After my recent trip to Relais Borgo Scopeto as part of the Florence wine tourism awards, I was curious to know more about what they call “vinoterapia” or wine therapy (also known as vinotherapy). The four-star Relais finished renovating their Italian health spa last year and along with the standard sauna and spa access, guests can also enjoy a new range of beauty products based on the health properties of grapes.

Borgo Scopeto calls its vinotherapy treatment “nectar of the gods” although as with any wine therapy, the process has less to do with wine and more to do with the grapes themselves. Grape seed extract and skins are high in antioxidants and polyphenols which are said to have positive effects for the skin, especially with anti-ageing potential.

Borgo Scopeto describes its vinotherapy treatment thus: “Using the potential of the grapes, through the fruit’s polyphenol ,vitamin and acid, this treatment nourishes, smoothes and newly elasticizes the body skin. In total relax, it gives new beauty to all the body.” With its range of grape-based beauty products, the hotel offers a new trend in the sector.

Continue reading: Italian health spas with vinotherapy: what is vinoterapia and where can I get it?

More Turin luxury accommodation after the Villa Matilde Relais is available at the Bella Rosina Relais near Venaria Reale, in the Mandria national park. It might not have the same grand setting as other Italian villas, but it has some lovely views and is utterly private.

In a romantic atmosphere, the Bella Rosina Relais offers access to a golf course, Italian health spa, and excellent cuisine offering organic products. In the Bella Rosina gallery you can see the mix of modern and country-style furnishings, and the romance of the surrounding national park.

See the Bella Rosina Relais website for luxury accommodation packages including spring wellness stays, resurgence-themed menus, celebrations for the 150-year anniversary of Italian unification and golf packages.

Continue reading: Luxury Turin accommodation: Villa Matilde Relais

Scenes from some of the movie Letters to Juliet were filmed at Relais Borgo Scopeto and it’s easy to see why - the four-star superior Tuscan villa stay provides a picture-perfect setting. But as the Best of Wine Tourism Florence awards prove, the luxury medieval hamlet hotel in the heart of Tuscany is a lot more than just a movie set.

Relais Borgo Scopeto provides top-notch service, exquisite Tuscan cuisine with the wines to match and a newly opened health spa for those wanting to be pampered while on their Tuscan wine tour. The stop at the Relais is part of our visit to Chianti and the winners in the Great Wine Capitals Wine Tourism competition.

Without wanting to sound sycophantic, the Borgo Scopeto Relais is nothing less than an extremely good stop for a luxury Tuscan hotel. Despite the four star sign out the front, the staff manage to provide a warm Tuscan welcome with a certain domesticity about their service which has none of the distant, “yes-sir” style of other luxury hotels. The rooms are comfortable and modern and have been decorated to provide an elegant feel - you will find no rustic farmhouse furnishings here.

Continue reading: Luxury Tuscan accommodation: Relais Borgo Scopeto and Letters to Juliet

You can’t have a luxury Italian hotel without a health spa these days, and so this stunning hotel in the countryside not far from Turin offers the health spa bit and more. The Relais Villa Matilde is a gem of 18th architecture and is located at Romano Canavese, about 43 km from the Piedmontese capital.

On arriving at the villa, you pass through a grand entrance, into old grounds which surround the building, before arriving at the restored building. The luxury focus of this hotel is expressed in its furnishings and interior design, accurately reflecting the period of the villa and providing a unique setting.

Each room is different from another and the large halls and eating areas have been kept in the style of an antique, noble family residence. There is a restaurant called “Le Scuderie” which is housed in the converted stables, and a SINA Fitness Club with gym, health spa, swimming pool and tennis court. For more information on this luxury Italian hotel, see the Sina Hotels website.

Luxury Turin hotel: Relais Villa Matilde

Continue reading: Luxury Turin hotels: Relais Villa Matilde from Sina Hotels

This charming hotel in Umbria is called InnCasa and is in San Giorgio, Orvieto, province of Terni. The hotel is a kind of complex with five rooms, six suites, a cottage and a gate lodge. It offers some of the most well-known features of Umbrian tourism, including a health spa and excursions in the Umbrian towns and countryside.

Currently enjoying spring in Italy, InnCasa has an Umbrian hotel package for one night in a ‘Superior’ room. It includes a stay for two people, breakfast with fresh fruit, cereal and yoghurt and a health spa visit of one hour with access to sauna, steam bath and grotto pool. Two 40-minute massages are also offered. The package costs 140 euros a person and is valid from Tuesdays to Fridays.

For any Monday arrivals at InnCasa, a four night stay for the price of two is offer. The special offer is valid only until April 15 so if you happen to be travelling through the region and want to try out this boutique Umbrian hotel, check out the InnCasa website.

Continue reading: Hotels in Umbria: InnCasa in Orvieto

There is nothing like a summer holiday in Italy in Liguria to bring back atmospheres of old European luxury, late evening promenades in the sunset and elderly locals playing bocce. The Royal Hotel Sanremo is one luxury Italian hotel that will help in that nostalgia. It’s a member of the Leading Hotels of the World and has already opened for 2011 summer in Italy vacations.

The Royal Hotel Sanremo is a five-star hotel at the Riviera dei Fiori. In the past it has been a favourite destination of European aristocracy and has maintained the interior renaissance-like decorating of times gone by. The large rooms have ceiling affrescoes and the restaurant is decked out in Murano glass. There is a tropical garden, a swimming pool with sea water and a Royal Wellness centre.

The 2011 season offers romantic weekends in Liguria with tastings of local dishes and wellness packages. You can find all the various special offers at the Sanremo Royal Hotel on its website, and we feature a few after the jump.

Continue reading: Luxury hotel stay in Sanremo, Liguria: Royal Hotel Sanremo and health spa