Hotels ➜ Grotta Giusti Resort & SPA ★★★★★

Grotta Giusti Palace and Thermal Spa is hidden in the gentle hills of Tuscany, between Pistoia and Montecatini Terme, blending the silence of a historic estate with the healing power of underground thermal caves. The core of the property is a 19th-century villa, once the residence of poet Giuseppe Giusti, whose bright façade and classical symmetry reflect in the mirror lake of the park. Cypresses, pines and centuries-old oaks frame a garden where sculptures and stone paths recall a time when rest was still a ritual. The heart of the place is the grottoes, a system of natural caves through which 36-degree warm, steaming thermal water flows. In the “Paradise Grotto” the steam rises along the walls, the air is heavy with minerals and silence, and the slow walk over damp stone becomes therapy in itself. Outside the pools continue into the garden, framed by travertine and Mediterranean planting, while the view stretches over the Tuscan hills all the way to the Apennines.

The rooms and suites of the palace are spacious, furnished with antique furniture, Venetian terrazzo and fabrics in earthy tones. Many look out over the park or the ridge that turns golden in the evening light. The restaurant serves Tuscan cuisine that is reduced and clear, with wild herbs, local olive oil and wines from Chianti Montalbano. After dinner you stay on the terrace as the air smells of rosemary and only the chirping of crickets breaks the silence.

Grotta Giusti is also a favored spot for golfers who want to combine thermal water and tee shots. Only about 15 minutes away is the Golf Club Montecatini, a traditional 18-hole course that winds through pine groves and Belle Époque villas across the hills. The fairways follow the natural relief, the greens are demanding, and the proximity to town gives the game an elegant ease. A little further, around 20 minutes away, you reach the Golf Club Il Pavoniere in Poggio a Caiano. The course lies before the backdrop of the Medici Villa Ambra, set in a park with centuries-old oaks and a large lake that shapes several holes. Wide fairways, calm water hazards and broad views over the Tuscan landscape make playing here especially atmospheric and relaxing. For those who prefer the sea, the Golf Club Tirrenia is reachable in about 45 minutes. There flat fairways meet salty breeze, the holes recall links courses, and the Tyrrhenian Sea glitters in the background.

Grotta Giusti Palace and Thermal Spa thus unites the primal nature of a cave, the splendor of a Tuscan palace and the calm of the surrounding golf courses. After a round among pines, oaks and water surfaces you return to the steam of the grotto, where warm water loosens the muscles and the mind comes to rest, embedded in the timeless landscape of Tuscany.