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“RELAX and let the ocean revive you,” the therapist says, as she slathers my skin in gel. It has a distinct seaweed aroma due to one of its main ingredients, algae, which is rich in vitamins and minerals. I’m on a beachside spa cabana and fittingly the soundtrack to accompany this lovely marine-based treatment is the lap of gentle waves.

Capovaticano Resort and Thalasso (seawater) Spa takes its name from the small hamlet of coves, beaches and homes scattered amid a cactus-dotted landscape that sits five miles from Tropea in Calabria, far south on Italy’s “toe” at the very end of the country’s famous “boot”. The glimpse of a spearmint-blue Tyrrhenian Sea lapping the resort’s small beach is a sight for sore eyes, as is Capovaticano’s gorgeous spa. I’m willing to bet that Tropea is the most attractive town in Italy you’ve never heard of.



It won the title of Italy’s much-coveted Borgo dei Borghi (village of villages) in 2022 and yet remains pretty much off the tourist radar, making it a bargain compared with other popular Italian hotspots. This proves that when it comes to a cost-effective wellness break in a swanky Italian spa, location is key. The restorative benefits of bathing in seawater include relief to both psychological and physical ailments, and there are various spa packages on offer at an additional cost.

However, as all resort guests are free to make use of the heated seawater pools, sauna, steam room, hydro-massage pools, cold water plung.

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