MONTECATINI TERME
“I was looking for old farms that still had that old authentic Italian air. It was at the end of the trip that my wishes were granted!”
Departing Florence, the GPS lead us across the mountains on a tortuous, twisting road that eventually, brought us into the district of Montecatini. “There is a much more direct route,” our hosts informed us as we arrived, bedraggled at reception.
“But we came the more interesting way!” I rationalised!
The clubhouse "Il Rosmarino Selvatico" or Wild Rosemary Restaurant offers a perfect sun trap for lunch surrounded by peaceful fairways and acres of olive trees.
This unassuming little golf club an hour northwest of Florence (if you take the A11 motorway) is set in the hills of the Montalbano with no connection with the hit Italian TV series. There’s little fuss about the place. Nine simple bedrooms are available in a guest house attached to the clubhouse which was once an old farmhouse overlooking an olive grove.
Nowadays, the clubhouse comprises mostly of "Il Rosmarino Selvatico" or Wild Rosemary Restaurant with a sunny terrace to sit and enjoy lunch or a post-drive beer, which we immediately did.
PLAYING PARTNERS
We were partnered with Nino and Max, the club’s President and former fashion industry aficionado I knew from the 1st it was going to be fun.
The course is pure fun, not long but twisting through olive groves in a medley of doglegs and drops that keep you on your toes. In charming company, we played almost until it was dark, so keen we were to sample all of this wonderful little course.
Getting back to the clubhouse, I was told the course and clubhouse was an old Tuscan farm that has been lovingly restored with the newer ‘hotel’ block attached.
Massimiliano Laldi, Montecatini club president presides over the wine.
I got the feeling this is the real Tuscany and we felt quite at home. We had a superb meal in the clubhouse restaurant that evening, settling our bets with glasses of excellent Scottish malt whisky.
Food is simple and fantastic washed down with the best wine and topped off with a glass of malt whisky, or three.
What better way to make a couple of Scots feel welcome than to break out the finest single malts? By the way, the bottles were already well sampled so don’t think we polished them both off - although we did!
These guys are super-friendly by the way and I highly recommend including a visit to . They’ll help you with your itinerary for this area so get in touch with Elena at info@montecatinigolf.com for more info.
THERMAL SPRINGS
The next morning with only a slight headache, we went in search of the mythical Montecatini Terme, just to take a look. I was sure I’d visited on a previous press trip or perhaps life.
Unfortunately, the facility was closed for renovations at the time but that is all water under the bridge now and I’m told it’s fully functional again. A fine excuse for me to get back to Montecatini most definitely in this life.
