The pleasant welcoming city of Montecatini Terme hosted us as home base for the second stage of our adventure.  A larger than life sized statue of Giuseppe Verdi, the composer, seated on a park bench, graces the sidewalk on the street of our century old hotel.

Montecatini boasts a carousel. a fine open air market street, many fine restaurants and an opera house.  We had the great pleasure of attending a performance by one of the groups of ‘Italian Tenors’ at the opera house.  They gave us a rousing performance and received a well deserved standing ovation.

A short walk away to the edge of town is a funicular, built 1896, that will whisk you up the hill to Montecatini Alto.  On top of the mount is an old walled fortress and a beautiful village abound with restaurants serving delicious food ready to tempt your palate.  To further enjoy your sightseeing tour, relax with a mouth watering ‘Gelato’ treat, take in the sights, the architecture and the beauty of the hilltop.  As you walk about you will notice some beautiful local artwork, engage in a conversation with the artists.  It is a very relaxing mood at the top of the mount.

The train station is at the other end of town in Montecatini Terme, you can proceed from there onto Luca, Pisa and Florence.  All of these can be day trips. An excursion to the Cinque Terra is best scheduled as an overnight adventure, you must transfer to get there.

“Oh, they sing like birds.”