By Ann Lee, Metro Online's resident film and music geek.
Follow me @_ann_lee
Tuesday 23 Oct 2018 8:00 am
Its hard to feel stressed when the view from your balcony is the luscious, undulating hills of the Tuscan countryside.
Fields daubed with emerald green, burnt yellow and dusty browns, dotted with regal-looking cypress trees that look like a painting come to life.
But even though those feelings of anxiety have left me temporarily, Im here at the ADLER Thermae Spa & Relax resort, near the village of Bagno Vignoni, to find out how I can calm my mind – one that is constantly overthinking and tripping itself. Its exhausting. Im exhausted.
Ive booked myself in for a consultation with one of the doctors at the resort, a chic Italian woman named Dott.
She hooks me up to a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis machine, which takes a whole spectrum of measurements in a matter of seconds, like bone density and muscle mass.
Then, sensors are clamped onto my fingertips to monitor my heart rate and breathing via a Stress Flow machine. Both are quick and painless, but once the results are delivered, its not good news.
Dott confirms that I am indeed very stressed, and would be putting myself at risk of osteoporosis and diabetes if I continue the way I am.
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Suddenly, I feel more stressed than before.
She takes one look at the the test results and announces: You live inside your head.
If I had any doubts before about a machine thats not from a hospital diagnosing me, its dispelled by that eerily spot-on observation.
The machine susses out that I dont drink enough water and thats why my body is retaining much needed H2O.
It also picks up that Ive been consuming far too many carbohydrates, especially at night. Yes, its somehow busted my late night habit of snacking on peanut butter crumpets.
My heartbeat is erratic and my bone density is low. On the plus side, my breathing is fair to good. Great.
While the detailed results, which are printed out for you to take home, look complicated, the advice that Dott dishes out is anything but.
Sun, sport and vitamin D, she declares. Our bodies are made for movement. She suggests that I exercise before breakfast to get the most out of my workout.
Before I leave, Im hooked up to the Stress Flow machine again to do five minutes of deep breathing. The results are instantaneous.
My heart beat becomes more regular. Deep breathing twice a day, Dott commands me. Once in the morning and once at night.
I leave determined to finally use that gym pass and to stop snacking before bed.
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Its funny how it takes a stranger telling you something youve always suspected you need to do to finally get round to it.
But its not all doom and gloom at ADLER. The whole resort is dedicated to helping you relax as much as humanly possible.
First off, there is the thermal pool, which is pumped from Bagno Vignonis spring.
The Romans knew a good thing when they saw it. Bathing in thermal water was something they were crazy about. It has well known beneficial properties and helps with a whole host of ailments, including eczema, psoriasis and joint pain.
The hotel also has several different types of saunas, varying in temperature and humidity.
My favourite is one called Philosophers Cave, which is held in a candle-lit grotto. Its bearably hot and brings you out in a deep sweat, which apparently will make skin velvety smooth.
The panoramic sauna has an incredible view of the resort, but at 90 to 100 degrees its one for hardcore enthusiasts – though theres an ice cold plunge pool outside to cool you down.
There are spa treatments that are integrated with the thermal water too.
I have an anti-stress massage on a Vichy bed. You lie on a waterproof mattress as jets of thermal water are sprayed over your body while the therapist massages you with sea salt and almond oil. Its like the most intense shower youve ever experienced, and afterwards my exfoliated skin is baby soft.
I also have a Haki treatment, which can be done in a private thermal pool.
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The holistic method was created to help people get out of their heads with the therapist touching and kneading the body to relieve tension. Its not quite a massage, its a lot gentler and slower, but its just as relaxing.
On my last day, I try out the Salt Grotto, a thermal bath thats more like a tiny pool filled with salt from the Dead Sea that helps with skin conditions and improves circulation.
As I lie back in the water, adjusting to the sensation of floating weightlessly, I realise that sometimes you just need to stop thinking and trust that youll be supported no matter what.
Food at ADLER:
Theres no chance youll go hungry at ADLER Thermae.
We were on half board, which included a continental spread for breakfast (its worth staying for their marmalade croissants alone), dainty cakes for afternoon tea and a sumptuous four course dinner.
Each day, we were struggling to find the room to eat each meal. Its a tough life sometimes.
The majority of their clientele are Italian, and you can tell by how authentic they keep their cuisine rather than adapting it for tourists as many other resorts do.
The main event each day is dinner, which is held at the hotels outdoor restaurant, modelled to look like a charming piazza.
You get a starter, soup and two mains – primi (pasta or risotto) and secondo (meat, fish or vegetarian). Not to mention the salad buffet with the sweetest tomatoes youll ever taste and the dessert buffet to finish things off.
This is proper fine dining, with rich courgette flower soup sprinkled with lightly toasted pine nuts, a creamy risotto with juicy scallops, delicate parcels of ravioli filled with prawn and flavourful bucanti with Culatello di Zibello ham being just a few of the dishes that Im still finding it hard to forget about.
While youre in Tuscany, you need to try pici, a type of hand-rolled pasta that looks like thick, squiggly spaghetti.
It originates from the province of Siena, which is an hours drive from ADLER. We try pici cacio e pepe, where its served up with a simple sauce of cheese and black pepper. Its deliciously chewy and satisfying.
Other things to do in Bagno Vignoni:
The Tuscan countryside, with its film star glamour and stunning good looks, is right on your doorstep.
The ancient village of Bagno Vignoni is a short walk from the resort. Its cute and quaint with the peaceful square dominated by a huge rectangular pool of thermal water.
Youre not allowed to bathe in it, but if you walk a little further, youll come to some ruins and a spectacular panoramic view of the hills. Theres a little stream that flows down to Parco dei Mulini below where you can take a dip.
If you want to to explore further, get on a e-bike for a cycle around the gorgeous Val dOrcia region. Its a bumpy trip thanks to the gravelly paths and those beautiful hills but largely traffic free.
We did a guided tour from the hotel – free for guests – which took on some steep roads to reach the exquisite city of Pienza, passing Podere Poggio Manzuoli, where the film Gladiator was shot, along the way.
Perched on a hill, it commands magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.
Theres an attractive square with a church, and you can walk through the small alleyways and stone arches. Stop off at Fortune Street, Love Street and Kiss Street (all parallel to each other) to maximise your chance of good luck.
For the most ravishing vista of the countryside, head to Vitaleta Chapel. A small yet alarmingly pretty church stands on a hilltop surrounded by a scattering of cypress trees and a dreamy panoramic view of the rolling hills. Theres no other word for it. Tuscany really is bellisimo.
How to get there
I flew with easyJet from London to Pisa, which is a two-and-a-half drive from ADLER. Returns start from £84.
Rooms at ADLER Thermae Spa & Relax resort are priced from £236 per night. Their anti-stress essential package, which includes a medical consultation, a hydrotherapy session, a stress-relieving massage, three treatments and a mud pack, costs £514.
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