Montecatini Terme, Italy: Self-Guided Walking Tour

The best things to do in Montecatini Terme include exploring its historic spa establishments, discovering local museums and theatres, and climbing to the medieval hilltop settlement of Montecatini Alto. In Tuscany’s Province of Pistoia, the town brings together a spa-town atmosphere, cultural landmarks and a landscape that shifts from plains to hills. Neywo has a free audio guide to Montecatini Terme with 17 narrated places.

Montecatini Terme is the chief town of the municipality of the same name, in the northwestern part of Italy. Its thermal heritage is central to the city, but the visit also reaches into civic buildings, churches and the historic village above the modern town. It is a rewarding stop while exploring Tuscany and the wider landscape of Italy.

What to see in Montecatini Terme

The city’s main sights are concentrated around its thermal and cultural heart. A first walk reveals grand spa establishments, theatres and museums before continuing towards Montecatini Alto.

Santa Maria Assunta

Santa Maria Assunta is a church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and one of the city’s important religious landmarks. Its status is especially significant: in November 1988, Pope John Paul the Second elevated it to the dignity of a minor basilica. The church belongs to the Diocese of Pescia and is located in the Province of Pistoia.

Kursaal

The Kursaal is a theatre and a cultural landmark in Montecatini Terme. Its presence recalls the town’s long connection with entertainment and the social life that developed around the spa district.

MO.C.A. Montecatini Contemporary Art

MO.C.A. Montecatini Contemporary Art occupies part of the Palazzo Comunale. The museum brings modern and contemporary art into one of Montecatini Terme’s civic buildings, making it an interesting counterpoint to the town’s historic thermal architecture.

Teatro Verdi

Teatro Verdi is another important theatre in the city. It forms part of Montecatini Terme’s cultural life and adds a performance venue to the town’s collection of spa-era and civic landmarks.

Terme Redi

Terme Redi, also known as the New Redi spa, is one of Montecatini Terme’s thermal establishments. It is described as one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the town and the most recent among its spa establishments.

Terme Leopoldine

Terme Leopoldine is another part of Montecatini Terme’s thermal heritage. Its building belongs to the network of spa establishments that defines much of the city’s character.

Terme Tettuccio

Terme Tettuccio is Montecatini Terme’s most celebrated thermal establishment. The spa complex stands in the centre of the city, at Piazzale Domenico Giusti, also identified as Viale Verdi, 71. Its prominence makes it one of the key places to include when exploring the town’s spa tradition.

Terme Regina

Terme Regina, also known as Padiglione Regina, is a historic thermal establishment. It is now part of the wider Tettuccio thermal complex, extending the story of Montecatini’s spa heritage beyond a single building.

Museo dell’Accademia d’Arte “D. Scalabrino”

The Museo dell’Accademia d’Arte “D. Scalabrino” is a museum and one of the cultural stops in Montecatini Terme. Its connection with the Accademia d’Arte gives the town’s visit another artistic dimension alongside MO.C.A.

Things to do in Montecatini Alto

Montecatini Alto is the historic hilltop settlement above Montecatini Terme. Its narrow lanes, stone buildings and remains of medieval fortifications create a different atmosphere from the spa town below. The village is home to several historic and religious landmarks.

San Pietro

The Church of San Pietro stands in Montecatini Alto. It belongs to the Diocese of Pescia and is located in the Province of Pistoia, adding a religious landmark to the hilltop village.

Museo della Prepositura di San Pietro Apostolo

The Museo della Prepositura di San Pietro Apostolo is a museum in Montecatini Alto. It is one of the cultural stops to look for while walking through the settlement around San Pietro.

Palazzo del Podestà

Palazzo del Podestà is a historic-looking building in Montecatini Alto. Its appearance contributes to the hilltop village’s historic character and makes it a natural stop during a walk through its lanes.

Rocca di Montecatini

The Rocca, also known as the Rocca di Montecatini, is a historic stronghold and one of the notable features of Montecatini Alto. It reflects the defensive role associated with the hilltop settlement.

Teatro dei Risorti and the Monumento ai Caduti

Teatro dei Risorti is a theatre in Montecatini Alto that is now used as a restaurant. The site is also identified as the Monumento ai Caduti di Montecatini Alto, linking the building with the memory of the village’s fallen.

Santi Jacopo e Filippo

Santi Jacopo e Filippo is another stop included in the Montecatini Alto walk. Together with San Pietro, the museums, Palazzo del Podestà and the Rocca, it helps reveal the historic and religious character of the hilltop settlement.

Explore Montecatini Terme with a self-guided audio tour

Neywo’s Montecatini Terme audio guide offers two walking tours, with 17 narrated places across the city and Montecatini Alto. The stories play as you reach each place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

The first walk, Taking the Waters: Montecatini’s Spa Belle Epoque, covers 2.11 km in 83 minutes and includes 10 narrated stops. It follows the town’s spa and cultural landmarks, including Santa Maria Assunta, Kursaal, MO.C.A. Montecatini Contemporary Art, Teatro Verdi, Terme Redi, Terme Leopoldine, Piazza Giusti, Terme Tettuccio, Terme Regina and Museo dell’Accademia d’Arte “D. Scalabrino”.

The second, Montecatini Alto: The Medieval Hilltop Village, covers 0.76 km in 41 minutes and includes six narrated stops: San Pietro, Museo della Prepositura di San Pietro Apostolo, Palazzo del Podestà, Rocca, Teatro dei Risorti and Santi Jacopo e Filippo.

Download Neywo and turn your visit into a free walking tour of Montecatini Terme that follows the places themselves. The app tells the story of each landmark as you reach it, so you can explore independently and discover the spa town and its hilltop village without a group or a fixed schedule.