Montecatini Alto, part of a 3-day visit to Tuscany last October, could not be farther from the current reality of 24-hour catastrophe TV, coronavirus memes, no live sports, shelter-in-place (house arrest), new (home-based) co-workers, distance learning (Zoom videoconferences and Google Hangouts Chat), social distancing (isolation), deep cleaning (usually reserved for unpleasant dental visits), hyper-local (neighborhood-based) vacations, and paper product procurement strategies, where the highlight of my day might be a tiger documentary or a walk with my new work assistant (dog). True, it is more difficult to channel the visit to this sleepy, medieval town perched about 300 meters above Montecatini Terme and accessible only via a bright red funicular and a lonely, narrow road, but it is, as I hope you will agree, worth the exercise.
How I triangulated on Montecatini Alto remains a mystery. In addition to visiting Lucca (our home base), I was able to visit Pisa and Viareggio. Florence was a possibility, but 75 minutes each way on the train was not particularly appealing. A local brochure must have featured, or at least mentioned, Alto. It helped, as well, that Terme, from which Alto could be accessed, was only 30 minutes by train.
It was overcast, but warm, during our visit. From the Terme train station to the funicular, it was probably a 30-minute walk, interrupted, of course, by a light pizza lunch at a local restaurant. Terme is a spa town, world famous (I’m quite sure) for its thermal springs, the Karlovy Vary of Italy. The vibe is fin de siècle. Sanatoria, mostly concentrated in and around a leafy park, abound. Out of curiosity, I walked into one, to see more than a few pensioners making appointments with the local physician to determine the best course of treatment. Interesting (and quite salutary), but I think I will wait.
Past the park and the sanatoria is the funicular, which, as it ascends, affords an ever-widening view of the Val di Nievole and transports the rider centuries back in time, to the Chiesa di San Pietro and Torre dell’Orologio, cobblestone streets, a welcoming piazza with the obligatory gelato shop, and most importantly, the feeling that you are disconnected (but in a good way) from the town below, the rest of the world, and time.
A proper visit to Alto should take probably not more than a few hours. So, just like that, we boarded the funicular and returned to reality, before making our way to the train station and boarding a local back to Lucca, with just enough time to catch a performance of Verdi’s and Puccini’s works in San Giovanni church, followed by a traditional (late) Italian dinner consisting of the best spaghetti carbonara I have ever had.
It is hard to believe that less than 6 months have passed since the visit to Alto. Still, and thankfully, the (rather vivid) memory persists and gives me confidence that more are possible.
Comments welcomed.
The Peninsula Hiking Club 