In the hills of Lazio, Palazzo Fiuggi sets the stage for a transformative wellness experience.

The healing mineral waters of Fiuggi may have cured Michelangelo’s kidney stones, but it wasn’t until the early 20th century that the central Italian town (an hour’s drive east of Rome) emerged as a fashionable spa destination. Now, almost 110 years since the Grand Hotel Palazzo della Fonte opened as the most elegant place to stay in Fiuggi, the estate has been transformed by its new owners into a 21st-century medical wellness retreat called Palazzo Fiuggi.

While the Liberty-style building’s original grandeur — think frescoes, Murano chandeliers, and acres of Carrara marble — has been updated with contemporary furnishings and color palettes, its former conference facilities are now a vast medical spa and health center equipped with thalassotherapy pools, Roman-inspired baths, advanced diagnostic tools, and, in what was the hotel ballroom, a state-of-the-art gym. Lasting a week or more, programs tailored by in-house clinicians focus on immunity boosting, longevity, detox, and weight loss. These are supported by spa treatments that run the gamut from sound and infrared therapy to Dead Sea mud wraps and Ayurvedic sessions.

Food is central to the experience. To develop its personalized menus, Palazzo Fiuggi has brought in German chef Heinz Beck, best known for his three-Michelin-starred La Pergola restaurant in Rome. Here, he has worked alongside the retreat’s medical and scientific director to create a line of dishes that promise equal servings of nutrition and delectability.

Add in the property’s salubrious setting — it sits 700 meters above sea level amid an extensive natural park — and you’ve got the perfect base for a restorative post-pandemic escape.

Seven-day programs including meals, accommodation, and all the Fiuggi water you can drink start from €8,900 per person.

palazzofiuggi.com

This article originally appeared in the June/August 2021 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Fiuggi in Focus”).