Art and music are right at home in Montecatini Terme. Indeed, since the 19ᵗʰ century, all the greatest Italian opera composers—such as Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini, Ruggero Leoncavallo and Giacomo Puccini—have chosen to stay here to find inspiration and rejuvenate themselves, thanks in part to the famous spas.
Testifying to and keeping alive this connection is the Montecatini Opera Festival, started in 1999 as a high-profile event that each year presents a prestigious program dedicated to lovers of opera and more.
The program runs from April to October, hosting internationally known artists alongside young promising artists, in a unique and exciting architectural setting, starting with the Terme Tettuccio, an Art Nouveau jewel recently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the typical detachment from the spectator of certain traditional theaters is eradicated.
Since 2005, the festival has also had its own permanent orchestra: the Montecatini Opera Festival Orchestra.