Singing in the Rain ~ February 2, 2017

February 2, 2017

A late start to our day - partly due to our travels over the last 2 days, and partly due to the fact that our room is equipped with wooden shutters that completely block the sunlight.  Even during the day, unless we open them, it is dark as night in there!  As a result, we missed the included breakfast and ventured into town in search of some coffee and a light meal.

Jeff is enjoying his croissant and tea.  Not pictured is my caffe macciato con latte.

This coffee shop was a friendly place to enjoy a bite to eat.

After this late breakfast we set about exploring Montecatini Terme itself.  Armed with our trusty umbrellas we found the town square and the smaller of two train stations, Montecatini Terme Centro.  We learned a bit more about the town and its "claim to fame."  The word "terme" means "spa" and is related to the mineral waters that are found deep underground.  From the Middle Ages through the early 90s, this area was the "go to" place to "take the waters" (which literally means drinking the water) to cure any illness related to "bile" (e.g. gall bladder, constipation, etc.).  The waters of the spa have medicinal qualities - most specifically in helping rid the body of "bile."  We were told that the treatment takes ten days, and one must go to the spa each morning before breakfast to drink the water, which is very warm and very salty.  Personally, I think I'll pass!

Originally Montecatini was one of the hill towns of medieval times, remnants of which exist as Montecatini Alte.

In the Middle Ages it became famous as a place of "healing waters" the Bagni di Montecatini.  Doctor Ugolino da Montecatini tested the healing properties of the waters, leading to the development of three spas The Bathroom of the Queen (Il Bagno Della Regina), The Bath of Merli (Il Bagno dei Merli), and Il Bagno Nuovo (the New Bath).  Today only one of the spas remains open in town.

We spent some time exploring a rather modern church on the square, La Basilica Di Santa Maria Assunta.

This is not my picture, but it captures the modern look of this church which was constructed in the late 50s/early 60s.  

The stained glass in the church is also more modern than what we normally see in the old churches of Europe.  The one on the left is one of a pair of long panels representing the patron saints of Italy.  This one portrays Santa Caterina da Siena.  Not pictured is the panel of San Francesco d'Assisi.

The large panel pictured on the right tells the story of the Madonna.  Even on a dreary grey day, the stained glass was inspirational.

After our visit to the church, we located the train station and determined that there was a train to Firenze leaving at 10 a.m. tomorrow.  Knowledge in hand, it was back to the hotel for a short rest, stopping along the way at a pharmacia for some decongestant spray and tissues!  Jeff had a good long nap and woke feeling better, so we went downstairs for "happy hour" - wine and antipasti (cheese, salami, and peanuts) - and the beginnings of our vacation backgammon tournament.  Later we went back out to Corsaro Verde for dinner.  After our experience of sparse portions at Da Lorenzo, we each ordered a pasta plate as well as an entree!  The portions were HUGE (and half the cost)!  Alas, we left food on our plates.

We shared this very good bottle of Italian Chardonnay - crisp and a bit citrusy - and I had this delicious dish of pappardelle with boar sauce.  Jeff had a wonderful pasta dish of buccatini with a bacon and Chianti sauce.  I wish I had taken a picture.  The pasta looked deep purple as you might imagine a Chianti sauce to look.  It was delicious!

I had steak with rocket salad and shaved parmegiano reggiano on top.  A squeeze of lemon made it perfect.  Jeff had chicken with a caprese salad on the side.  Just a fabulous meal!