Spa industry personality Raffaella Dallarda has launched her first book called E-SPAnsive exploring Italian spa culture and highlighting the country’s top spa and wellness destinations.

Dallarda is an industry blogger, wellness specialist and qualified practitioner who travels around the world to explore and showcase different spa and wellness cultures.

She is launcing the 350-page book tonight in Milan, Italy, at an exclusive event attended by more than 200 industry figures including global spa operators, hoteliers, architects, industry suppliers, spa leaders and members of the press.

The book was written following Dallarda’s 80,000km round trip of Italy’s 20 regions where she visited countless spa and wellness destinations.

Out of these locations, she selected the 54 she was most impressed by, including properties such as Lefay Resort and Spa Dolomiti, Palazzo Fiuggi, Grotta Giusti Thermal Spa Resort and Preidlhof.

During the two-year journey, Dallarda interviewed numerous spa managers, practitioners, spa architects and designers, chefs and more for the inside track on each spa and wellness business.

Comments from these specialists are woven throughout the publication which also includes highlights on design, sustainability, trends and insights from industry figures such as wellness designer and architect Alberto Apostoli, Davide Bollati – chair of Davines Group – and Patrizia Bortolin of Preidlhof.

In publicising her trip on social media, she attracted the attention and sponsorship of Forbes Italy and the Robb Report, as well as industry brands including Lemi Group, Comfort Zone, La Sportiva, Matrix Fitness Italia and Technogym.

E-SPAnsive will be available in print and digital form and completed with links to a host of interactive digital including complimentary video interviews. It will first be published in Italian, with the English version due to follow in May 2023.

Dallarda revealed to Spa Business that she has goals to launch further country-specific spa guidebooks in future in tandem with the Forbes Group. She plans to visit and assess as many spas as possible to uncover best practice in the global industry.

The inspiration

Originally trained as a teacher, Dallarda was inspired to write the book after the advent of the first lockdown and the passing of her Father in the Spring of 2020.

“These two events made me realise I was ready to discover my purpose and pass on what I've learned by dedicating my life to studying wellbeing.

“I’ve always been passionate about spas, history and geography. In 2020, I decided to work on collating as much knowledge as possible about Italy’s spas and various wellbeing philosophies to take global readers on an enchanting journey of the country’s wellness wonders from the comfort of their own homes.”

Dallarda’s ultimate goal for the book is to help expand and emphasise the culture and importance of wellbeing globally by showcasing unique spas and the diversity of healing culture.

To order the book, click here.