Palazzo Fiuggi, Fiuggi

In short… A wellness medical retreat that combines holistic traditions with Western medicine, incredible food, and hours spent taking in the waters.

The background… If you’ve ordered bottled water in Rome, it’s likely that you’ve drunk water from here—the “acqua di Fiuggi” flows from its source at the base of the Ercini mountains, and from the town’s natural springs. I was familiar with Fiuggi because I’d been drinking it for ages—then I started hearing about Palazzo Fiuggi from friends and colleagues after it opened a couple of years ago. Just an hour outside of Rome, this sleepy spa town has been attracting cure-seekers since as far back as the 14^th century—including Michelangelo, who came for his kidney stones (“the only stone he couldn’t love”). While Palazzo Fiuggi is only two years old, it’s had many incarnations over its 110-year history, and turning it into a medical retreat where people can come and take the waters in a modern setting feels like it’s exactly what it should be.

The vibe… The 20-acre estate property begins just on the edge of town—a long tree-lined drive brings you to the very grand entrance–a 6-story, Liberty-style palazzo—built in 1913 to be the grandest hotel in Europe, and the first on the continent with a swimming pool. Today the ballroom is the largest and most lovely, light-filled gym I’ve ever seen; there’s a library with a huge collection of ancient books, chessboards, and a record player, and a screening room where they’ll put on whatever you ask for. While most guests book for a week or longer, you can arrange for a shorter stay—not a bad way to finish off a gluttonous Italian vacation. And because the property is so close to Rome (40 minutes from Ciampino Airport and an hour from Fiumicino) and from Naples, the hotel encourages guests to do afternoon day trips (after doing their program in the morning). I love the idea of a quick trip to Pompeii from here (staying away from the delicious temptations of Naples).

The rooms… Great light, high ceilings, and lots of space—we had a junior suite and it was easy to work out of. There’s no coffee on the premises, but you have a tea kettle with a good selection of teas (including some black tea options, a welcome sight for us caffeine addicts). Our room was on the back side of the hotel and overlooked the hillside town of Old Fiuggi, which looks like a Wes Anderson set at night.

The wellness… We opted for the longevity program (there are also detox, restorative, and medical diagnostic programs you can sign up for), since Matt and I will be doing a fast later this month (stay tuned!). We had body scans, EKGs, a body mechanic evaluation, thalassotherapy, and chose to do the “optimum weight” program, which meant 1,200 calories a day. While all of it was very interesting, the thing we were most excited about was the body mechanic evaluation in which our walking/running/stance was evaluated, which showed we needed to strengthen our dorsal muscles for better posture. We also couldn’t get enough of the spa. Each day, we did long swims in the indoor/outdoor pool, followed by a Kneipp bath routine (a shallow pool with hot water on one side and cold on the other, which you walk between 10 times), followed by infrared sauna, a sauna/steam/cold plunge, and ending in the salt room (a room made of Himalayan salt bricks). Heaven.

The food… Meals are served in one of the most epic Liberty-style dining rooms with phenomenal ceiling detail. The menu is created by Heinz Beck, the 3-star Michelin chef at La Pergola in Rome, who works with the staff doctors to create dishes that are delicious and thoughtful and within the caloric program. After dinner there is a tea cart, and having that roll up to the table, even if there isn’t cheese or a dessert on it, feels very special. Every day at 11 and 5 there’s a juice that’s served in their “tisaneria” (tea room). And in the spa area there’s always a tea of the day and some fruit-infused water that’s way beyond the cucumber variety—think pomegranate/apple/lemongrass. We were never hungry—we only craved coffee—so every morning we walked the 5 minutes into town and had a delicious Americano at Caffè Michelangelo. (Our secret.)