Bagni di Pisa Palace & Spa

The Grand Duke of Tuscany built this palace in the early eighteenth century because the thermal springs at San Giuliano Terme were already famous, already ancient, and he saw no reason to take the waters anywhere less magnificent. Poets followed. Byron stayed here, which the hotel mentions with the quiet pride of an institution that has stopped being surprised by the company it keeps.

The building sits at the foot of Monte Pisano, between Lucca and Pisa, in a position that manages to be both completely removed from the tourist current and extraordinarily convenient to it. Lucca is twenty minutes by car. The Leaning Tower is closer still — visible, on a clear day, from the Dei Lorena restaurant terrace, which is the kind of view that makes lunch take considerably longer than planned.

The Rooms

Sixty-three rooms and suites across the historic palace building, each one different in the way that genuinely old buildings produce different rooms — some with original frescoes on the ceilings, some with parquet floors, some with views across the gardens toward the distant tower. The best rooms are in the original palace wing where the Grand Ducal proportions — high ceilings, generous windows, the particular silence of very thick walls — remind you that this building was designed for people who took comfort seriously. All rooms come with robes, minibar, and the unhurried feeling of a place that has been receiving guests for three centuries and knows exactly how it's done.

Food & Drink

The Dei Lorena Restaurant serves Tuscan specialities alongside low-calorie and vegetarian menus — a nod to the wellness-oriented guest that doesn't overwhelm the cooking. The terrace, with its views toward the Leaning Tower in the middle distance, is the place to linger over lunch. Breakfast is generous, varied, and consistently praised. The bar, with its original frescoed ceiling and aperitivo atmosphere, handles the evening with the elegance the building demands.

The Experience

Five pools — four indoor, one outdoor — fed by the natural thermal springs that drew the Grand Duke here in the first place. Steam bath, sauna, Turkish bath, and a comprehensive spa menu ranging from thalassotherapy to sports massage. The thermal water is the point of Bagni di Pisa in the way that the Brunello is the point of Montalcino — everything else is context. An adjacent golf course handles the guests who need a reason to leave the spa. Bicycle rental is available for those who want to reach Lucca or the surrounding hills under their own power.

Worth Knowing

The location is San Giuliano Terme rather than Lucca itself — which means you need a car to reach the walled city. This is not a hardship. The hotel provides a peaceful remove from the tourist traffic that Lucca attracts in high season, and the thermal spa gives you a reason to stay on the property that Lucca's own hotels cannot match. Book a frescoed room in the original palace wing and ask for a tower view at the restaurant. Both are worth the specific request.

"The Grand Duke chose San Giuliano Terme for his thermal palace. Byron chose it for his convalescence. Between them they have made a fairly convincing case."