From Grotta Giusti to Bagni Di Pisa…

The pools and therapies available at the sister Bagni Di Pisa hotel are altogether different. Same hot water, but another atmosphere. Slightly more upmarket. Reminiscent of the sort of place Agatha Christie might have visited. If Poirot ever went anywhere to “take the waters” this would be the place. 

Actually, someone who did write something famous in this very hotel was Mary Shelley - who finished penning her story Frankenstein here after being partly inspired to write it back at home in Somerset’s Quantock Hills. 

I attended a wine class in the sumptuous bar area named after her and husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The Shelley bar is set in its original 18th century furnishings.

The Bagni di Pisa is an elegant five-star spa resort in San Giuliano Terme, just a few kilometres from Pisa, Livorno and Lucca.  And I’d say the hotel has more class in its little finger than many a hostelry I know where rooms cost three times the price. 

It’s now part of the Italian Hospitality Collection - a world-class hotel, resort and spa brand that provides… “rich, authentic experiences for travellers who seek to feel loved, cherished and indulged in a genuine Italian lifestyle.”

And talking of Italian lifestyle, we enjoyed a really first class wine-tasting experience here that was one of the best I have taken part in for a long time.

Gustav of Sweden and George IV of England both stayed here as well as the Shelleys and all their famous friends. 

And if its good enough for the inventor of Frankenstein, it’s good enough for me. Although I did feel a little Frankenstein-like during a spa treatment which saw me covered head-to-toe in sea salt for some reason I could never quite determine. 

I was soon back on my feet again enjoying a true sumptuous dinner. The food in both hotels is as fabulous as you’d expect, but as I’ve written about the culinary experience in another article on the site I won’t repeat it here. 

What I would say is - if you fancy a real and very elegant taste of Tuscany, then a stay at these hotels will most certainly fulfil your Italianate desires…