Alberto Apostoli-designed spa opens at Portopiccolo eco-resort
A new luxury spa has opened at the Portopiccolo Resort in Sistiana, Northern Italy, designed by Italian architect Alberto Apostoli.
The facility is spread across three floors and covers a total floor area of 3,600sq ft (38,800sq ft). The ground floor houses the reception, hairstyling studio, a training pool and changing rooms, while on the first floor there is a relaxation area dominated by an indoor-outdoor pool, offering views of the Sistiana Bay through large panoramic windows.
As well as the pool, the relaxation area has been equipped with water features, emotional showers, a Kneipp path, a hammam, tepidarium, calidarium, frigidarium, a biosauna and a Finnish sauna.
According to Apostoli, the design of the spa mirrors its location above the picturesque Sistiana Bay.
“The design concept was to follow the the cliffs overlooking the sea,” he said. “The interior alternates natural-coloured stone with the transparency of glass, lightening the structure, merging it with the context of the surrounding gulf and opening up breathtaking views for guests.
“The focus on wellness permeates the whole structure, starting from a more collective and choral dimension, on the ground floor, and closing increasingly to intimacy and privacy as you ascend to the floors above. The building is fully glazed, providing perfect inter-connection between interior and exterior.”
The spa is part of the larger Portopiccolo resort, which houses a luxury hotel, 454 sea-view residences, a harbour with 116 moorings, a beach-club and 10 bars and restaurants.
Portopiccolo has been built as an eco-sustainable, “zero-impact” resort and is located at the heart of the Gulf of Trieste.
It is the centrepiece of an environmental rehabilitation and urban regeneration project, which has turned the former Sistiana Bay quarry – abandoned in the 1970s – into a vibrant, tourism and wellness-led community.
Portopiccolo Alberto Apostoli Trieste Italy wellness spaItalian designer evokes ancient crypt with Burgundy wellness centre
Forum Hotel & Spa: How to create a profitable spa
Architect Alberto Apostoli designed the new spa at Casale Del Principe, Sicily


“We finally have a space worthy of our collection”: V&A launches huge new Photography Centre

Immersive storytelling museum takes pride of place at revamped Tiffany & Co. in NYC following redesign led by Peter Marino and OMA

Elegant Dior spa inspired by nature opens at Hôtel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes

Bjarke Ingels among finalists chosen in design competition for National Museum of the United States Navy

De Matos Ryan and AOC Architecture prepare to open Young V&A London

ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel creates new Bulgari Tokyo

Manchester City submits £300m Populous-designed plans to redevelop Etihad Stadium and add 400-bedroom hotel

Woods Bagot completes $120m refurb of Continental Sorrento with subterranean bathhouse and spa

New Dior spa carriage opens aboard Belmond’s luxury Royal Scotsman train

Bjarke Ingels creates meandering eco distillery attraction for Blue Run Kentucky

bbspa_Group to realise urban destination spa inside Sardinian football stadium

Thinkwell to deliver the world's first Play-Doh attractions in Saudi Arabia

Jayasom partners with Amaala to unveil multigenerational health resort in Saudi Arabia

OMA's Ellen van Loon is the visionary behind new cultural centre for Manchester

James Corner Field Operations creates Highline for London

Esbjerg’s landmark maritime center, designed by WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta, opens to the public

SEVEN to open world’s first indoor Discovery Adventures centres in Saudi Arabia

Fun and fear drive new Universal attraction concepts for Texas and Las Vegas

Voelker Gray Design creates 10-acre hot springs wellness haven for Atlanta

AIDarchitecten create healing spa for Antwerp's Botanic Sanctuary

Hollaway Studio's Seahive would bring blue health to South-East England

SEVEN to invest US$13bn in developing entertainment destinations across Saudi Arabia

World Spa’s expansive 50,000sq ft urban bathhouse and wellness club opens in Brooklyn

Floating Salmon Eye visitor attraction by Kvorning Design highlights sustainable aquaculture

White Arkitekter's Wood Hotel in Skellefteå Swedish Lapland is climate positive and made from local timber

Nohlab's 'Everything' installation among Noor Riyadh festival highlights

Bob Iger's return to Disney sparks major restructuring focused on creativity and storytelling

Therme Group plans US$200m urban wellbeing resort in South Korea

Digital art installation in Nanjing helps the public keep an eye on exoplanets

First glimpses revealed of flagship Blue Zones Centre in Miami
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates