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Spas and Well-Being
As the land of well-being, Italy wallows in spa culture. The Romans pretty much perfected holistic water cures. Along the way, some spas became over-medicalised. But the scary-white-coats brigade have been banished from the best spas - or at least given a charm makeover rather than full colonic irrigation. Prepare to be pampered silly.
‘Taking the waters’ has become fashionable once more. Water cures, popular since Etruscan and Roman times, have always been part of local culture. The Romans saw spas as both curative and civilising, distinguishing their citizens from the Barbarians - who didn’t know how to combine warm water with warm company and well-being.
Italians distinguish between thermal spas (terme) and well-being spas (centri benessere) where water is not an intrinsic part of the treatment. Generally, thermal spas are more suitable for specific cures and longer stays while well-being spas are aesthetically pleasing, pampering, and offer a range of massages, facials and beauty treatments. But in the best thermal spas, the distinction is blurred - the well-being treatments complement the water cures.
In terms of thermal spas, the grand dames still survive, from Abano Terme in the Veneto to Montecatini and Chianciano Terme in Tuscany. Thermal spas were recreational in the days of the Tuscan Grand-Dukes, when resorts such as Bagni di Pisa welcomed the crowned heads of Europe to wallow in the waters, gamble in the casino and dance in the ballrooms. Since then, the best spas have been modernised, but in keeping with their monumentality. Emilia Romagna’s spas are magnificent, even if many, like Salsomaggiore, are a monument to the grandiosity of Mussolini. But if you want a sexy yet atmospheric day spa, then head to Bologna or Rimini.
The new breed of thermal spas marks a return to Roman roots: these are both pampering and restorative: spas which bathe body, mind and spirit. On Lake Garda, swimming in Sirmione’s Aquaria spa is soporific in winter, when the steam rises off the water. Feel yourself transported into a dreamlike state that drifts into a mysterious Antonioni movie. Instead, Fonteverde, floating on a sea of hills near Siena, is a stylish spa resort clustered around a Renaissance villa. As a destination spa, it delivers massage, dietary advice or yoga - without psycho-babble.
In the South, Ischia boasts the best thermal spas. Bathing in bubbling hot springs, or being slathered in mud, is a delight matched by the Mediterranean menu and balmy views over lemon groves.
While not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, spas such as Grotta Giusti, in Monsummano Terme, combine gracious villa-living with superb massage, thermal pools - and steamy grottoes dubbed ‘the eighth wonder of the world’ by the operatic Giuseppe Verdi.
The best spas have a belief in the curative powers of thermal waters and bespoke approach to well-being. It may be a simple massage, or a float in the spa - but in such a gorgeous setting, a ‘simple massage’ seems to solve everything.