Tuscany Outside of Firenze
I had never been outside of metropolitan Florence. I was ecstatic when I discovered two Marriott Autograph Collection hotels in Tuscany.
On a rainy Sunday afternoon I departed Firenze (Florence) for Grotta Giusti in Monsummano Terme, a town near Montecatini Terme in the heart of Tuscany.
I had booked a 4 night stay at an Autograph Collection (a Marriott Bonvoy brand) called the Grotta Guisti Thermal Spa Resort as a treat, using points. The closest train station is Montecatini Terme & a taxi ride (about 15 minutes) is €25. Actually I had arranged a taxi from my Florence hotel for the 22 mile trip at a fixed rate. That was a pleasure. After perfect weather for Florence, the predicted rain was well-timed for my planned days to “relax”.
I had found Grotta Guisti on the Bonvoy site while researching Florence lodging. I also found the sister property, also an Autograph Collection in Lucca 35 miles away, called The Grand Universe. I booked 2 nights there to follow my spa stay.
Although I had seen photos & checked reviews before booking, I was stunned by the beautiful historic villa that is the hotel.
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The Grotta Guisti refers to the cave which naturally has warm mineral filled air along with a naturally warm mineral river pool. This has been a health destination for many decades & the Grotta and the large mineral pool are open to the public. Hotel guests have a separate entrance & access to all spa facilities, the public ones and the enhanced spa facilities in the resort. 
Here’s an interesting description:
“Nestled in the hills of Valdinievole, Monsummano Terme holds a true natural spa paradise that is Grotta Giusti.
First referred to by Maestro Giuseppe Verdi as the “8ᵗʰ wonder of the world,” the millennia-old cave stretches more than 656 feet (200 meters) underground, creating subterranean labyrinths adorned with stalactites and stalagmites along with spacious caverns that evoke the Dantean atmospheres of Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.
At the base of the cavity lies a crystal-clear mirror of hot thermal waters at a temperature of around 97 °F (36 °C), emitting a healthful and therapeutic steam that envelops guests in a beneficial and detoxifying “sauna.” Temperatures here experience very limited seasonal variations, going from 82 °F (28 °C) to 93 °F (34 °C). Diving enthusiasts can plunge into a thermal cave under the guidance of experienced instructors.
Located within the century-old park of the 19ᵗʰ-century villa of poet Giuseppe Giusti’s family, today the Grotta houses a resort and spa with an outdoor swimming pool where the thermal waters reach 95 °F (35 °C), equipped with the highest level of technology, with an 8072-square-feet (750-square-meter) mirror of water, a scenic waterfall and 40 whirlpool spots.
Stunning Grotta Giusti Terme Mineral Cave
Grotta Giusti Terme
The Grotta Guisti hotel staff treat Marriott Platinum guests well. The beautiful & ample breakfast buffet was included for each day. The reception staff were very accommodating when I asked for an upgrade for my 4 night stay. I stayed in a very comfortable junior suite (there are only 6 in the hotel). They offered it with the proviso that it did not have a view. Actually the bedroom looked out into the greenery of the mountain behind the Villa, but the outdoor linen laundry facility was beneath my living room
window. I never heard anything, and it did not bother me at all. The spacious bathroom had a tub & a shower. And of course the Spa hotel provided comfy robes.
My Suite Bedroom!
On my first afternoon I spent some time at the spa desk. I had a tour, learned about the treatment options & booked activities for my stay. This included a visit with a doctor who took a brief health history. She determined that the thermal mud treatments would be good for my arthritis, but that they should avoid putting the mineral mud on my prosthetic knees.
Warm Mud Treatment
The Signature Treatment included applying mineral mud, then going down into the warm mineral cave with the mud on, for 15 minutes. It got progressively warmer the deeper into the cave I ventured. There were chairs to relax in each room. The second room was called Purgatory. The third one was called Inferno. The cave was beautiful and interesting. And the treatment very relaxing.
That’s me going into the Cave!
Afterwards I spent the day lounging, swimming in the thermal pools even in the rain & trying out other baths. This was April, shoulder season, just after Easter.There was yet another outdoor pool for hotel guests only to bathe and lounge in the sun, that opens later in the season when the weather is warmer. It was 50s at night and 60s daytime during my week in Tuscany April 9-18. The week before in Florence was sunny and while the temperature warmed up to the low 70s mid-afternoon, it was otherwise similar; jacket weather.
Lunch was available at the thermal poolside cafe. 
Grotta Guisti Poolside Cafe
I had dinner in the hotel restaurant each evening & enjoyed my food every night. Most guests had cars and recommend them for touring in the area of this location. Traveling solo, a senior woman, I did not want to drive in this first trip to Italy in many years.Had it not been a rainy week, I could have walked to the town restaurants, 15 minutes each way, but staying in the resort just added to my relaxation.
I had heard that Wednesday was Market Day in Pistoia, the larger small city nearby. I went by taxi to the train station in Montecatini Terme with advice from the hotel staff & took the train 15 minutes to Pistoia. 
Stamp your Train Ticket Here
Take the Train; Then Ride Your Bike!
I walked from the Train Station about 20 minutes to the center of downtown. The rain held off for most of the day. This city felt very real to me. Where I was looked like a working town & the market with more goods than produce, was aimed at the local residents. The Duomo would, if restored be elegant like the cathedrals in Firenze, but Pistoia was a real town without tourists & probably likewise without resources for historical renovation or improvements.
Duomo in Pistoia
Wonderful Gelato, this day in Pistoia in Tuscany
I returned to my hotel late afternoon, in time to warm up in the indoor thermal pool, near the sauna and ice bath, before dinner. I was glad I had ventured out.
Grotta Giusti Ice Mist
I wondered about the few guests I saw with children there. Then I discovered the inhalation therapy rooms. I don’t know what was used or with what frequency, but I assume it was for asthma and other breathing problems, and perhaps that’s why the children were there.
Grotta Guisti Inhalation Therapy Room
While there I had two additional mud treatments and spent time enjoying a historical fiction novel set in Tuscany, in the relaxation rooms. To have time to read a book about art in Italy, while there was a treat.
Grotta Guisti Spa Relaxation Room
Relaxation Room View, Grotta Guisti Spa
This spa differs from US spa resorts. The treatments seem to be recognized, even prescribed for their medical benefits & Europeans have utilized their health spas for decades for health reasons rather than as a luxury treat.
I felt terrific when I left for Lucca. Grotta Guisti agreed with me. I might have to make this trip an annual sojourn!
I also arranged a taxi for my 2 night stay in Lucca. It was not so far away, maybe only 35 miles. I checked into the Grand Universe on a Piazza right in town. 
Grand Universe Autograph Collection
The rooms in European hotels are notoriously smaller than in the US. Traveling solo doesn’t help. The first room I was shown was so tiny that with my suitcase in the only spot I could see to put it, I would not have been able to get into the bathroom. I asked for a brighter room, maybe a corner was available? The room I got actually had two windows and a wooden cathedral ceiling which while still small, felt larger and a was better fit.
With a hotel map & umbrella in hand I headed out to explore Lucca. It wasn’t long before I ducked into a wonderful gelato shop to avoid the steady rain.
Lucca
Lucca is a beautifully curated popular tourist town. Window shopping I saw high end fashion & wonderful ceramics, leather & more. Buildings are historic and interesting. Alleys intersect bigger streets & because old town Lucca is walled, you can wander and not get lost.
Such a large cathedral for such a tiny town! The Duomo was very interesting. 
There was a fascinating art restoration workshop that was renovating a life size wooden sculpture of Jesus behind glass windows & there with an explanatory film. 
Puccini was born in Lucca & this is a music town with concerts almost every day in many different venues, some free.. 
There is a beautiful 4 km recreation trail that was built on the top of the city walls. A lovely botanical garden is also accessed from this trail.
The morning I was leaving, there was a monthly antique market in my hotel neighborhood. I walked through it mesmerized by what was available. I even spotted a box with Pietre Dure. 
Saturday Antique Market Outside Grand Universe
Antique Market Finds 3
The train station in Lucca was just a 10 minute walk from the hotel, outside the city walls, where the real town of Lucca begins. I inquired from here about the train to Milan & bought my tickets for the day I was headed up there.
Both Grotta Giusti & the Grand Universe breakfast provided the complimentary full breakfast in their restaurants, anything desired for Platinum Status.The Grotta Giusti Spa days was Rejuvenating & I enjoyed Lucca. I loved being in Tuscany & I would repeat this trip in a minute!
This featured blog entry was written by Nsevers from the blog On the Road Again.
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