8 NATURAL WELLNESS ACTIVITIES TO TRY ON YOUR HOLIDAY IN THE DOLOMITES
We recently travelled to Trento for the annual digital content creator conference organised by Traverse Events. Trento is the capital of the Trentino region in Northern Italy which is home to the famous Dolomites. Beyond these spectacular mountains, lies a multitude of landscapes that make Trentino the perfect destination to be visited all year round.
The conference took place on a weekend but there were also activities before and after the event that attendees could sign up to. This was a really awesome opportunity because there are so many things to do and places to visit in Trentino. It would have been a shame to only scratch the surface of what the region has to offer.
It was very tempting to pick one of the trips that included biking, rafting or paragliding but after a frenzied week full of learning, exploring and, of course, evening-filled parties, we both chose the ‘Take it Slow’ trip that included natural wellness activities in the Dolomites region.
Natural Wellness
With such an abundance of natural resources, it’s not surprising that Trentino offers natural wellness activities that include things like open air yoga and barefoot walking which we had a chance to experience on our trip. This is what we got up to while we were in the Dolomites:
Trekking the San Vili Path
San Vili path is a trekking route that links Madonna di Campiglio to the city of Trento. The route is named after Saint Virgil (or San Vili), the 3rd Bishop of Trento, who walked this path back in 400AD converting pagans into Christianity.
The Tridentine Alpinist Society (SAT) opened the San Vili path in 1988 and is responsible for the maintenance of its 100km extension. The path is marked with white and red signs and it’s dotted with shrines, chapels and beautiful frescoes painted by itinerant artists.
Whether you’re religious or not, there are stunning landscapes along San Vili path like the Limaro Canyon not to be missed by hikers, rock climbers and nature lovers in general.
Silence Rooms
After a few hours of trekking, we stopped for a quick break at the Silence Room by Vallesinella waterfall. Silence Rooms are open air meditation areas that you can find along San Vili path and are the perfect spot to sit down and relax while listening to the sounds of nature. If you’d like to try meditation or sun salutations, you can follow the instructions on the signs located in each of the Silence Rooms along the way.
Open Air Yoga
Practising yoga and spending time in nature have so many health benefits alone that when you combine the two, you get a helluva wellness combo. Our itinerary included an open air yoga session at The Sound of Music-esque location of Malga Brenta Bassa, a jaw droppingly scenic spot which is a natural amphitheatre surrounded by forests and snow capped mountains.
I rarely get to take my practise outdoors so this was a very special experience to me and I can’t recommend enough. Read more about this session and why we should be practising more yoga in nature.
Natural Kneipp
After our yoga class, we headed to a nearby pebbly stream for barefoot walking combined with natural kneipp.
‘Uh? What? K-Knip?’ None of us were very sure of what it was or how to even say it.
Natural kneipp (pronounced Neip) is a hydrotherapy method which consists in alternating between hot and cold temperatures and was named after its creator, the German Sebastien Kneipp.
I love being barefoot but, as soon as my Brazilian feet touched the water, oh boy, they struggled. The water is basically the melted snow from the mountains so it was unbearably cold. Crossing the narrow stream suddenly felt like crossing the Amazon river, but I did it! It must be said that a lot of swearing did happen in the process but I did it nonetheless.
And you know what? Mr Kneipp was right! The pebbles give you a natural foot massage and the arctic-like temperature increases circulation so, once my feet regained their normal colour and movements, they felt like brand new!
Tree Hugging
When our guide muttered the words “tree” and “hugging” in the same sentence, I could see our group collectively shrink. In that moment, I’m sure each one of us was secretly coming up with a plan to escape it but, much to our despair, there was nowhere to hide other than behind a, erm, tree!
So we each picked a tree, evoked our inner hippies and, reluctantly, hugged it. Initially, we tried not to catch an awkward glance of each other but once we were in it, my friends, it was like there was no one else around. While we all seemed to have connected with our trees, some did more than others. Cora from Inside our Suitcase, for example, even gave her tree a name: Sandy.
Despite the fear of bugs crawling up into my eardrum, I can say that this tree hugging business left me feeling very calm, grounded and strangely recharged.
Open Air Museum
Bosco Arte Stenico is a free-entry open air museum privately run by a lovely man and his cute sidekick dog Silva (the fact that I don’t recall the man’s name but know the dog’s name says a lot about me!).
Everything in the museum, from sculptures to water fountains, is made from reclaimed material from the woods which will, eventually, return to nature respecting its life cycle and also creating an ever changing art collection.
The museum is a peaceful haven in the middle of the Dolomites UNESCO Heritage site where you can take a walk in the woods while enjoying excellent artwork made by artists who come from all over the world.
Perception Walk
Mattia and Alissa, who were there to take us on to our next activity that afternoon, were waiting for us in front of Garni Lilly, our hotel for the night. As the name “perception walk” suggests, we were supposedly doing some sort of mindful walking using our senses. Though nobody expected to be going around town with our eyes closed like a bunch of lunatics.
I ended up in the group that was blindfolded first and it was a bit daunting being stripped of my eye sight and in a completely new environment but, once I managed to relax and give up control, I enjoyed being taken around by my guide(s). I’m a super visual person so going on this perception walk was a great reminder that there are four other senses always waiting to be explored.
Weirdly enough, I loved experiencing San Lorenzo in Banale first through its textures, smells and sounds and, when I opened my eyes, the town’s colours and shapes also felt much more vibrant.
Spa Treatment
Famous for its therapeutic properties since the Roman times, the water in Terme di Comano has a stable temperature of 27C, neutral PH and is rich in magnesium, calcium and bicarbonate which helps relieve skin problems like psoriasis and eczema.
So we headed to the Grand Hotel Terme & Spa to test the water’s healing powers for ourselves. Set in a fabulous 14-hectare park, this elegant hotel has a wellness centre onsite that offers a variety of beauty and health treatments to anyone, including non-guests.
Our hotel & spa tour ended with a surprise: we were going to get a facial treatment too! The spa uses their own range of cosmetics that contains the spa water, Salus per Aquam, which combined with my therapist’s fairy hands left my skin feeling silky smooth. We were also gifted some samples and a spa water spray which we’re absolutely addicted to.
We loved spending time in the beautiful region of the Dolomites and trying some of their natural wellness activities at some pretty idyllic locations. We definitely made the right choice by sticking to what we know and do best, which is to unwind. After four days of being pampered, we left feeling restored, relaxed and, as it couldn’t have been any different, absolutely in love with Trentino.
You can find more about natural wellness activities in the Dolomites and how to book them on Visit Trentino’s website.
__________________
Disclaimer: This post was brought to you as part of the #visittrentino campaign, created and managed by Traverse Events in partnership with Visit Trentino. As always, Surf&Unwind retains all editorial control of what is published.
Some of the links used on this website are affiliate links. This means that if you click on it to buy a product, we’ll receive a small commission which comes at no extra cost to you and we’ll be forever grateful!