Tuscany Yoga Retreat

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome dinner in the garden

• Arrival at Florence airport and transfer to your private villa in the Tuscan countryside. Take your time to rest and unpack.
• In the evening meet all together to start your women-only Tuscan  retreat. Sorrounded by olive trees, vineyards, fruits and vegetables   your dinner will take place. The genuine products organically cultivated in the farm will be at the basis of the vegetarian meals offered during your stay. 

Day 2: Monteriggioni with wine tasting and lunch, Natural Cosmetics or Vimini basket making

• Morning to relax after the long flight and unpack your luggage. All the family gets together around the table to enjoy a genuine breakfast based on local products.
• In the late morning we’ll walk to the picturesque Monteriggioni – a beautiful perfectly intact medieval village. Here you will find a very tiny museum, a small church, some bars, restaurants, an ice-cream hub and some other shops. Time to walk around, you can also take a walk on the walls to enjoy the exquisite Tuscan landscape.
• Here we will stop for a wine tasting. Lunch at local restaurant preparing home-made pasta with ancient grains 0km. Enjoy some free time in Monteriggioni, before walking back to your villa.
• In the afternoon, have fun with a hands-on experience.
  Learn how to make natural everyday beauty/bathroom products from a variety of dried herbs and natural ingredients that can be easily found in our kitchen cupboards.
  Or have fun learning how to create a Vimini basket. This is an old Italian tradition passed from generation to generation thanks to our grandparents
• Dinner at the villa

Day 3: Florence Tour , Local Market & Oltrarno craftsmen district

• Today join our expert local guide Demetra for a Florence tour discovering the must-see but also hidden corners of the town.
• Lunch at the colourful Market of San Lorenzo – here you will find stalls offering the best Florentine and Italian food specialities. Butchers, fishmongers, fruit and vegetable vendors and small specialty shops selling local olive oils, meats, cheeses and much, much more. The best place for a real food experience.
• In the afternoon crossing the Ponte vecchio we reach the Oltrarno district to visit craftsmen shops in the most authentic side of Florence.
• Back to your villa

Day 4: San Gimignano, Cooking Class with lunch in Family Winery 

• Today explore the enchanting village of  San Gimignano with its remarkable towers.
• Later on you’ll reach a family owned winery, where you will be taken for a short walking tour of the historic property.
• Learn from an Italian chef the secrets of the authentic Tuscan cuisine. You will prepare home-made pasta, sauces, meat and dessert. This will provide an opportunity for your family to laugh and have fun while learning how to properly cut, braise, boil, cook and roast a complete Tuscan meal.
• Time to eat all together the delicacies you’ve just cooked! The lunch will be accompanied by wine & olive oil tasting.
• Back to your villa, free time at disposal. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Wine tasting at Montalcino Women’s Winery, Thermal Springs and Farewell Dinner at Organic farm-house  

• Transfer to the beautiful Orcia Valley for a journey among the heart of Tuscan countryside.
• We’ll start with a visit to a women’s winery with its all female staff, (including the wine maker) practically a flagship for equal opportunities for women in the wine world. Taste their famous Brunello di Montalcino accompanied by an expert (of course female!) for a unique Wine and music experience proposing for the tasting of 4 wines matched to 4 different pieces of music ,all chosen by Igor Vazzaz, musician and sommelier.
• Transfer to Bagno Vignoni famous for its open-air thermal pool right in the centre of the village.
• Free time for lunch and treat yourself at the Thermal Springs.
• In the afternoon transfer to Pienza. Here enjoy some free time to explore the “ideal city” and UNESCO World Heritage site.
  Realized by Pope Pius, it is the incarnation of a Renaissance utopia. Its spaces and perspective onto its 15th-Century piazzas and palazzi are organized according to the era’s ideals of rationality and humanism.
• Dinner at Organic Farm in the countryside.
  A family-run property, set in the enchanting panorama of Tuscan hills, where the love of tradition combines with sustainability.
  During the dinner you will taste dishes from the local tradition with a modern twist. You will taste vegetables from the farm’s vegetable garden, grains and flour from the farm, seasonal and local products.
• Back to your villa for the overnight.

Day 6: Siena walking tour & Dinner with bonfire & music

• Explore the amazing Siena guided by our local expert. Start your visit in Piazza del Campo, one of the biggest medieval squares in the world with its unmistakable peculiar shell-shape where the famous Palio Horse race takes place twice a year. Then proceed with the rest of the must-see including the incredible Duomo.
• Free time for lunch and to walk around for some shopping.
• In the late afternoon back to your villa.

Day 7: Departure

• Breakfast. Check out and transfer to Venice airport for departure. According to the flight schedule, it is possible to stop in Padova for lunch on your own.