Tucking into my calorie controlled Michelin starred lunch, I took a moment to pause and savour the delicious food. A group of ladies were walking to their table, all dressed in standard issue white towelling robes with one of the group slightly behind. As I sipped my vanilla chai tea, I started to process that the tardy diner was one of the most famous faces in the world. A media giant who was known by her first name alone. I had booked onto this hard core wellness retreat as a challenge to myself but now all that all seemed relatively easy compared to the impossible task I was about to set myself. How could I get a selfie with Oprah?
I had arrived a day early to Palazzo Fiuggi, a five star hotel that was to be the base for my luxury wellness retreat in the Italian countryside. The 5 day health programme is an outpost of the award winning Ranch retreat in Malibu California which is based round hiking, vegan food and yoga. Oprah, although a previous guest of the Ranch in California, was not on my programme but was one of the Palazzo’s private wellness guests. All our Ranch activities were to be held in a separate wing of the Palazzo which greatly reduced my chances of ‘accidentally bumping into’ Oprah. I had to therefore schedule in some daily stalking time as part of my activity plan.
6am the next morning, I jumped out of bed ready for my portion-controlled vegan breakfast – homemade granola and almond milk. After 30 minutes of stretches we set off for our 4 hour uphill hike. The walks are based on time not length so you can set a personal pace for a couple of hours and then turn back again when the radio message comes through. This was my first time using walking poles which gave me a helpful extra push up the hill, especially when rocky under foot. A pacer sets the route with small red flags so the chances of getting lost, if you do end up walking on your own, are very slim.
Lunch was a surprisingly filling chickpea salad on lentil crust, with the same meal being served to all 25 Ranchers, 22 ladies and 3 men. An eclectic mix of successful mover and shakers – a Hollywood writer, a high profile divorce lawyer, a New York architect. Afternoons were free so I opted for a swim in one of the many pools dotted round the hotel with a sideline plan to stake out Oprah. My hopes were raised when I spotted Gayle King, Oprah’s BBF relaxing by the jacuzzi pool. As I swam endlessly up and down, it became apparent that Oprah would not be joining her friend poolside.
The following morning, we had a variety of health tests – blood, urine, heart, weight and blood pressure and then we were back out on the rain soaked Italian hills. The walk was shorter as the wet conditions made the mountains more treacherous and landslides possible. Back at the hotel, there was no sign of Oprah at her usual lunch spot and my selfie plan was fading fast. ‘I think they’ve left’ I said to my fellow rancher, ‘oh no she said, they’ve just gone out for the day, their security guard told me’. I was relieved, there was still hope but time was not on my side. For the next few Oprah free days, I enjoyed the routine of 4 hour morning hike, vegan lunch, afternoon swim, evening yoga and then dinner with the Ranchers, overlooking a spectacular view of the old town of Fiuggi. After dinner I cruised past the main Palazzo restaurant, the gym and paced the spa corridors but no sign of Oprah. Spontaneous opportunities were rapidly diminishing and I had one day left.
My last day arrived and giving myself a break from Oprahwatch, I booked myself a facial from Palazzo Fiuggi’s extensive beauty menu. Feeling all fresh faced and plumped, I headed back along the spa corridor towards my room. Then, slowly walking towards me in the distance, I could see a very familiar solitary figure. There were two of us in this corridor, one person was me with heart pounding and knees shaking, and the other person was Oprah. We drew closer, with my tight throat and quivering hand, I managed to set the phone to photo mode and meekly asked ‘can I please have a selfie with you?’…. Oprah smiled, stopped in her tracks and said ‘Sure’ as she turned to face the camera. The rendezvous was over far too soon but it was enough. I was ecstatic. The perfect ending to what had been a fabulous few days at the Ranch in Italy.
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TV Travel Tales 