Yoga Retreat in Tuscany

We rounded the sharp right turn onto the long dirt driveway lined with lavender fields and fruit trees. Off in the distance, nestled in the hills of Tuscany was an 800 year old restored farm house we would call home for the week.  Our first Amazing Yoga Retreat in Italy was about to begin.  The excitement of meeting new faces along with familiar ones and practicing yoga together filled my body with both anticipation and contentment. After a full day of travel squeezed into a tiny car navigating our way through the winding roads it felt so good to arrive.

The retreat began as we gathered around the front porch meeting one another while waiting for dinner to be served. We have a diverse group of all ages.  We have couples and solo travelers, friends and families joining together over the common interest of being in Italy and  practicing yoga.  

In the mornings we practice yoga and then come downstairs as the breakfast buffet is being served with warm breads, cheeses and fruits from the surrounding gardens

The afternoons are filled with excursions to one of the local walled medieval hill towns of San Gimignano and Siena. These towns are filled with local shops and full of culture.   

Aperol spritz in Siena's famed Piazza del Campo

Some afternoons that you need a little extra down time you can choose to spend the afternoon under the Tuscan sun at the pool and you might even all end up matching in black and white swimsuits.

One afternoon we took a cooking class learning how to properly make some good homemade Italian pasta.  The secret mixing technique and how many times we run the dough through the pasta making machine.  We all got a chance to practice and then later served up the pasta for dinner.

One of the highlights was Pietro, the local wine connoisseur, giving us a wine tasting including olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  We gathered in the wine cellar of the farm house for some history, humor and wine education.  The most profound quote from Pietro after he schooled us on the intricacies of wine was when he quizzed us about what wine we should drink...."the one you like the most." (insert italian accent)

We did not have yoga this evening... however we substituted yoga for a dance party on the porch. 

The last night of the retreat was spent outside making personal wood-fired pizzas and soaking in that last golden hour together.

So much gratitude for all the students who were called and came to celebrate this special space where adventure and yoga meet and Locanda Cugnanello for the incredible hospitality.