Palazzo di Varignana, Bologna, Italy | Wellbeing Escapes | Wellbeing Escapes

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Italian villa with terracotta roof tiles, green window shutters, buttermilk coloured walls and a mustard border, surrounded by green hills and landscaped grounds
Swimming pools cascaded over mutliple levels, set in stone walled terraces and overlooked by landscaped gardens
Buildings with terracotta roof tiles and stone walls, overlooking a courtyard framed by bushes
Swimming pool overlooking the green Italian countryside, next to white umbrellas and loungers
Modern hotel room with glass-door wardrobes, white bedding, a grey padded headboard and patio doors open to a furnished terrace
Garden filled with bluebells and green shrubs, overlooked by an Italian villa
Cyclist in active wear on a bike in the Italian countryside, under a blue sunny sky
Spa room with wooden walls and flooring, a circular bath and a table with wooden buckets and stalls
Indoor swimming pool with jets, in-water seating and surrounding loungers, in a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows
Man relaxing with his hands behind his head in an indoor swimming pool with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of outdoor greenery
Treatment cabin with a cushioned bed, atmospheric blue lighting and a vanity unit with a sink and towels behind it
Outdoor restaurant terrace full of diners, with red and white chequered tablecloths, next to a grass lawn
Balcony with black railings, wooden decking, two black loungers and a table and chairs made up with food and drink
Woman swimming underwater, seen from a glass window from a pool a level down
People in active wear enjoying the tennis and basketballs courts, next to the countryside
Italian villa with a terracotta roof and green window shutters overlooked manicured grounds and a stream
Terrace with black loungers overlooking a lawn, in a hotel room
Two women smiling as one takes notes in an elegant room with a floral arrangement just behind
Labyrinth surrounded by manicured grounds in the sunshine
Softly lit restaurant with neutral coloured table cloths and floor-to-ceiling windows with a countryside view
Swimming pool surrounded by white umbrellas and loungers, lit up under a darkening sky
Stylish reception at Palazzo di Varignana, with the name of the resort on a sign on a marble wall and a wooden desk
Sleek seating area with dark wood walls, cosy neutral armchairs and sofas, and velvet rugs
Woman in Nike trainers and a grey t shirt running on a treadmill in a bright gym with full-length windows
Italian villa with terracotta roof tiles, green window shutters, buttermilk coloured walls and a mustard border, surrounded by green hills and landscaped grounds
Swimming pools cascaded over mutliple levels, set in stone walled terraces and overlooked by landscaped gardens
Buildings with terracotta roof tiles and stone walls, overlooking a courtyard framed by bushes
Swimming pool overlooking the green Italian countryside, next to white umbrellas and loungers
Modern hotel room with glass-door wardrobes, white bedding, a grey padded headboard and patio doors open to a furnished terrace
Garden filled with bluebells and green shrubs, overlooked by an Italian villa
Cyclist in active wear on a bike in the Italian countryside, under a blue sunny sky
Spa room with wooden walls and flooring, a circular bath and a table with wooden buckets and stalls
Indoor swimming pool with jets, in-water seating and surrounding loungers, in a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows
Man relaxing with his hands behind his head in an indoor swimming pool with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of outdoor greenery
Treatment cabin with a cushioned bed, atmospheric blue lighting and a vanity unit with a sink and towels behind it
Outdoor restaurant terrace full of diners, with red and white chequered tablecloths, next to a grass lawn
Balcony with black railings, wooden decking, two black loungers and a table and chairs made up with food and drink
Woman swimming underwater, seen from a glass window from a pool a level down
People in active wear enjoying the tennis and basketballs courts, next to the countryside
Italian villa with a terracotta roof and green window shutters overlooked manicured grounds and a stream
Terrace with black loungers overlooking a lawn, in a hotel room
Two women smiling as one takes notes in an elegant room with a floral arrangement just behind
Labyrinth surrounded by manicured grounds in the sunshine
Softly lit restaurant with neutral coloured table cloths and floor-to-ceiling windows with a countryside view
Swimming pool surrounded by white umbrellas and loungers, lit up under a darkening sky
Stylish reception at Palazzo di Varignana, with the name of the resort on a sign on a marble wall and a wooden desk
Sleek seating area with dark wood walls, cosy neutral armchairs and sofas, and velvet rugs
Woman in Nike trainers and a grey t shirt running on a treadmill in a bright gym with full-length windows

Palazzo di Varignana

Bologna, Italy

This beautifully resorted 18th-century villa is perched among hills and vineyards, offering elegant rooms, expansive gardens, and one of Italy’s most impressive spa complexes. The menus spotlight produce from the estate’s own farmland, and the culinary and cultural treasures of Bologna are within easy reach.
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CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION  

RETREAT HIGHLIGHTS

  • A restored 18th-century villa just outside Bologna, surrounded by vineyards and landscaped gardens
  • Award-winning spa with indoor–outdoor pools, thermal rituals, and innovative programmes
  • Farm-to-table Italian dining, with menus built around the estate’s own produce, from olive oil to garden-grown vegetables


GREAT FOR
SPA
FITNESS
WEIGHT LOSS
DETOX
WELLBEING
YOGA

Exclusive & Special Offers

Special Offer
Book by 30 June
  • 10% discount on room rates
  • valid for stays until 30 April; 01 July - 31 Aug & 1 Oct - 31 Dec 


Free Spa Credit
can be used Monday to Friday

Min 3 nights: £50 per room 

Min 6 nights: £75 per room 

Repeat guests
For those who visited the hotel with us in the past
Complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability on arrival)
Free Return Airport Transfers
Min stay 6 nights
Free return airport or train station transfers

About Palazzo di Varignana

Palazzo di Varignana is an 18th-century villa that’s been restored to its original glory. Nestled in rolling hills on Bologna’s outskirts, it’s in a sweeping estate of more than 30 hectares – an emerald blanket of gardens, vineyards, and olive groves.

The retreat’s showpiece is the Varsana Spa – a 4,000-metre healing haven with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, a Turkish bath, salt quarry treatments, and lots more. You’ll find five more pools spread among the manicured grounds – including one just for little ones – along with areas dedicated to yoga, Pilates, tennis and fitness classes.

Foodies can savour Italian dishes crafted from the estate’s own produce, including award-winning extra virgin olive oil, estate-grown fruit and vegetables, and zero-mile ingredients from the on-site farm. Beyond the estate, Bologna – Italy’s gastronomic heart and the birthplace of ragù – charms with world-class restaurants, terracotta hued porticoes, and artisan shops.


The Traditional Path of Varsana SPA will be unavailable from 22 to 29 May. Instead, guest can enjoy the following at no additional cost: 1 hour private hammam and 1 hour Suntory Short experience (tea ritual not included).


Wellness at Palazzo di Varignana

The Varsana Spa concept combines ancient rituals from Japan, Morocco and Rome with modern wellness innovations. The objective? To restore balance and harmonise your mind and body. Awarded Best Spa in Italy at the 2020 European Health & Spa Awards, it offers a holistic menu of treatments for every need.

For a deeper experience, guests can join the In Forma retreat. Supervised by in-house nutritionist, Annamaria Acquaviva (meet her here), the programme is personalised and rooted in scientific evidence, designed to boost metabolism, combat stress, support immunity, and restore self-esteem. Other programmes centre on the likes of yoga, detox, weight loss and leadership presence.

The spa facilities are hugely impressive here. Guests can follow the Traditional Path, a circuit of sensory showers, bio and Finnish saunas, a Turkish bath, ice waterfall, sound pool, Kneipp path, indoor pool with jets, hydromassage seats, salt quarry, and mud cave. Additional facilities include a hammam, Japanese onsen, spa stream, ofuro (sitting) tub, and a relaxation area with a herbal tea corner. There’s a fully equipped fitness centre for workouts and courts for squash, padel and tennis, too. Outdoor yoga and Pilates sessions are available on request.

Read about Palazzo di Varignana in the The Observer here.

PROGRAMMES

Deep Sleep
Deep Sleep
Deep Sleep is a programme designed by Dr. Annamaria Acquaviva with a holistic approach and with the aim of raising awareness about sleep disorders. It includes a complete innovative well-being plan based on the most recent scientific findings: functional and chronotype-based nutrition combined with a personalised physical activity plan and specific spa treatments. The programme promotes metabolic activity and good quality rest, fights oxidative stress and supports the immune system.
Stress Release
Stress Release
A 7 nights programme to recover from a stressful period and reduce chronic stress, enhancing productivity and performance thanks to practical tools to better manage physical and mental challenges, in combination with the 5 pillars of health of the Acquaviva Method.
Slim
Slim
Ideal for the most intensive weight loss and silhouette reshaping. The Slim Retreat programme is a personalised transformative journey that, through the 5 pillars of health, helps to achieve effective and lasting weight loss, geared to a long-term strategy for maintaining a healthier, better performing body.
Leadership Retreat
Leadership Retreat
Leadership Retreat is an experiential journey designed for those who wish to cultivate authentic, conscious, and sustainable leadership, starting from psychophysical wellbeing as the foundation of performance and personal expression. Set within an atmosphere of quiet and natural beauty, Palazzo di Varignana becomes the ideal place to reconnect with one’s potential, strengthen self-confidence, and refine communication and relational skills by integrating body, mind, and emotions. The retreat is rooted in the principles of the Acquaviva Method, developed by Dr. Annamaria Acquaviva, which views wellbeing as a strategic driver of both personal and professional growth. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the program guides participants in enhancing their uniqueness, improving stage presence, and developing a leadership style that is coherent, credible, and long-lasting.
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita
The charm and wellness of Italian savoir vivre. An authentic holiday dedicated to wellness and the heritage of the Italian lifestyle, surrounded by breathtaking natural landscapes. Mediterranean diet, excellent gastronomic specialities, handmade pasta, millenary history and culture, fashion and Italian lifestyle. A unique retreat for those who want to get to know Italy through a wellness holiday.
In Forma
In Forma
Discover a correct lifestyle with your health coach, Dr. Annamaria Acquaviva, to find your optimal shape. A journey of knowledge to find out which type of diet, sport and activities are indicated to redefine and improve your physical shape. Retreat is s highly innovative and based on the most recent scientific findings, aims to stimulate metabolic activity, fight oxidative stress and support the immune system.
Golden Age
Golden Age
Enhance your charm. A retreat dedicated to women to enhance their full splendour and potential in the menopausal and pre-menopausal phase. An unforgettable holiday in which to experience a new dimension of well-being, harmony and lifestyle strategies that promote fitness and give you even more charm.
Exclusive Wellbeing Booster
Exclusive Wellbeing Booster
Our signature wellbeing booster programme promises to relax your body and soothe your soul. Enjoy lovely spa treatments, two private activities of your choice as well as daily 3 hours access to a vast spa area. Minimum 3 nights stay.
Exclusive Flexible Fitness
Exclusive Flexible Fitness
Our signature flexible fitness programme gives you a choice of 5 private fitness activities. Each class is 50 minutes long and you can mix and match the way you like. Increase your overall fitness, try something new or simply have fun! Massage is also included as well as daily 3 hours access to vast spa facilities. Minimum stay is 5 nights.
Exclusive Comprehensive Wellbeing Booster
Exclusive Comprehensive Wellbeing Booster
If you are looking for an ultimate spa experience look no further! This comprehensive package pampers you from head to toe with 2 massages of your choice, facial, signature treatment with the olive oil, relaxing ritual and calming head & neck massage. On top of this you will get fit with 3 sessions of activity of your choice. Min stay 5 nights.
Detox
Detox
The Detox Retreat programme is a customised 'transformative' journey that, through the 5 pillars of health of the Metodo Acquaviva, helps detoxify the body and rid it of toxins, excess fluids and counteracts the effects of stress, and provides the tools to promote an ideal body weight. The programme combines a strategic diet plan designed by Dr Annamaria Acquaviva, a nutritionist dietician, with detoxifying and draining spa treatments, and physical activity with our personal trainers. Mindfulness activities and nature therapy sessions promote purification of the mind, stress management and inner harmony.
Yoga & Mindfulness
Yoga & Mindfulness
A 3 nights programme to become aware of your psychophysical potential through the beneficial disciplines of yoga, mindfulness and meditation, in combination with the 5 pillars of health of the Acquaviva Method.
CONTACT US TO FIND THE PERFECT PROGRAMME FOR YOU  

EXAMPLE TREATMENTS AND CLASSES

  • Facial treatments by Sarah Chapman
  • Facial and body treatments by Tauleto
  • Facial and body treatments by Dr Joseph
  • Chakra massage
  • Drainage
  • Shiatsu (Japanese bodywork)
  • Rituals
  • Yoga and Pilates
SAMPLE WEEKLY CLASS SCHEDULE
Download a sample weekly class schedule at Palazzo di Varignana
Please note: classes are subject to change and seasonal adjustments

What’s on the menu?

The hotel has three restaurants and an atmospheric lounge bar with an outdoor terrace, ideal for after-dinner tipples. Food-wise, expect traditional Italian dishes from the Emilia-Romagna region, along with a selection of international options.

Much of the produce comes from the hotel’s own fruit and vegetable gardens, with homemade olive oil, jam, and chutneys. Guests on the In Forma retreat enjoy a specially designed full board menu, created by the in-house nutritionist and chef to support metabolism and immunity. This menu is also available to pre-booked full board guests.

White meat and fresh vegetables sprinkled with flowers and cheese on a white plate
Aurevo
Overlooking the pool and solarium water features, Aurevo offers a relaxed setting with a view for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Open daily, it’s the place for casual, wholesome meals.
Bitesize red meat with vegetables and herbs on a green puree-like sauce
Il Grifone
The hotel’s most sophisticated dining venue serves gourmet local cuisine. A curated wine cellar complements each dish with a choice of local and international labels. Open daily except Sundays and Mondays.
Tortellini pasta with chives and pepper in a blue bowl
La Marzoline
A classic Bolognese trattoria, La Marzoline celebrates the rich culinary traditions of Emilia-Romagna. Open daily for dinner and for lunch on weekends, it’s the ideal spot to savour regional dishes.

Your accommodation at Palazzo di Varignana

There are 140 rooms and suites at the estate, spread across seven buildings (none in the main building). Classic and comfortable, they’re decked out with warm woods, crisp white bed linen and ambient lighting. A laundry service is available at a charge.
Superior
Size: 25 to 35 square metres These rooms come with a king-size or twin beds, a bathroom with a shower and a window with a view of the resort or countryside. Facilities include air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, an LED TV with Sky and Pay TV, a mini bar, safe, bottle of water, bathrobes, slippers, exclusive La Bottega toiletries and a hairdryer.
Read more  >
Deluxe
Size: 25 to 35 square metres These rooms come with a king-size or twin beds, a bathroom with a shower and a balcony or terrace with a hillside view. Facilities include air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, an LED TV with Sky and Pay TV, a mini bar, safe, bottle of water, bathrobes, slippers, exclusive La Bottega toiletries and a hairdryer.
Read more  >
Deluxe Prestige
Size: 30 square metres inside, 12 square metres outside These rooms come with a king-size bed, a bathroom with a shower and a large south-facing patio that overlooks the countryside, golf course and surrounding lakes. Facilities include air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, an LED TV with Sky and Pay TV, a mini bar, safe, bottle of water, bathrobes, slippers, exclusive La Bottega toiletries and a hairdryer.
Read more  >
Deluxe Executive
Size: 30 square metres inside, 10 square metres outsideThese rooms come with a king-size bed, a bathroom with a shower and a balcony or terrace that overlooks the countryside. Facilities include air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, an LED TV with Sky and Pay TV, a mini bar, safe, bottle of water, bathrobes, slippers, exclusive La Bottega toiletries and a hairdryer.
Read more  >
CONTACT US TO FIND THE IDEAL ACCOMMODATION FOR YOU  

Things to See and Do

4 outdoor swimming pools
Al fresco swimming for wellbeing.
Children's pool
A safe, shallow pool for little ones.
Tennis
Friendly matches or solo practice.
Padel
Social or competitive sessions.
Basketball
Shoot hoops on-site.
Cycling
Explore on two wheels.
Hiking
Trails for all levels.
Organic kitchen garden
Fresh produce and seasonal inspiration.

What We Love

  • Ofuro tub, which invokes a traditional Japanese atmosphere, is heated to 39 degrees. Before you dive in, a bamboo body and face scrub is provided for a deep skin cleanse
  • Remarkable gardens, which are part of the 'Great Italian Gardens', perfect for a quiet walk with low walls, terraces, fountains and an infinity pool
  • Bologna is within easy reach and just the place to experience the meaning of 'la dolce vita'!

Who Should Go

  • Anyone looking for history combined with a luxurious spa holiday
  • Independent solo travellers who want to enjoy a quiet spa break in their own company
  • Couples, friends or mothers and daughters – enjoy the hotel facilities and head to Bologna for culture or shopping!

LOCATION

Palazzo di Varignana is in the charming hills of Bologna, surrounded by three hectares of gardens, sun-dappled vineyards and miles of Italian countryside. Historic Bologna city is within easy reach, a treasure-trove of medieval churches, lively piazzas, and award-winning restaurants.

Bologna Airport is just a 25-minute drive away. You can also fly into Florence or Venice – both an hour-and-a-half drive from the estate. Travelling by train? Pick-ups are available from Bologna Centrale station.

WHEN TO GO

Best time to visit is Spring and Autumn which offer milder temperature. The summers are hot and humid. Winters are cold, partly cloudy with possible rainfalls.
6
Jan
10
Feb
16
Mar
19
Apr
24
May
26
Jun
32
Jul
32
Aug
25
Sep
20
Oct
13
Nov
9
Dec

SEASONAL PRICE GUIDE

This chart provides a guide of how room rates change by season.
Between now and Jan 1, 2027
 
Speak with our Wellbeing Travel Experts
If you have any questions about the best time to visit Palazzo di Varignana, pricing, or choosing the right programme for you, our wellness experts are at hand to help curate the perfect package for you.
Call +44 (0)20 3735 7555
Enquire Now >

RETREAT NOTICES AND INFORMATION

Traditional Path of Varsana SPA will be unavailable from 22 - 29 May 2026. Instead guest will be enjoy following at no additional cost: 1 hour of private Hammam & 1 hour of Suntory Short experience (tea ritual not included). 
 

What our customers say

Feefo logo of 10 years of Proven Trusted Service
Beautiful setting, amazing food, wonderful staff
Anonymous
2023
Excellent, everything was perfect
Aida Rama
2021
Feefo logo of 10 years of Proven Trusted Service

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