La dolce vita in a Tuscan spa
By Isobel Shepherd-Smith

Isobel Shepherd-Smith immerses herself in la dolce vita at an old retreat of the Medicis in Tuscany, Italy
 
As the Tuscan hills basked in the afternoon sun, my companions and I pondered whether to ring for a prosecco or a tisane as we luxuriated in the warm waters of the thermal spa.

It was the perfect end to a perfect day, the first of a long-weekend break at Fonteverde Terme & Hotel, once a retreat for the Medicis. The hotel is a byword for taste, elegance and sheer indulgence.

Treatments include facials, mud packs, body peels and massages. One of the best treatments involves immersing yourself in a large tub of very hot water into which a large teabag is dropped. The teabag contains herbs and, alarmingly, is similar in look and smell to the restorative tisane served on the terraces upstairs. While you stew away for 40 minutes, your robe is heated so that you're enveloped in a warm towelling hug afterwards. This is a speciality of Fonteverde and features in all treatments. Classes are peppered throughout the day and a number are free; given the popularity of yoga, it would have been a bonus if that had been one of them. There were few takers at €100 (£68) for a private lesson.

While treatments and soaking in the restorative waters of the various pools occupy most of the time, entertainment is on-tap too. No matter the time of day or the venue canoodling Italians abounded — in and out of the water. However, some people prefer to bring their pets and a doggy spa provides every creature comfort.

As befits its aristocratic heritage, the hotel's rooms are beautifully decorated in burnt sienna and soft gold; the bathrooms are marble with great attention to detail. And the food is sublime: every meal a visual and gastronomic feast from piquant antipasti to dolce comprising tobacco, campari and liquorice. Instead of the postprandial brandy, there is a menu of tisanes, which include liquorice and mint, fennel or fruits of the forest, to aid digestion.

Fonteverde is a two-hour drive from Pisa and lies outside the medieval village of San Casciano dei Bagni, whose 42 thermal springs have been enjoyed since Roman times. The village is about an hour by train from Florence and two hours from Rome by car. So if you're tired and fed up, a few days of la dolce vita is just a hours away.

Three nights at Fonteverde Terme & Hotel cost from £770 with B&B, use of facilities, BA flights from Gatwick and car hire. Treatments are extra; upgrade to half-board for £13 a day. Two-centre holidays with four nights at Fonteverde and three at Grotta Giusti cost £1,406.

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