Bagni di Pisa Palace & Spa

In the public imagination the city of Pisa has drawn a pretty short straw — thanks to that tower, it’s relegated to the status of architectural footnote or physics-book illustration. Time was, however, it was known not for its shoddy foundation work, but for its thermal baths — hence the hotel in question, the Bagni di Pisa, an 18th-century nobleman’s palace, just outside of town, recently restored and converted into a modern Tuscan spa getaway.

The period interiors remain intact, within reason, and modern necessities are as unobtrusive as possible — LCD televisions, for example, fold away when not in use. The Dei Lorena restaurant serves a health-conscious take on Tuscan cuisine, with a view of the Leaning Tower, and the bar serves aperitifs in the Lord Byron sitting room (this bit of Tuscany was clearly a hit with English literary types of a certain era, as you may already have inferred from the hotel’s address on what is essentially Percy Shelley Street).

But what matters most is the spa. The famous waters, the famous muds (mud is taken very seriously here) — all manner of treatments are offered, from a simple soak to the most cutting-edge procedures. It’s a splendid way to unwind — and of course the location, just outside Pisa, surrounded by the famous olive-strewn Tuscan countryside, is none too shabby either.


How to Get There

Bagni di Pisa is approximately a 30 minute drive from Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA).