Hard Candy Fitness, the international premium fitness club chain founded by music icon Madonna – in partnership with New Evolution Ventures (NeV) – is set to open its first club in Rome, Italy, this month.

The 1,210sq m (13,000sq ft) club is located just across from the historic Coliseum and will be the first of several Hard Candy Fitness locations planned for Rome. It was developed in partnership with Dabliu, one of largest networks in the Italian fitness industry.

Facilities will include yoga and group fitness studios, spaces for functional and personal training, a cycling studio on a balcony over the club’s main floor, and an espresso bar.

The launch will be quickly followed by a second site in the city centre – a conversion of a 1,950sq m (21,000sq ft) Dabliu Parioli club – also set to open this month.

The first of several Hard Candy Fitness clubs in Berlin was also scheduled to open at the time of going to print in September, joining the current locations in Sydney, Santiago, Mexico City, Moscow and St Petersburg.

The brand is expected to announce the opening of multiple locations this year as it continues its expansion into destination cities around the world.