Forest Bathing: Science Confirms the Forest Is Medicine

In a world that is increasingly hyper-connected and polluted, returning to nature is no longer just a need of the soul — it’s a real necessity for our health. In recent years, numerous scientific studies have confirmed what many of us instinctively feel: immersing ourselves in nature is good for us.

One of the most studied practices in this regard is Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, a Japanese term that literally means “forest bath.”
But make no mistake: this is not hiking or sports. It’s a slow and deep experience of connection with the natural environment.

Forest Bathing

A 2023 study published in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine showed that spending just a couple of hours in a forest can:

• Significantly reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone
• Improve immune system function
• Lower blood pressure and heart rate
• Enhance focus and overall sense of well-being

This isn’t magic: terpenes, volatile substances released by trees, are powerful allies for our health. They have been shown to positively influence both the nervous and immune systems.

---

Casa Vallebona: Nature as Therapy, for Real

In the heart of the Monti Lucretili Natural Park, a unique home was designed to offer a deeply regenerative, safe, and accessible experience — especially for people living with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), EHS (Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity), or environmental allergies.

Welcome to Casa Vallebona.

Here, forest bathing isn’t something you book — it’s the natural backdrop of everyday life.

The house is surrounded by a living, healthy forest, far from electromagnetic sources, cultivated fields, and industrial plants.

The stone building has been renovated following the principles of bioarchitecture and Clinical Ecology.
The materials are free from irritating chemicals, and the air — even indoors — is incredibly pure, fresh, and naturally filtered by the surrounding vegetation.

Even the soundscape is therapeutic: no traffic, just birdsong, rustling leaves, and precious silence.

Not Just a Vacation. It’s Prevention.

For those who live in polluted urban environments or suffer from environmental sensitivities, even just a few days in a place like Casa Vallebona can represent a physiological and mental reset.

You don’t need devices, invasive treatments, or medication — just real nature.

---

Want to create a home like Casa Vallebona?

The experience of building and restoring Casa Vallebona following the principles of Environmental Medicine is now a book:
📘 “La Casa della Buona Salute” (The House of Good Health), published by LEF.

The book covers every aspect of healthy home management: from materials to electrical systems, from heating to the design of a chemical-free kitchen. Every detail is meant to heal through the environment.

💌 If you’d like to renovate or build a healthy space and create safe homes for MCS and EHS, email: vallebonahouse @ gmail.com

---

📚 Learn more with specialized courses

To explore these topics in depth, you can follow my online courses on healthy building for MCS and EHS on Patreon:
👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/francescaromana/shop

You'll learn — step by step — how to choose the right materials, systems, and treatments, and how to truly protect your health and that of your family.

Furnishings at Vallebona Country House

Vallebona Country House was built following the indications of Clinical Ecology and of the Environmental Medicine. In particular, two books by Dr. William J. Rea, a cardiac surgeon who himself had Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, were used as reference. 

Dr. Rea created the first Environmental Controlled Units (ECU) in his clinic at Dallas to welcome patients with MCS.

His book "Optimum environments for optimum health and creativity" explains in detail which materials have to used for the structure of the house, for the finishes and for the furniture in order to reduce the toxic load as much as possible and in order to avoid allergic and sensitivity reactions to chemicals.

The materials used in the Environmental Controlled Units are:

• lime masonry or white cement,
• porcelain stoneware tiles,
• solid wood with a low terpene content (such as poplar, maple, chestnut, walnut, cherry and beech),
• glass,
• metals,
• rigid plastic.

Dr. William J. Rea's second book "Success in the Bedroom" explains how important it is to give top priority to creating at least one room that is completely "clean" and free of materials that can emit even the smallest traces of volatile organic compounds or traces of other allergens.

It is usually suggested that you prioritize cleaning up the bedroom because it is the place where you spend the longest time of the day by far.

The following are the best materials according to Clinical Ecology.

Wood

Solid hard wood is by far the best material because the Human Beings evolved over millions of years in an environment full of trees and in houses built with wood.

Only a few decades ago the phenomenon of hypersensitivity and allergies to some woods raised because of the intensive use of petroleum and petrochemical compounds.

Petroleum is, in fact, the product of the maceration of ancient forests and it is full of substances, such as toluene and benzene, the were present in nature only in minimal quantities. In Petroleum these terpenes are concentrated and they cause sensitizations to humans.

For this reason the most suitable woods for people with allergies and chemical sensitivity are the "harder" types of wood. At Casa Vallebona we have used only small quantities of solid wood and for the painting we have used a white enamel with zero VOC content.

Glass

Glass is an excellent material because it is smooth, compact and easy to clean. Being porous, however, it must be used only in contexts where it can not be contaminated by perfumes, detergents, smoke, etc.

At Casa Vallebona we have chosen a glass table and console with metal legs which, among other things, give light and pleasantness to the rooms.

 

Metals

Metals, especially steel and pre-painted aluminum, are ideal for healthy homes.

The only exception are custom-made steel furniture because the manufacturing process involves the use of petrochemical greases for the final polishing of the surfaces with a consequent deep cleansing.

If you want to make custom-made steel furniture, it is advisable to agree in advance with the craftsman on the use of organic greases for polishing, which must not be of petrochemical derivation, and also on the use of fragrance-free detergents for final cleaning.

 

At Casa Vallebona we have used steel shelves and ready-to-use pre-painted aluminum furniture which are very effective for storing dishes, pans, etc.

 

Masonry furniture

In order to make durable furniture at Vallebona Country House we chose to make as many masonry furniture as possible: kitchenette, closets, the bathroom cabinet, the console for the television.

Rigid plastic

Rigid plastic is also an excellent material for the Environmental Controlled Unit because it does not release odors and particulates, but it is essential to choose types of hard plastic that are phthalate-free.

Phthalates, in fact, serve to soften plastic and they are responsible not only for hypersensitivity reactions, but also for carcinogenic risks.

Rigid odorless plastics are suitable and allow you to store clothes, food, books, with the advantage of protecting them from the risk of humidity. 

At Vallebona Country House we have chosen different types of chairs with a metal structure and plastic seat, which is warmer and more comfortable than metal.

@ Casa Vallebona

To find out more, you can read Francesca Romana Orlando's book "The House of Good Health" (Libreria Editrice Fiorentina, 2022) available in online bookstores and to order in any physical bookstore.

Spring at Vallebona Country House

Every season has its positive aspects. Spring at Vallebona is an extraordinary period because it is possible to see the first flowers appear: daisies, chamomile, violets, but also the special orchids for which the Parco dei Monti Lucretili was created.

In this period, the mild temperatures allow you to have lunch outdoors and stay under the sun, without umbrellas. In the sky you can often see buzzards flying with their young because they have their nest on Monte Castellano, the mountain above Vallebona.

Between May and June, when it is not yet too hot for them, the pleasant song of nightingales can be heard. If you put music in the house it is easy to see some nightingale arriving on the windowsill that responds to the musical call, it is a real show. They like particularly Rhyanna!

The mild temperatures are also perfect for trekking. You don't need to take the car if you want to go on one of the nearby paths, such as the one that goes to Monte Castellano, the one that goes to Morretta or Pratarelle.

The photos show the intense green typical of this period, in which the heat and the moist soil allow the growth of flourishing meadows, as in the English countryside.

Tivoli

45 minutes

From Orvinio you need to go to Licenza and to Vicovaro to get to the mainroute A24 towards Tivoli.

Villa d'Este

The villa was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and represents a unique example of an Italian garden. The building was designed by the architect Pirro Logorio who began the works in 1550 on commission from Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia. The cardinal, frustrated because he had not been elected pope, wanted to build this palace to relive the glories of the courts of Ferrara, Rome and Fointanebleau and to see the magnificence of the ancient Roman Villa Adriana reborn.

As soon as you enter the building, you come to a staircase that leads to the reception hall. From here you reach the Noble Apartment famous for its late Roman Mannerist frescoes.

The villa is characterized by a beautiful garden full of fountains that create water theatres. Note the Fontana del Bicchierone - by Gian Lorenzo Bernini - the Fountain of the Birds, the Fountain of the Organ, the nymphaeums, the caves, the water games and the so-called "musical fountains" which enhance the harmonies of the water for create music games.

The Villa was almost completed when Ippolito d'Este died in 1572. After other interventions in the 17th century, a period of decline followed. It was Cardinal Gustav Adolf von Hohenlohe who revived it by hosting artists such as the musician Ferenc Liszt (1811-1886).

Acquired by the Italian State, the Villa was restored and opened to the public between the 1920s and 1930s.

For more information on tours telephone: +39 0774 332920 and visit website: https://www.visittivoli.eu/le-ville/villa-d-este&lang=IT

Villa Adriana

It is 11 minutes from Villa d'Este

Villa Adriana was the suburban residence of the Emperor Hadrian. It took about twenty years to build it: between 118 and 138 AD.

The emperor chose this location for his villa due to the abundance of water and its proximity to Rome (only 28 km).

The Villa is considered the queen of the imperial villas of ancient Rome for the imposing grandeur of the architecture, it represented a real city, spread over an area of about 120 hectares. It consists of a complex of classical buildings combining Egyptian, Greek and Roman architectural elements. In addition to the imperial palace, there were temples, libraries, theatres, baths, nymphaeums, the odeon, the arena, the academy and then parks, warehouses and accommodation for servants and garrisons.

In the Renaissance, Hadrian's villa represented an example of classical inspiration for the use of statues and water features.

Free admission on the first Sunday of the month. For more information: https://www.unesco.it/it/PatrimonioMondiale/Detail/132

Park of Villa Gregoriana

Villa Gregoriana in Tivoli allows you to take a walk of about a couple of hours through woods, paths, steps in the rock, waterfalls and the remains of the Villa of the Roman consul Manlio Vopisco, but also the Roman temples including the celebrated one of Vesta.

The park is the result of a hydraulic engineering project commissioned in 1832 by Pope Gregory XVI to contain the continuous flooding of the Aniene, channeling its waters into a double tunnel dug into Mount Catillo and then artificially increasing them, thus giving life to the 120-metre drop of the new Cascata Grande, which is the second highest in Italy after the Marmore.

The park suffered degradation and in 2005 it was reopened to the public thanks to the FAI. and today you can again walk the ancient paths freed from brambles.

Hours 10-18.30

For information, telephone 0774-332650 and website: https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/parco-villa-gregoriana

Subiaco

45 minutes

Subiaco is about a 45-minute drive from Orvinio. Follow the Via Licinese towards Percile, then pass Licenza and arrive in Vicovaro on the Via Tiberina, where you have to turn left (opposite you can see the florist and butcher's shop, here you turn left). After one kilometer on the right you will find signs for Subiaco.

Monastery of San Benedetto

The Sanctuary of the Sacro Speco of Subiaco on Monte Taleo houses one of the most sacred places of Benedictine spirituality: the cave where the very young San Benedetto da Norcia lived as a hermit, following the example of the anchorite fathers, at the beginning of the sixth century.

The Grotta di San Benedetto became a place of worship as early as the 6th century, but the current structure was created only in the second half of the 11th century, which is characterized by the balance between nature, architecture and rock.

Today the Monastery is made up of two superimposed churches and many small chapels.

It is recommended to observe the first ancient existing portrait of St. Francis of Assisi, a pilgrim who reached Subiaco in 1223 following Cardinal Ugolino, the future Pope Gregory IX. The old refectory instead houses an extraordinary fourteenth-century fresco of the Last Supper, recently restored.

For more information: https://monasterosanbenedettosubiaco.it/monastero/

It is advisable to go on weekdays because on Sundays some parts of the monastery are closed for religious services.

Monastery of Santa Scolastica

The monastery is located at an altitude of 510 meters and for centuries it housed hermits and monks who dedicated themselves to contemplation and prayer. This is why the area is named "holy valley".

The monastery consists of a complex of buildings built in different periods and with different styles. At the entrance you can read the inscription "Ora et Labora" which leads to the first Renaissance cloister from the 16th century. From here you arrive in a second cloister, the "Gothic Cloister" of the fourteenth century and, finally, to the third, named "Cosmatesque Cloister", of the thirteenth century.

The bell tower is from the 12th century and the current church is from the end of the 1700s.

The monastery had its period of greatest splendor between the 11th and 13th centuries. In 1465 the two German clerics A. Pannartz and C. Sweynheym set up the first Italian printing press, which enriched the Library.

For more information: https://benedettini-subiaco.org/index.php/monastero-santa-scolastica

The small lake of San Benedetto and the villa of Nero

The San Benedetto lake is the smallest in Lazio and is located about 2.5 km from Subiaco, in the wooded Aniene Valley, within the Monti Simbruini Regional Natural Park. The lake is characterized by a thunderous waterfall and is located just a few minutes from the Monastery of Santa Scolastica.

On the same day you can also visit the two Benedictine Monasteries (Il Sacro Speco and Santa Scolastica).

For more information: https://www.lazionascosto.it/laghi-piu-belli-visitare-vedere/laghetto-di-san-benedetto/