Italy: A beloved Hollywood wellness retreat is opening an outpost

Rome: In the exclusive world of luxury wellness retreats, no place has captured Hollywood’s collective consciousness quite like the Ranch Malibu.

Rebel, Selma, Mandy and Connie, among many others, have paid their dues here over the last 11 years. Located on 200 cell phone-free acres in Malibu, the place is best known for its signature “no options” boot-camp regimen and singular approach to healthy cuisine that includes nothing more than a 1,400 calorie-per-day diet—sans caffeine, dairy, soy and gluten, of course. That cuisine has spawned popular cookbooks and pantry items, but it’s perhaps the now -infamous six almonds per-day snack that has continued to serve as one of the longest running jokes amongst self-described “Ranchers” and Ranch critics alike.

Given that that famously restrictive set-up, it’s only natural that for its first international outpost, the Ranch is heading to…Italy, land of pasta, mozzarella and aperitivo? Yes, it’s true. Starting May 15th, the Ranch Malibu will be trading almonds for a low-fat antipasto with the opening of the Ranch Italy at Palazzo Fiuggi.

“We are overdue in expanding to another special location and I think guests are eager to meet and spend time with our expanding globally diverse Ranch family,” Alex Glasscock, CEO and co-founder of the Ranch told Robb Report in an exclusive interview about the opening. “This new destination embodies our values and sensibilities and Palazzo Fiuggi is an extraordinary private sanctuary with world class fitness and spa amenities.”

Set on a 20-acre hilltop park about an hour outside of Rome, with sweeping views over pastoral rolling hills and medieval villages, the Palazzo Fiuggi medi-spa opened in summer 2021 and instantly made news both for its opulent vibe—its chandeliers and marble are a far cry from a typical wellness retreat—and its world-class offerings and facilities, which include an in-house medical and diagnostic center, state-of-the-art gym and wellness cuisine created by three-Michelin-star chef Heinz Beck.

The former palace also offers soaks in natural mineral springs whose wells date as far back as the 14th-century, when it’s believed that Michelangelo frequented the region to indulge in the water’s restorative powers.