When I first partnered with my childhood friend, chef Alice Delcourt, to offer yoga retreats in Italy, we accidentally created a different kind of wellness retreat and a very different way to experience Italy.
Instead of detoxing, we celebrate the local food and wine traditions. Instead of perfecting yoga poses, we dose movement as medicine. Instead of hitting major cities, we root into one spectacular location for a full week. Turns out, we created a spectacular recipe.
As a farm-to-table chef at her Milan-based restaurant, Alice’s cooking highlights the freshest and most abundant local ingredients. A typical dinner may include ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and pork roast with apple kimchi paired with a Barolo. She focuses on fragrant herbs, creamy risottos, and subtly sweet desserts. It’s a chance to slow down and savor what’s right in front of us.
While Alice moves you with her food, I feed you with movement. As a yoga instructor for over 20 years, my focus isn't on perfect yoga poses, flawless bodies, or burning calories. My classes release stress from the shoulders, power up the legs with squats, and reawaken our senses. We push—but never punish—ourselves with movement. Learning to exert ourselves is as important as remembering how to relax. Also, yoga pants are the perfect attire for wine tasting.
Our retreats offer an opportunity to leave our American hang-ups about our bodies, and about “good’ or “bad” foods back at home. They are a feast for both the body and soul.
Staying in one place allows our guests to unpack their bags and shed their baggage. Instead of rushing around major cities, we find one off-the-beaten-path locations away from the tourist crowds that are steeped in Italian tradition. We ground ourselves into the rhythm of morning yoga, the local flavors, and evening wine tastings. We venture out to nearby hamlets, local biodynamic wineries, and enjoy guided hikes where we’re often the only people around. In the evenings, we return home to a restorative yoga class and to gather around our communal dining table for yet another spectacular meal.
Moving out of stress and into your strength revives you. Being well fed replenishes you. Staying in one epic setting recharges you. Tasting the wines of the region anchors you. Our retreat weeks are about a different way to eat, move, and see the world.
Last year, the retreat sold out in less than 24 hours and our 2025 waitlist is filling up. So if this sounds like your kind of vacation, I suggest joining the waitlist to be among the first to know when our retreats are announced. We’re making big plans for 2025 and would love to have you join us.
