On our first morning together, we will wake up and enjoy a hot beverage together before heading over to the yoga shala for our first morning yoga and meditation practice. After that, we will share a delicious Italian breakfast together and revel in the excitement of being together and in such an amazing spot. 

We will head out for a short hike to "get grounded;" literally, by putting our feet to the trails. After an invigorating bit of exercise, we will head back to the villa for a delicious lunch, a nap, some pool time, or however else you'd like to spend your afternoon. 

We will have a bountiful dinner together and another delightful night of sleep. 

After our newly minted routine of tea/coffee, yoga & meditation, and delicious breakfast, we will get our hands dirty (or clean!) with a lovely, natural soap making class. 

One of our intentions this week will be to spend more time noticing and paying attention to our five senses, and this is a wonderful way to engage multiple of those senses while also crafting a nice souvenir to take home to loved ones.

After a light lunch, there will be free time to explore, lay low, swim, read, and pass the time how you'd like. 

We will share another dinner together and a wonderful night of sleep. 

After our morning routine of coffee/tea, yoga & meditation, and a wonderful breakfast, we will have some time to rest & digest. 

Next up, what a lot of us have been waiting for our whole lives — an authentic, farm-to-table cooking class on a functioning organic farm in Tuscany, Italy! We will learn how to make some of Italy's most famous dishes and experience firsthand one of the world's top cuisines. Our five senses will certainly be engaged during this activity!

After enjoying the fruits of our labor, we will have some intentional journaling and downtime, considering the question, "what from this experience do I want to take home with me?"

There will be more unstructured time for relaxing in the way you see fit, followed by dinner and bedtime!

After a few fairly structured days, we will have a day to take our explorations a little more outwards. Following breakfast, you can participate in an optional offsite activity.

We recommend visiting the hot springs and spas for which this region (Maremma) is famous! Although Monte Amiata last erupted hundreds of thousands of years ago, this dormant volcano continues to fuel many thermal springs around its base. Saturnia, Petriolo, Bagno Vignoni & Bagni San Filippo all have exclusive spas nearby wild rock pools in breathtaking natural settings, where the water flows freely and no entrance fee is asked.

We imagine that the several of the group will want to band together to visit this natural phenomena!

After a night day out, we will enjoy dinner together again and recount the our respective adventures before bed. 

After mixing it up a little on our free day, we will all flock back to our lovely routine of a hot bevvie, yoga & meditation, and a leisurely breakfast together. 

We will have downtime before lunch today (in case you want to lounge by the pool and work on your Tuscan tan). After a fresh lunch, we will do a guided exercise together that aims to deeply connect us to the natural world. 

Forest bathing, also known as shinrin-yoku, is an ancient Japanese practice of spending time in nature, specifically forests, to promote physical and mental health. It involves immersing oneself in the forest atmosphere using all five senses, not just as a walk in the woods, but as a conscious and contemplative practice. Some of the benefits listed include: sensory immersion, stress reduction, immune system boost, and of course, mindfulness!

Our nervous systems will certainly thank us after this activity. 

Following this will be a delicious dinner and a beautiful night of sleep!

On our last full day of the retreat, we will consciously soak in all of the beautiful habits we have been cultivating together: slowing down, sipping our coffees, enjoying every bite, appreciating nature, sharing conversation and laughter with friends, reading a book, floating in the pool, etc. 

In addition to all of our daily routines, we will also have a small celebration of summer, abundance, and togetherness in this beautiful place we have had the benefit of spending this past week. With our yoga class in the evening, we will also have a soundbath and cacao ceremony (giving a grazie to Costa Rica).

Finally we will share a final dinner together and have another circle in which we share our experience and some of the ways we want to take it home with us. 

After a leisurely morning in which we share a few more "lasts," we will say goodbye to one another and this beautiful place that has given us so much. 

There may be shared transportation options back to where you need to go (we will help to organize). And never fear, we will have another "Ciao for Now" retreat ready in another awesome part of the world that you can look forward to!