Sport and Entertainment at Montecatini Terme

Montecatini’s Teatro Verdi, in the centre near the pine wood and the spa bath buildings, was built in 1930 as a great open air theatre. For many decades it retained its vocation as a classical theatre and opera and operettas were performed here in the best Italian tradition in accordance with the tastes of the tourists who stayed in Montecatini for its waters. With the passage of time it acquired four walls and was used as theatre studio (for television filming too) and hosted important conferences. In 2006 it changed management and now offers a full programme of events and performances of every sort every season.

Il Palaterme, 5500 capacity, an extremely modern building of great impact. Il Palaterme is the place where the people of Montecatini have always come for great sporting events and much more besides – concerts, live performances and important cultural events. Recently it also hosted two editions of Miss Italia and its final engagement. RAI took up residence here for this event putting the technical and structural resources of the Palazzo successfully to the test. A large car park but also its vicinity to the main road network make the Palaterme an important resource for the whole area.

For anyone who loves horse riding, the Ippodromo Sesana is an important reference point from both the architectural and sporting-entertainment points of view. Inaugurated in 1916 thanks to the interest of Baron Giuseppe Patrone it is one of the most important venues in Italy for harness racing and legends Varenne, Tornese, Crevalcore and Delfo, among others, have competed here.
Anyone who likes a little sport can use Montecatini’s public swimming pool and two tennis court centres (Torretta and Sporting).

The Clay Pigeon Shooting Range in the southern part of the town, just outside the town, is a centre of excellence where great champions have trained and begun their careers. International competitions are held here with an Olympic size range in which seven disciplines can be practised: trench, skeet, double trap, hunting route, compak sporting, helice and american trap.

Golf lovers can try their hands on a course just a few miles from the town centre set into the countryside at the Montecatini Golf Club in La Pievaccia. The course is part of an estate which once belonged to a historic local family and has 18 holes over a route of around 5860 metres, par 72. It is a challenging course and very beautiful too set out over the hills and of various difficulty levels including two small lakes.