Last updated: October 2026
People imagine Tuscany in permanent sunshine. Then they come in November, or March, or even May, and it rains. Properly rains. The kind of rain that runs down the village steps like a little river.
I spent plenty of wet days in the hills, and honestly, some of them were my favourites. The mist rolls up the valleys, the villages go quiet, and the bars fill up with people with nothing better to do than chat.
But if you’re on holiday and you want to do something, here are my ideas for a rainy day round Lucca, Pescia and Pistoia.
1. Go underground at the Grotta del Vento
Up in the Garfagnana, near Fornovolasco above Gallicano, the Grotta del Vento (“Cave of the Wind”) is one of the best caves in Italy. You walk through chambers of stalactites and stalagmites, underground streams and deep shafts, with a guide.
There are tours of about one, two and three hours. The one-hour tour is fine for children. The cave is open all year except Christmas Day, but in winter there are fewer tours (the longer ones are mainly at weekends and on holidays), so check the timetable before you drive up. Bring a warm layer.
It pairs nicely with a day in Barga, just across the valley.
2. Pistoia Sotterranea: the city under the hospital
Under Pistoia’s old Ospedale del Ceppo there’s a whole hidden world of medieval vaults, old channels and traces of the hospital’s long past. A guided tour takes you about 650 metres through it in roughly an hour. It’s fascinating, slightly spooky and completely dry.
Book ahead, especially at weekends. Afterwards, Pistoia’s Piazza del Duomo is a short walk away, and the city is only about 35 to 50 minutes from Florence by train.
3. The paper museum at Pietrabuona
Pescia was a paper-making town for centuries, and the river valley above it was lined with paper mills. At Pietrabuona, the first of the Dieci Castella, an old mill called Le Carte is now the Museo della Carta (paper museum).
You see how paper was made by hand, in a real old mill. Guided visits last about an hour. When I checked, it was open to everyone on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, with other weekdays for booked groups. It’s closed on Sundays, so check before you go.
Afterwards, if the rain stops, carry on up the valley on my Dieci Castella drive.
4. The Gipsoteca Libero Andreotti, Pescia
In the heart of Pescia, on Piazza del Palagio, is a museum full of plaster models by the sculptor Libero Andreotti, who was born in Pescia. It’s a calm, light space, and few visitors know it’s there. Open Thursday to Sunday, with a break for lunch.
Pair it with a long lunch in Pescia. It’s the best rainy-day activity of all.
5. Puccini’s house in Lucca
Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, and his birthplace in Corte San Lorenzo is now the Puccini Museum. You’ll see his piano, letters and scores. It’s small, so it’s perfect for a wet hour. Closed on Tuesdays.
If you’re a fan, the Puccini family home at Celle dei Puccini, in the hills above Lucca, is lovely too.
6. Lucca’s churches
Lucca has a church on nearly every corner, and they make perfect shelter. In the cathedral of San Martino, look for the Volto Santo, the ancient wooden crucifix that pilgrims came from all over Europe to see, and the beautiful tomb of Ilaria del Carretto. Then pop into San Michele in Foro, with that wedding-cake façade, just across town.
Then do what the locals do. Put up an umbrella and walk a stretch of the walls anyway.
7. Montecatini Terme: a spa town for a wet day
Montecatini Terme is one of the “Great Spa Towns of Europe”, a group of historic spa towns added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2021. It’s a town built for taking the waters, with grand old spa buildings, elegant cafés and covered arcades.
It’s a short train ride from Pescia, Lucca or Pistoia. Book a spa treatment, or just wander and have a hot chocolate somewhere grand.
8. Pinocchio, rain or shine
The Pinocchio Park in Collodi is mostly outdoors, so it’s best in dry weather. But Collodi village itself, and a hot lunch nearby, are still lovely in the drizzle, and children rarely care about rain anyway.
And if all else fails
Find a bar in a village. Order a coffee, then maybe a glass of wine. Watch the mist come and go over the hills. It’s not a wasted day. It’s a Tuscan one.
Rainy day near Lucca: the short list
Grotta del Vento: caves in the Garfagnana, 1 to 3-hour tours.
Pistoia Sotterranea: about an hour underground. Book ahead.
Museo della Carta, Pietrabuona: paper-making. Check the days.
Gipsoteca, Pescia: sculpture. Thursday to Sunday.
Puccini Museum, Lucca: closed Tuesdays.
Montecatini Terme: spa town, UNESCO-listed.
Coming in winter? My post on winter in the Tuscan hills tells you what to expect. And for getting about without a car, see my car-free guide.
You might also enjoy:
- Winter in the Tuscan hills
- Best day trips from Lucca: 6 easy escapes I love
- Le Dieci Castella: a driving route through the Svizzera Pesciatina
Susan
Photo credits: Puccini’s birthplace in Lucca, now the Puccini Museum (photo: kajikawa, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons). All other photos are my own.
