Developed mostly during the final years of the last century and the early ones of the present one, the architecture of the town reflects the genteel taste of those years. Its leafy avenues have provided a refreshing pause from the bustle of the growing cities to many a renowned figure of the Italian and European scenes. Up on top of a hill overlooking the town is the picturesque, medieval settlement of Montecatini Alto, that is to say Upper Montecatini . Its long history includes some turbulent years in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. In these more pacific days, it is pleasant to reach it easily by means of a funicular railway that links it to the lower town.
Dinner is at the hotel.
After breakfast we take the short bus ride into Florence to spend the day there enjoying the sights of this fabulous art city. Florence is renowned for its fabulous shopping opportunities from the elegant boutiques of the Via Tornabuoni and the leather shops in the neighbourhood of the Church of Santa Croce to the multitude of barrows and stands in the San Lorenzo Market offering goods of all kinds at bargain prices. Whilst in the city there will be an opportunity to visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and get acquainted with the site where the choir will sing during Mass the following day. We return to Montecatini in the evening in time for dinner. After breakfast at the hotel, the morning is at leisure in Montecatini with time to be made available for rehearsals according to Choir Master s directives.