Most spas – especially those that are part of a hotel or resort – offer pretty similar menus. There are ranges of massages and facials, scrubs and wraps and, while some spas have a much broader reach, particularly medical spas and clinics, it’s rare for a resort spa to have a more distinctive offering. So, Palazzo di Varignana, in the beautiful countryside of Emilia-Romagna, just outside of Bologna, comes as quite a surprise.
For a start, it comes with its own doctor, Annamaria Aquaviva, an expert on nutrition and healthy ageing, and author of several books including Health Revolution – The 5 Pillars of Health. It is her vision that is the foundation of the hotel’s Ginkgo Longevity Restaurant and its focus on healthy proteins, eating slowly and with thoughtfulness. My lunch with her on the day of my arrival was not, though, the frugal fare you might expect from a spa restaurant.
Everything was beautifully presented and tasted delicious from the Longevity Elixir (hawthorn and bergamot kombucha, rich in probiotics and antioxidants to support the immune system) to the red prawn bonbon (high quality proteins and omega-3 fatty acids for cardiovascular health) to seared octopus (rich in proteins and minerals and paired with yellow carrot and lavender to support muscle tone, skin and digestion). When the dessert arrived, I put on an eye mask (as instructed) and tried to guess the ingredients, while finding both the sweet – and my mouth – without disaster. It is, pointed out Dr Aquaviva, a way to awaken all the senses and become alive to your food.
I was not alone in the Ginkgo Restaurant. Many people go here for a health retreat with the doctor for whom she designs specific treatments as well as an individual diet for their entire stay. I, on the other hand, was just dipping my toe into the Palazzo’s offerings to try out everything it had to offer. And there was plenty.
There’s a huge hydrotherapy area with pools inside and out, steam, sauna and water massage. Many people choose simply to use these and enjoy the sunshine, the poolside loungers and the magnificent gardens full of roses, peonies and wisteria walks. Beyond the gardens are vineyards (they produce their own wine) and half a million olive trees (they produce their own very high quality oil, too). With the vineyards laid out like a fan on the hillside opposite, you can have a tasting both of the wine and the olive oil.
Olive oil tasting is an art in itself. Strippaggio is a technique for sucking air through the teeth onto a mouthful of oil to maximise the flavour, often accompanied by a loud slurp. The oil is so full of antioxidants, it is accompanied by a burning sensation at the back of the throat. This, though, I’m told is a good sign and it’s just the quality of oil that’s now recommended as a daily health support (for heart, bones, muscles, you name it).
The Varsana treatment spa is separate from the pools and hydrotherapy area and very extensive. Besides the more conventional spa menu, there’s a Moroccan area for hamams and related massages and treatments. And the Japanese area is a delight with its traditional onsen wooden bath (apply the scrub first for face and body) and tea ceremony where you sit on floor cushions surrounded by rice-paper screens for a relaxing finish to proceedings. Before this, though, in the same room, a small group of us learn face yoga.
Taught by Dana, this is another Japanese technique and is based on the not unreasonable premise that the muscles in your face, just like those in your body, need exercising. You do find yourself pulling some very odd faces in front of a mirror – very much needed to make sure you’re keeping the symmetry going and exercising the right part of the face.
And you really do feel it. Dana tells me that if I do this for a week, I’ll see a difference as it improves muscle structure and blood flow. I am inclined to believe everything Dana tells me, though, after she gives me a lymphatic drainage facial. Now, in fact, this is just a 30-minute taster of the real thing (80 minutes) but I can nevertheless see an immediate effect – my face looks totally relaxed and my skin is positively blooming.
Felling utterly restored for my final evening, I set off to the Treno Reale (Royal Train). It’s around 100 years old (its interiors are much restored) and was used by the Italian royal family (the House of Savoy). It offers extremely fine dining with a clever twist – the menu follows a journey through Italy featuring dishes from each region on its way from Varignana cuttlefish to Roman artichokes and meltingly tender Alpine beef from Milan, all with wine pairings along the way.
This is, then, a spa resort that’s full of surprises and the breadth and depth of the spa menu is pretty astonishing. There’s an anti-pollution facial with saffron, a restorative “leg lift” with bandages and pomegranate, cosmeceuticals, stems cells, intense skin purification, cellular skin recreation – really, you name it and you’ll find it here. The palazzo may look like a resort spa but it’s so much more than that.
Palazzo di Varignana Resort & Spa, Via Ca’ Masino, 611A, 40024 Castel San Pietro Terme BO, Italy. For more information, including details of the Varsana Spa as well as more stunning pictures, please visit www.palazzodivarignana.com.
