About The Retreat

”This retreat in Tuscany was the perfect balance of culture, relaxation, and joie de vivre. Erin curates a retreat that makes you feel the furthest thing from a tourist, exposing you to the local haunts and gems of Tuscany. Thank you for so many beautiful memories made in Tuscany. I can’t begin to tell you what an amazing time I had! What an incredible, beautiful, and graceful woman you are. I can’t wait to join you around the world again! Thank you.” Marja, New York

Join us for a restorative and creative retreat in the Italian countryside. In our private boutique villa you will be surrounded with breathtaking views, mesmerizing sunsets, and a wonderful sense of peace – the perfect setting to nurture yourself and your creative spirit.

Set your body at ease to let your mind flow with ideas – as we enjoy la dolce vita together, with just the right dose of local cuisine, culture, creativity and wellness.

There is no better way to capture Italy than to immerse in its rich history. This retreat is designed for those who have a love of the arts and mindful movement. Practicing yoga in this incredible landscape gives guests the peace of mind of the countryside and the energy to explore and create from it.

We’ll be exploring different forms of art through watercolours, acrylic paints and collage. Find inspiration during day trips and render your experience on canvas or in personal travel journals. Creative workshops are open to all levels from beginner to the seasoned artist focusing on simple and approachable exercises to ignite your inner artist. Your finished piece makes for a memorable souvenir for your Italy Retreat!

Yoga and Meditation

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.

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 personalised attention to deeply explore their practice.

Creativity

This retreat will be led by EPM collaborator, MINDY JOHNSTONE. Living in the awe inspiring Canadian Rockies, Mindy has a love of the outdoors, all things artistic and wellness related. Her hometown in Banff is her foundation for teaching art and yoga for the past 20 years.

No travel experience is complete without a journal to record the finer details of her surroundings through sketches combined with watercolours, acrylic pens and ink. On retreat, prepare to be inspired and nurtured as her strength lies in the ability to cater to groups and individuals needs. Mindy loves to inspire guests to see the delight in their surroundings through art and how we can feel at ‘OM in the world.’

Day Trips

Our day trips will allow us to experience the many unique landscapes and activities that this area has to offer. We will begin our week with a visit to the nearby Etruscan hilltop town of Chiusi, where we’ll enjoy a walking tour and a stop for lunch.

Later that day, we’ll head to another beautiful village and an award-winning design hotel for an olive oil tasting, learning from an olive oil sommelier about the nuances and profiles of this elixir. And we will perhaps (as this will fall near harvest season) get to taste some of the brand new oil for the year.

The next day, we’ll venture a little further afield towards the Val d’Orcia and its iconic rolling Sienese hills to a cheese farm in the area of Pienza where the famed pecorino cheese is made.

We’ll explore by the hill town of Montepulciano and enjoy an Italian coffee tasting in one of the historic cafes. By the middle of the week, we will recharge with spa treatments on site and down time before heading out that evening to explore a beautiful Umbrian town and have a cozy dinner out.

We will also fit in a visit to the town of Cortona, famed from Under the Tuscan Sun, and find an artisan workshop in the area to learn from and see how some of the quality products and crafts in this area are produced. We’ll also have time to enjoy some time in the town for shopping and lunch.

We’ll round out the week with a wine tasting visit and lunch – how can we be in this part of Italy without partaking in its sacred potion? Finally, we’ll partake in a cooking class to prepare our final dinner together.

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.

Accommodation

Located on the border of the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, Porsenna Hotel & Spa is a grand country house resort hotel amid the fields and rolling hills of the countryside and a short distance from Lake Chiusi and Lake Trasimeno.

Our group will enjoy an exclusive stay and private book-out of the hotel during our week together. The hotel boasts spacious guest rooms, the on-site restaurant and an outdoor pool as well as massage rooms. Beautiful gardens surround the buildings with various areas for us to meet, conduct our creative workshops, as well as stretch out in our daily yoga classes which will be offered to guests.

Here, we are surrounded by historic and ancient Etruscan towns, hilltop villages, and storybook scenery. It gives us a perfect home base to explore the area on our day trips and see what this green heart of Italy has to offer.

Retreat price

Prices are in US Dollars

6 days / 5 nights (Sep 29 – Oct 4, 2024)

Inclusive Retreat Price = $3,295 Single Room, ($150 discount per guest for sharing room. 3 shared rooms available)

Deposit to hold space = $950

Max # Guests = 14

Includes

• Private villa accommodation (spacious bedrooms each with private bathrooms, linens)
• Daily Breakfast
• Selected Lunches & Dinners
• Welcome Aperitivo & Orientation Reception
• Transportation to/from day trips
• Daily yoga/meditation class
• Daily travel journal creativity art class
• Use of yoga mats
• Use of hotel amenities (pool, gardens, etc.)
• Regional Tastings – winery, olive oil, coffee, etc
• Olive Oil Tasting / Aperitivo
• Wine Tasting Lunch
• Italian Coffee demo at historic cafe
• Walking tour of Etruscan hilltop town, Chiusi
• Afternoon in Montepulciano
• Visit and dinner to Umbrian town
• Visit to Cortona
• Italian cooking class
• Spa Treatment

Does not include

* Airfare

What past guests have said

“My wife and I have participated on four of these retreats. Each time we have been completely captivated by the experience. The locations are absolutely spectacular. The food and wine is local, healthy, fresh and delicious. The daily trips are personal, structured (but not overly so), enthralling, adventurous and chic. This is not your uncle’s travel guide tour. Erin offers an intimate and deeply restorative experience. It is invitation to form lifetime friendships with people who are curious, joyful and fun.

Many times we feel like we are not only getting a sense for a place but being invited to peer behind the veil and see what is invisible to many travelers, all informed by Erin’s appreciative eye for beauty, story and style. Finally the yoga is inclusive and healing. I love the music, the settings, the flow and Erin’s ability to meet you where you are at in your practice. This is our first choice for international travel, personal restoration and inspiration. We highly recommend the experience!”. – Rene – California, USA

How to get here

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

Free transfer service is available from the Chiusi-Chainciano Terme station to the retreat location (only 15 min away) on the afternoon of the start date and morning of the end date. Full details will be provided at sign up.

Booking

To book this retreat in Tuscany, please complete the form below. We will get back to you within 24 hours!