USP Formerly a retreat for the Medici family this place is a byword for taste, elegance and sheer indulgence. There’s even a doggy spa providing every creature comfort.

AMBIENCE Bask in baths with serene views of Tuscan hills. The nearby medieval village of San Casciano dei Bagni has 42 thermal springs that have been bubbling since Roman times.

EXPERIENCE Treatments include facials, mud packs, body peels and massages. One involves immersing yourself in a big tub of very hot water into which a giant teabag is dropped. The teabag contains herbs and, alarmingly, is similar in look and smell to the restorative tisane served on the terraces upstairs. While you stew away for 40 minutes, your robe is heated so that you’re enveloped in a warm towelling hug afterwards.

FOOD Sublime: every meal is a visual and gastronomic feast, from piquant antipasti to dolce comprising tobacco, campari and liquorice. Instead of the postprandial brandy, there is a menu of tisanes, which include liquorice and mint, fennel or fruits of the forest, to aid digestion.

IN CROWD No matter the time of day canoodling Italians abound - in and out of the water. Only Italians could look so cool in shades and bathing robes.

WALLET WATCH Prices start at £315 per room including breakfast and use of facilities. Treatments are extra; a private yoga lesson is expensive at £68.

NEED TO KNOW Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort, San Casciano Dei Bagni, Tuscany (0039 05788 572200; www.fonteverdespa.com); Magic of Italy offers packages: (0870 8880220; www.magictravelgroup.co.uk)

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