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Under the glow of October’s supermoon—the brightest of the year—the Umbrian countryside takes on a mystical quality. Strict laws have shielded Italy’s green heart from overdevelopment and light pollution, making it a haven for night sky enthusiasts. I reflect on this while walking down a dimly lit gravel path at Reschio, a 3,750-acre estate near the border of Tuscany. Its rolling hills are dotted with dozens of ancient farmhouses that have been restored by architect Count Benedikt Bolza, and his wife, artist Donna Nencia. Its centerpiece, an 11th-century castle, houses a 36-room boutique hotel filled with bespoke furniture and antiques that harken back to the days of astro-navigation and farming by lunar phases. I’m here for Reschio’s newly launched Celestial Retreat: described as “a personalized cosmic odyssey,” it features stargazing with an astronomer, yoga, zodiac-inspired spa treatments, and adventures among the property’s oak forests and ancient olive groves. Considering Umbria aligns with a moon line in my astrocartography chart, it felt like the perfect place to celebrate my birthday with a weekend of lunar-inspired self-care.
Reschio is part of a growing number of properties that are adding celestial-focused experiences to their offerings. Travelers have long chased eclipses and meteor showers but the night sky is now becoming central to wellness retreats. According to Skyscanner s recently published travel trends report, astrology-based travel is set to soar even further in 2025, particularly among Gen Z and millennial travelers, who often look to the cosmos as an opportunity for self-discovery and reflection.
“Understanding your birth chart is a lot about self-acceptance,” says British Vogue’s resident astrologer Alice Bell, who hosted a retreat in Italy in 2023. “Tracking astrology throughout the month can be a wellness practice, too. There are certain times of the year where wellness is a bigger theme, like when your sixth house or your twelfth house is highlighted by transits.” Lunar phases can also have an impact, she notes, with full moons being ideal for active group gatherings and the waning or new moon being better suited to relaxing getaways like a beach vacation.
Hotels and travel companies are responding. At Paradero Todos Santos, guests can book a Power of the Moon overnight catamaran excursion with astrological readings, manifestation workshops, and full moon meditations. The Standard, London will continue offering its Zodiac Retreat package in 2025, which includes readings from celebrity astrologer Chris Corsini and custom room amenities that change with each zodiac season. While Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort boasts a spa and experiences inspired by the Hawaiian moon phases, Chablé Yucatán honors Mayan traditions with ceremonies aligned to their ancient calendar.
“Even more traditional resorts such as One&Only Mandarina have special experiences you can book such as an astrologer who comes to your suite, with a bottle of wine nonetheless, to read your chart and share insights into your astrological profile,” says Henley Vazquez, CEO and co-founder of travel agency Fora. “A recent couple who did this described it as better than therapy.”
At Reschio, astrology even influences agriculture. Embracing the century-old practice of biodynamic farming—a method of using constellations and the moon phases to determine when to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops—the property produces its own organic olive oil, natural wine, honey, and skincare products made with botanicals. “The biodynamic calendar is very important to us, and we use it daily,” says Donna Nencia Bolza, who created the celestial retreat as a way to help travelers reconnect to nature, the night sky, and seasonal rhythms. “For example, we would not collect St. John’s Wort flowers to make Iperico oil on any other day, apart from a flower day.”
My first morning, a root day, begins with a grounding yoga class in the estate’s church, where we flow by candlelight to choral music. “Living here, you develop a deep connection to the night sky,” says yoga instructor, Laura Holon, as we reflect on Umbria’s untouched countryside. “With so many 180- and 360-degree viewpoints, you quickly learn the constellations.” For guests, Reschio’s app, Almanacco, makes stargazing even more accessible, sharing daily updates on the cosmic calendar and lunar phases, in addition to a schedule of daily “household habits” like embroidery and Umbrian pottery workshops that help connect guests to ancestral practices.
In the Roman-inspired bathhouse spa, housed in the castle’s former wine cellar, guests receive personalized spa treatments tailored to their skin’s Greco-Roman elements (earth, fire, air, and water). After an assessment, I’m slathered with oils infused with restorative yarrow, St. John’s Wort, and cypress—a bespoke blend tailored to my air and fire sign-dominate skin.
On my final evening, we hike the estate’s verdant grounds, watching the sunset bleed into midnight blue. It’s rutting season, and the primal calls of deer fill the air—another reminder of nature’s endless cycles. While three days might not be enough to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, even a short retreat can offer a profound reconnection with nature and oneself. Or, at the very least, a chance to indulge in a new level of personalized wellness under a star-filled sky.