ITALY IS OPEN AGAIN!

Currently* Italy is allowing travelers from the USA, EU, UAE, and Israel for quarantine-free travel! We can provide more details and also help you with any travel arrangements. Feel free to CONTACT US with any specific questions, but we just had our first group back in Italy for 2021 at the end of June and travel was simple, efficient, and smooth. Plus it’s a treat to get to see Italy now before all of the larger crowds return.

*this can change daily and so we try to update the website here as we hear about any updated announcements. Please check with your government’s travel restrictions before booking to be sure.

Italy is open for regular activities and all businesses have reopened. It’s a great time to visit!

To further insure guests’ comfort we are LIMITING THE GROUP SIZE to only 5 rooms. We will give FREE UPGRADES to single rooms for solo travelers.

We will follow all of the regulations in place in Italy during the time of the retreat and allow for social distancing during activities.

OVERVIEW

FORM + FOCUS

This retreat will feature Julian Hyzler from EASEL&LENS to combine a look at creative focus with art projects in sketching and "ifonography" (smartphone photography) throughout the week. Yoga and meditation classes will be held daily to prepare our bodies and minds to find a creative way to focus on our excursions through the Italian countryside. *NO PREVIOUS ART OR YOGA BACKGROUND REQUIRED. All levels are welcome, and participation is voluntary. Projects and classes will be offered as a completely exploratory, unintimidating and personal experience.

LODGING

This magnificent yoga retreat will take place in the picturesque Italian countryside, along the border of Tuscany and Umbria. A beautifully restored farmhouse awaits your arrival, complete with sprawling vistas over the rolling hills in all directions. Former cantinas and stables on the ground floor have been transformed into apartments that are works of art. One can immediately see the careful attention that went into restoring, decorating, and preparing these rooms. Two large apartments are divided into different rooms of various size accommodations, each complete with private bathroom and linens.

A large and open art studio awaits those interested in exploring various creative mediums while visiting, and it can also serve as location for an "art as meditation" course or a journaling room. The grounds are spacious with plenty of outdoor space to sit alone, relax on the outside terrace overlooking the meadows, or enjoying an open-air lunch. Also, the house is located on a large estate ground with plenty of hiking available and even a pool to cool you down in the warmer summer months.

Host and villa owner Julian (from EASEL&LENS Art Courses) and his team will spoil guests with their hospitality, mouth-watering cuisine, and fun-packed side trips. Julian's extensive knowledge of Italian cities and art history will allow for a special and unique look into the surrounding areas. Also, this art instructor will share his love of the medium in his session of "art as meditation". Don't be surprised when you leave feeling as if you have made friends for life. You'll almost feel part of the family when you stay at their lovely property.

CUISINE

Healthful, vegetarian food is part of the retreat experience, including breakfasts and dinners daily, as well as some selected lunches. The cuisine is simple, delicious and Italian, using fresh ingredients from the onsite garden or local market in Chiusi, much of which is organically grown. Dishes may include seasonal tastes like pumpkin risotto, pasta al forno, slow roasted fennel with red onions, salads with wild rocket, pecorino and fresh figs, and more. Selection is seasonal, and you can guarantee to love and appreciate each bite. 

Our dinners will include a range from Italian family-style to multi-course tasting menus as well as tastings of the regional specialties throughout the week. We'll experience tastings from where certain local delicacies are produced, like vineyards, small family kitchens and traditional trattorie. And while on-site we'll dine with the house’s breath-taking scenery overlooking the Tuscan countryside.

SURROUNDING AREA

Guests will not only enjoy the house and encompassing estate, but also the richness of the Italian cities in nearby regions. Day trips will allow students to add arts, culture, adventure, and natural beauty to their retreat experience. Trips include visits to nearby Tuscan and Umbrian towns, and outdoor activities, even a day at a beautiful thermal spa where guests will enjoy the mineral waters which have been an ancient tradition here in Italy. See smaller villages that few tourists visit, and get a true education and taste of Italy with an olive oil, cheese, and wine tasting.

Besides visiting the lovely town of Chiusi, other nearby villages and visits to some of Italy's most prized "food capitals" will be explored, including the town of Cortona of “Under the Tuscan Sun” fame. We'll get a full experience of the flavors around us and how they work together to create one of the world's most sought-after culinary hot-spots.

YOGA + CREATIVITY

Daily meditation and yoga will be offered in a way to relax, stimulate, and help guests grow in their own personal practice. Classes are open to all levels, beginner to practiced, and can range from gentle, restorative, and more vigorous vinyasa flow.* Style and class levels will be determined and moulded to fit participating students' needs, and with a small intimate retreat class size, students will be able to get personalized attention and comfortability to deeply explore their practice. Depending on each retreat location, classes will be held in a dedicated indoor yoga space and some also offer outdoor options as well for us to use if the weather is agreeable.

Certified yoga instructor and EPM founder, Erin Lewis, will facilitate the classes, helping each student focus on improving their practice and gaining new insights into their bodies and movements. She's studied various types of yoga disciplines since 1998, concentrating on the Ashtanga discipline since 2008. She received her teacher certification in Florence, Italy and has continued her education with various specialty certifications throughout the years. She now combines powerful movements with more anatomical-based core vinyasa flow and restorative movement in her personal practice and teaching style.

Then each day we’ll engage in creativity classes led by Julian Hyzler who will guide us through various techniques of “seeing” and putting our travel experiences into our travel journals. From sketching, watercolors, writing, photography, and even some collage - we will be able to really be more in the moment as we engage our senses at each step to then create visual memories to take home with us.

* Participation in classes and activities is optional throughout the retreat. All levels welcome!

DETAILS / PRICING

• 6 days / 5 nights (Aug 29 - Sept 3, 2021)

  • Inclusive Retreat Price = $2,195 base price

  • FREE UPGRADE TO SINGLE ROOM FOR SOLO TRAVELERS

• Deposit to hold space = $950
  
  ** Final balance due 45 days before retreat start date.
  Read full cancellation policy in our Terms & Conditions.

INCLUDED *:

• Accommodation (spacious bedrooms each with private bathrooms, linens)

• Daily Breakfast

• Select lunches and dinner on day-trips or on-site

• Transportation to/from day trips

• Meditation and yoga classes

• Use of estate premises

• Tour guide on various day trips

• Olive Oil class + tasting

• Thermal Spa day

• Visit to local Etruscan town of Chiusi with tour, pizza lunch

• Truffle Tasting

• Italian coffee tasting experience

• Visit to Cortona (of Under the Tuscan Sun fame)

• Winery visit, tasting, and tour

• On-site cooking class with pasta demo

• Various visits to nearby towns and villages

• Use of yoga mats

• Tips & taxes

* airfare not included ** all meals are vegetarian. special dietary restrictions can be accommodated

DAY TRIPS:

• Each day will be a curated experience to combine a yoga class, experiential walk, and food tasting - all combining to provide a sensorial and culturally rich mindfulness practice

• Tuscan Tasting Tour (explore the special nuances to different foods, oil, vegetation in the Italian diet)

• Thermal Spa Day (healthful visit to a Tuscan thermal spa with time to relax and enjoy the mineral waters)

• Countryside tour (various village visits, historic museums and churches)

• Winery tour visit and tasting

• Visit to hilltop town of Cortona

• Truffle Tasting meal

LOCATION:

• Countryside on border of Tuscany and Umbria

• Nearest town: Chiusi, Tuscany

• Nearest major airports: Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO - Rome), Galileo Galilei Airpot (PSA - Pisa)

• Nearest local airports: Sant'Egidio Airport (PEG - Perugia), Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport (FLR - Florence)

• Nearest train station: Chiusi-Chianciano Terme

SUGGESTED PACKING:

Besides the basic packing and travel needs, here are a few things to think about bringing with you.

• Bathing suit (on-site pool, thermal spa)

• Comfortable shoes (walking tours)

• Yoga clothes

• Personal yoga props (mats and straps will be provided, but if you have a prop you prefer, feel free to bring it along)

• Plug adaptors / converters