THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
What if you could take a break in a stunning location, improve your health and well-being with guided exercise and calories measured, all in an opulent, luxury setting? Would you trade in the usual Fly and Lie-on-a-beach for a transformative break? Google travel searches for active, healthy holidays has swelled and there is a growing desire to be physically challenged and to explore your limits. The sedentary nature of work, the devitalization of raising children and post pandemic heft have people wanting more, and luxury fitness wellness retreats are in demand.
Those in the know have been visiting The Ranch in Malibu, California since it opened in 2010, the creation of Alex and Sue Glasscock. Alex's ardent reach for longevity – he aims to live to at least 110 years old – is intrinsic to The Ranch's thoughtful ethos and method. The program is innovative and transcendent, and you can recalibrate, modify, and renovate your health through rigorous hiking, fitness classes, diet, treatments and medical supervision. The Ranch have won a host of awards and there is a 50% return rate among Ranchers. That's a solid testament.
The Ranch Malibu concept immediately resonated and there was a wait-list pronto. To acquiesce to demand, they ran pop-ups in places such as the Dolomites. Then in May 2022, The Ranch Italy opened at the historic and posh grand-dam Palazzo Fiuggi Hotel about an hour from Rome, positioned in the rolling Lazio hills. The area was said to have been visited by Popes, Royals, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Sophia Lauren and is renowned for the properties of its cosmic, healing waters (good for renal conditions, taken with doctor's advisory). Under preserved frescoes and elegant Murano glass chandeliers, decompression ensues but don't get too relaxed, there is work to be done.
The Ranch team thoughtfully requests your travel timings so they can greet you upon arrival then take you on a tour of the sequestered areas within the hotel; the exercise rooms, a relaxing lounge and at the center of it all the dining room with stunning views and where you engage with your new squad. The groups are generally Americans who live abroad, and some have visited the California retreat. The word is out, and others are discovering the meritorious program in Italy and it is advised to book now before the wait-list starts.
I lucked out with an exceptional group including Andréa, a Brazilian who lives in London and runs a charity (treelove.com) that plants indigenous trees in the Amazon's Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor. An engaging mother and daughter team who were training for an Ultra Marathon 50K, a top financier who was a return Rancher, and an incandescently inspirational tech fitness couple, too. It was noteworthy that in our group, six out of 12 had names that started with the letter A and at least nine languages could be spoken around the table. You could be walking with gazillionaires, actors, monolithic CEOs, the Alpha Lot and me, a journalist raising a teenage son wanting to get my groove back.
In that Utopian American way, platitudes are doled out and their maxim, 'Endurance, Nutrition, Wellness', (acrostically, if anagrametically, 'NEW') is just how you feel after a four- or seven-night retreat. Is this the new turn on, tune in, drop out? There is a patchouli sniff to the spirit of the retreat, and woven-in, optimistic hippie vibes. Sustainability is paramount to the Ranch's ethos, and they offer custom mixed teas in plastic free bags and snacks in paper bags. The vegan, plant-based diet gives you 1,400 calories daily, no caffeine, alcohol or sugar and firm favorites include the gluten free Focaccia bread and the cauliflower pizza.
The wake-up call is 5:30 to 6:00am dependent on the time of year. You meet for a group stretch and breakfast. Pre-hike foot clinics address blisters, and knees and ankles can be wrapped. Then sticks and Camelbaks and onto the vans for your daily four-hour hike – il camminare. Our thoughtful guide David brought us to life with his road tunes as we traversed through small villages en route to take to the trails and head up the Apennines. You are given a walkie-talkie for check-ins, and the trails are flagged. They request you have a technology detox, but if you need your music, or must take a picture, there is not going to be a dressing down from nanny. The team is there to serve and support you. The walks are the muscle of the program and I found them to be super challenging but necessary. (Drink the Kool-Aid Alex! Run, Forrest, Run!)
The rewards of finishing reminded me of the strong and unflinching athletic person that I once was. Where had she gone? Why isn't fitness prioritized and part of my weekly routine? With an untethered mind free from worrying about deadlines, cooking dinner or someone asking where something is, I had miles of time to ruminate. Some of the Alphas will run the trails and can hit up to 12 km a day but the important thing is to keep walking for four hours. We rambled through ancient Roman arches following a monk's pilgrimage, rounded cliffs edges with tear evoking views, and kept an eye open for wild pigs and non-poisonous snakes. For a good while, a cobalt blue butterfly guided my trail, a harbinger that this is the way.
It is our birthright to walk and as I puffed up the hill, I had tremendous regret that I hadn't followed the suggested 30-day pre-visit suggestions; walk regularly building up to four hours, limit or cease caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, sugar and meat, break in new boots, go to sleep earlier. The soulful team urges you on, they know how to handle a whinging hedge fund manager and have seen everything on the trail. They are equipped with bandages, medicines, and cold towels and hot tea await at the end of the hike. I was a slow walker, the lone wolf (even though I have an "A" name) but got there in the end. The spa rejuvenation and massages were calling to me, but that comes after the walk and lunch and the optional fitness class or yoga.
The spa has 6,000 square meters of up-to-the-minute treatments with The Fiuggi waters and sea minerals at the source, coursing into the thalassotherapy baths. Equipped to address all your ailments from sleep interruption to poor circulation, there are chromotherapy showers, thermae, hammam, an infrared room, hydro sauna, Turkish baths, magnesium soak and an indoor pool that leads outside. The Kneipp is an après hike favorite soothing tired legs as you walk a labyrinth from warm to freezing cold waters. The top floor is where you find the health clinic with teams of doctors, and the first port of call is blood work, an ECG, and urinalysis then you meet with the doctor to review the findings. A short list of the curative, doctor administered exams and treatments include inflammation profiling, anti-aging, bone health, metabolism,3D body scans, genetic testing, hormone profiling, movement labs, postural training, and infusions. The latest skin and body treatments are on offer and Hollywood's Dr Barbara Sturm facials are another favorite.
It is merciless to visit Italy, the land of ambrosial gastronomy, divine wines, desserts and cheeses, yet have to deny yourself. The Ranch is pricey – start a slush fund now – but I see it as a self-investment as opposed to a self-indulgence. I chose to go alone, resisting the temptation to bring my husband or girlfriends, and for me it was the right choice. I might have become unfocused or even come off the trails to spa or eat.
I was truly restored and rejuvenated. I am now walking regularly, addressing my sugar habit, and taking time to make decisions. All things I found difficult to do among the noise of life.
The Ranch Italy costs from £4030 (approx $4,950) pp based on 2 people sharing, not inclusive of flights or transfers.
Ranch Ready & Trail Tips
Hotel Palazzo Fiuggi
