Montecatini Terme is a historic Italian spa town. The region was initially inhabited by nomadic-hunters, but that has been only thoroughly recorded from the Mesolithic-period.
Today, Montecatini Terme is a town located in Tuscany, at the eastern-end of Piana-di-Lucca. It is known for quality tourism, commercial, and industrial services. There are nine spring-facilities in the town, which make it one of the biggest spa centers in Italy.
Montecatini Terme was built around its very own mineral-water springs. The springs are fed from four sources. Each of these sources has its own unique-mineral composition and healing properties. The springs originate at a depth of 60 to 80 meters where the spring water acquires the mineral-salts and various other biological-elements. The water passes through various layers of mineral-deposits which serve as a natural-purification. The spring water ranges between 75 to 82 degrees. The springs can either be light, strong, medium or medium strong depending on their salt content.
The following are some health disorders that are claimed to be treated in Montecatini Terme spas: rheumatism, arthritis, metabolic-disorders, stomach ailments and diseases, digestive problems, eating disorders, liver disease, kidney disease, bowel disorders, respiratory problems like sinusitis, rhinitis and pharyngitis. The spring water is claimed to cure stress, high cholesterol, help those with troubling stomachaches. It is also claimed that drinking two or three glasses of mineral water just before breakfast and walking around the town, will help soothe almost any ailment.
The hot-springs of Montecatini Terme contain many essential-elements like calcium, chlorine, iodine, lithium and phosphorus. Montecatini thermal baths, mud-baths and other spa treatments are helpful for the digestive system, kidney, liver, intestines, breathing-problems, the cardiovascular system, the skin, gynecological diseases and metabolic disorders.
Healthy people can enjoy a walk around the parks or enjoy spa treatment in one of the hotels.
The most popular spa in town is the Tettuccio-Terme. It was built in the late 18th-century by the Grand-Duke of Tuscany. The first three spas to be built were the Regina, the Tettuccio and Leopoldine. These three spas have made Montecatini Terme popular all over Europe.
Today, the spa treatments have really advanced and they usually include various modern-methods of massage, mud-pack treatments and even hydrotherapy.
The town has seen visits from various famous people, ranging from Puccini who composed some parts of La-Boheme there, to Giuseppe Verdi. Some other famous people who visited the town include Pietro Mascagni, Trilussa, Ruggero Leoncavallo, and Beniamino Gigli, as well as Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, and Prince Rainier. However, the town's reputation was recognized following the visit of Italy's leader of government, back in 1930, Benito Mussolini, who met Lando Ferretti there.
Montecatini Terme and its commercial and industrial services attracts many visitors, some who come just to take a walk in the streets of the town center like Corso Roma, Corso Matteotti, Viale Verdi, Viale-4 Novembre. It is quite easy for one to just stand in front of one of the many boutiques and shop windows in a daze. While in the town you can get the cialde in a can, which is a typical biscuit that preserves its freshness for quite a long time. For a souvenir, you can look around shops, visit the market or go to Montecatini Alto, the upper town, to get one.