Palace Merano: where time stands still, to start afresh
At Palace Merano, longevity isn't just about living longer, it's about fully living in the moment © Moggi
In this hundred-year-old palace in the Italian Tyrol, cradle of modern preventive medicine, the art of living longer paradoxically begins with the art of slowing down – a lesson in eternity in the heart of the Alps.
As you cross the threshold of Palace Merano, one thing becomes obvious, almost like a revelation: we all think about longevity, about living longer, but what about living better – fully present, in the moment? And that’s precisely what this timeless place reminds us with uniquely Italian elegance: life is now.
In this Belle Époque sanctuary where the days of the week run gently into each other, where the hands of the clocks seem to turn in slow motion, we spent a week trying out the new ‘Sport Performance’ programme – a recent addition to the therapeutic arsenal of an institution which, for over a century, has been redefining wellness.
Palace Merano was built in 1906 in a town that was already a prestigious spa destination. It was Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) who, through her stays at Trauttmansdorff Castle in the second half of the 19th century – long before the Palace came into being – made Merano a spa treatment magnet for the European aristocracy. When the Palace opened, eight years after the Empress’s death, it inherited the aura of wellness that Sissi had helped create around the city, gradually turning the classic hotel into the modern temple of preventive healthcare it became by the end of the 20th century.
The art of the welcome: luxury meets letting go
Arriving at Palace Merano is like coming home. The staff, some of whom have been working here for decades, welcome you with familiar warmth. Our suite – bedroom and lounge opening onto a panoramic terrace facing the Alps – immediately feels like a protective cocoon. Situated in the centre of Merano but hidden from view, the palace cultivates the discreet intimacy that is the signature of true peaceful havens.
Time slows down in the first few hours. The afternoon is spent in the indoor and outdoor pools, with sauna and hammam sessions in between. Dinner is accompanied by live music, and the cuisine is worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant, with lemon water, digestive herbal teas and barley coffee elegantly replacing the usual beverages. No need to think: your mind stills, confident in the expertise of a team that knows what your body needs better than you do.
Diagnosis as a starting point: personal assessment
The ‘Sport Performance’ programme begins with an exhaustive assessment. The legendary footballer Zinédine Zidane, who has been a regular guest for three decades and is now the Palace’s official ambassador, says: “I come to the Palace Merano at least twice a year for a week or 10 days, with my family or friends. Every time I come here, I’m in another world. I recharge my batteries and feel like a different person a fortnight later.”
Blood tests (on 86 markers), body scans, postural and cognitive assessments: every parameter is scrutinised with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. Alex Schwazer, Olympic 50km race walk champion and now a fitness trainer, supervises the biomechanical tests. His presence, five days a week, demonstrates the importance the Palace places on this new sports-related dimension. Any imbalances – whether physical, chemical or mental – become the roadmap for a journey towards regaining harmony.
Earth, air and mindfulness
The daily sessions at the gym, including cognitive exercises where the gaze is a tool to improve concentration, are underpinned by a philosophy: movement takes us away from inertia, releases buried anger and shapes our assertiveness. The bespoke circuit created by Schwazer becomes a daily ritual – once the treatment programme has been put together, it is repeated every day with metronomic precision, because repetition breeds transformation.
Cognitive and physical training, cupping therapy energy massage, hydrojet session following hydro-aromatherapy and fangotherapy © Moggi
The Merano air, known since the 19th century for its therapeutic properties, contributes to the alchemy of wellness. Dr Massimiliano Mayrhofer – doctor, scientific director and Revital® Method, director affectionately nicknamed ‘Dr Max’ – stresses the benefits of the unique Alpine-Mediterranean microclimate: clean, dry air, sun, stable temperatures and no fog. Even in Sissi’s day, doctors recommended these stays for respiratory illnesses, circulatory disorders, and convalescence. The unique climate, which is still considered to be conducive to well-being and healing, is an integral part of the therapeutic experience.
Your breathing naturally becomes deeper and calmer, particularly during the morning yoga sessions in the new space whose bay windows look onto an immaculate lawn, where walking barefoot reconnects you with the earth.
Mud wraps, a thousand-year-old legacy in the spa tradition, combine with energy massages and hydrotherapy treatments for deep detoxification. Each element – earth, water, air – plays its part in this symphony of renewal.
The power of repetition: becoming your own hero
“Ben tornato” – good to see you again – this phrase constantly echoes down the corridors. With 80% repeat customers, the Palace considers loyalty to be a cardinal virtue. This regularity becomes a philosophy: by achieving one small thing every day and letting it transform our lives, we become our own heroes. It’s the magic of consistency, the alchemy of daily routine repeated with mindfulness.
Intimacy develops with the passing days. We get to know each other’s first names, go into the kitchens for cookery lessons, and discover the secret chapel, ideal for meditation. Authenticity transcends each interaction, creating that rare feeling of belonging to an extended family where even the Palace’s CEO Stefano Plotegher might join you for dinner, unannounced, to discuss your experience.
Palace Merano: centenarian medical spa looking to the future without selling its soul
Balance as a destination
Palace Merano teaches a fundamental lesson: it’s all about balance. Rest and activity, hot and cold, sun and rain – these polarities stop being opposed to each other and become complementary.
You leave with much more than a bespoke nutritional programme and tailored exercises. After a week of daily observation, nutritionist Katrin, coach Alex and Dr Max – who even goes so far as to advise you on which water to drink according to your profile – will have drawn up a framework for a tailor-made, balanced lifestyle.
Dr Max du Palace Merano : “L’équilibre est la clé de la longévité”
Rebirth for all ages
The programme is particularly aimed at a younger age group, one that chases after new experiences and trendy destinations, but would greatly benefit from slowing down and putting themselves in the hands of an institution that has been around longer than any of us have been alive. In a world of fleeting trends, Palace Merano offers permanence. In an age obsessed with novelty, it offers the depth of accumulated experience.
The new-found slow pace of calm breathing is achieved from morning yoga sessions or hikes in the mountains, through daily therapies – even if breathing becomes a little heavier during sports sessions – to light, peaceful dinners accompanied by a harp or piano with a view of the Alpine peaks.
Palace Merano doesn’t promise immortality. It offers something better: the awareness that life is for living now, through mindful breathing where each inhalation is an act of presence. Because, as these century-old walls whisper, the slower we breathe, the longer we live – and more importantly, the more intensely we exist.