The town is actually very interesting because from the moment I stepped off the train I felt like I had left Italy. It doesn't feel Italian at all it feels very German or Eastern European. It's certainly not what I expected but it is still very nice and mixed in with all the expensive stores are tons of really great affordable ones and even a fabulous thrift store right down the street from my hotel.  I just don't have a single space to put anything in my suitcase but it's nice to know most towns have a thrift store with lots of great inexpensive treasures.

Later in the afternoon I came across another platform, this time closer to the center of the town and on it were about 15 ladies doing step aerobics to load, energetic music. Another activity for the Golden Agers. They were really moving it, I wish I had that much energy.

I had dinner at a contemporary bar/restaurant near my hotel and then back to my room to get some rest. I didn't do half as much walking today as I have been doing but I think this little cold has just taken it out of me and I'm pooped. So after this post I'll be off to bed!

And some comments on pictures. Notice the kitty waiting by the door on the steps. I was tempted to knock on the door and tell them Kitty wanted in but I figured they wouldn't appreciate that and since it was nice out kitty would just have to wait. And then there was this astrological type clock on one of the old buildings, I don't know how it works but I thought it was pretty. And the last picture of me with a bowl of pasta is actually from Rome. My friend Lynne took it when we were at lunch and just sent it to me today.

 Brief history of Montecatini Alto and Montecatini Terme:

Montecatini Alto was a castle of Romanesque origin , 299 meters of altitude, that in the past time was the seat of the municipality until the year 1905. It was the origin of the Montecatini that we know now. At the beginning the only existing town was the one on the hill, however, already in ancient times, people knew that the waters in the swamps had curative powers, and that the thermal patrimony of Montecatini was probably already known to Etruscs and we have documents, relating about the spas, dating back to 1387, however one never gave enough significance to the phenomenon. In 1530 one started to take baths in the wells. One had also given a name to the wells: "mediceo" or " tondo" or "dei merli" or " della rogna". The area was in any case unhealthy cause of the stagnation of water. Thanks to the grand duke Leopoldo who ordered to built some waterways for the drainage, Veduta di Montecatini Alto the zone was regained, and to make easier the use of the thermal springs he ordered to built some thermal resourts That was also the origin of a second place: Montecatini Terme, first known as "Bagni di Montecatini", Piazza Centrale di Montecatini Alto exactly because it is part of the municipality of Montecatini Alto. So in 1905 the municipalities of " Bagni di Montecatini" and "Castello" were two separate ones. In 1940 "Castello" became part of "Bagni", today it has become an international thermal resort.