It seems to have become a universal experience to feel that sudden itch to hop on a plane, far, far away, and ‘find yourself’ on a restorative escape. This itch can be the result of a multitude of things: a sudden breakup that has you down in the dumps, reaching the breaking point of your 9-5 life, a classical mid-life crisis or, quite simply, an urge to feel revived. Heading to Indonesia to scream your sorrows into the arms of a Balinese woman or scrubbing elephants in the muddy ponds of Chiang Mai is how some may cope. Yet, I’ve discovered that you can touch base with nature and find the wellness reset you crave just a two-hour flight from London to Tuscany, Italy. Granted, you’ll be swapping spinach smoothies for a healthy slosh of red wine and olive oil – which, in my eyes, is true wellness.
Is Castelfalfi the Finest Wellness Retreat Abroad?
27th April 2026
Pippa Lowe heads to the rolling hills of Montaione to find out whether this Italian countryside escape should be your next restorative wellness retreat abroad – no long-haul flight required, just a little more truffle and olive oil.
Perched quietly in the rolling hills of Montaione is Castelfalfi. A known hotspot for celebs from the Kardashians to Hailey and Justin Bieber, the glamorous 2,700-acre resort is home to a 5-star hotel and villas as well as its own medieval village which, during my stay, was alive with the colourful festivities of the annual Spring Festival. Stepping through the entry way of the main hotel, you are immediately greeted with the picture-perfect landscape. Any visitor to Castelfalfi would’ve seen the same view flaunted across the resort’s website, but nothing beats having it live before your eyes. It’s the kind of view that allows you to become angered at your iPhone camera as even the newest model will do it some injustice compared to facing it in person.
Lined abundantly with quintessentially Tuscan Cypress trees, one of the best spots to enjoy this view (particularly during sunset) is the grassy terraced space of Bar Ecrù – where some of the poshest pooches this side of Pisa sit politely with their equally pristine owners as they sip at their spritzes and watch the sun melt into a lava glow. As for the best spot… that would be submerged at golden hour in the infinity pool of the RAKxa wellness spa.
The Cultural Experiences of Castelfalfi
It’s a Saturday spring morning in the forests of Montaione, the air is crisp and still around us for only a moment before the leaves crunch beneath our sudden clambering feet. Mosca and Bianca, Teo’s truffle dogs, have just taken a rapid change of direction signalling that they smell the rich scent in the winds that they’ve been searching for. But why are we sprinting in such a frenzy? Because if the dogs get to the truffles before us, there won’t be any left to hunt!
Truffle Hunting is just one of the cultural experiences organised by Castelfalfi, a hands-on search with Teo and his dogs. On our hunt we found five truffles, three of which emerged from the ground in a clustered trio as the vanghetto (truffle spade) waded through the fertile soil. It’s important not to damage the roots around the truffles and to leave the environment as you found it in the hopes that you can return to the same spot next year and find some more. Truffles can frequently be found damaged or with wormholes, but these flawed fungi don’t go to waste. Instead, they are used in truffle oils, salts and sauces. The perfect finds are what’s sold to restaurants, ensuring an uncompromised aesthetic when shaven over your tagliatelle or risotto.
I also indulged in a wine and olive oil tasting during my stay at Castelfalfi. Set in the dim-lit wine cellar (Barriccaia) beneath the wine shop and garden, we were led through the processes and tasting profiles for three different wines and olive oils by Castelfalfi’s Director of Agriculture, Diego Mugnaini. A Mexican wave of hissing sounds rippled around the room as we all attempted the ‘proper’ way of tasting olive oil, by breathing air in through our teeth to spread the oil adequately around our mouths. It’s when swallowing that any bitter pepperiness can catch the back of your throat, which Diego explained is an enhanced quality in Tuscan olive oils and that they frequently have a stronger kick. A sense of community has been created at Castelfalfi, thanks to the in-house cold-press machine. Families from around the commune have come to Castelfalfi to use the cold press for many years, Diego explained. They bring bags of olives from their own groves and pay to press olive oil of their own.
From Bangkok to Tuscany: The RAKxa Wellness Experience
The RAKxa Integrative Wellness experience in Bangkok focuses on holistic healing rituals to help guests find their “wholeness”. The practices aren’t available outside of Thailand, other than at Castelfalfi, in the form of the RAKxa Wellness Spa. While the spa takes on the same RAKxa pillars and mantra, it’s more of a pared back spa-meets-lifestyle-reset rather than a full clinical retreat like the experience in Bangkok. The spa offers shorter private programmes that are 1-2 days long, designed to unwind physical and mental stress. As well as a daily 90-minute wellness treatment and private exercise lesson, the programmes include a ‘special experience’ unique to Castelfalfi – a choice between an olive oil tour and honey tasting and a guided nature walk around the landscape to learn about Tuscan flora.
For a more flexible retreat, you can book into any one of these experiences separately to the programmes. From rebalancing rituals like the energy-healing Seven Chakra Hot Stone Massage to more unassuming treatments like my choice of the deep tissue massage, all experiences at the spa are tailored to you. This was my first ever deep tissue massage, and the consultation process was a good moment to put myself at ease about the pressure possibly being too firm.
However, I’m someone with an ever-knotted neck and I came away feeling that more attention could have been paid to it. This is likely because I selected medium pressure on the form, so some more guidance on whether I was making the right choices for my requirements would have been useful. That said, the massage was as sleep-inducing and attentive as one could hope – and what better place to flow out of your post-massage daze than a dip in an indoor-to-outdoor pool overlooking the verdant layers of the Tuscan hills.
Find out more about Castelfalfi and book your Tuscan wellness escape via castelfalfi.com
