Gut Health & Low-Tox Living Retreat in the Italian Alps

The retreat days revolve around food and cooking. Jo Whitton leads sessions where you prepare meals together — dishes built on traditional, whole-food ingredients, many sourced from local biodynamic and organic producers. Meals are designed around the GAPS Nutritional Protocol and similar healing diets, aimed at reducing inflammation and supporting the gut-brain connection. You'll cook side-by-side with Italian cooks, shop at village markets, and visit cheesemakers, beekeepers and growers in the area. Jo has years of experience cooking for GAPS and other therapeutic diets, and she tailors the meals and classes to guests' specific needs.

Beyond the kitchen, an experienced mountain guide takes you foraging in the alpine fields for edible plants, and you learn to turn what you gather into dishes. Lucie McCullough runs a session on creating a low-tox home, based on her building biology training — she studied the subject in Santa Fe after her own health issues with gut problems and mould illness. The chalet itself is a demonstration of that work: natural materials throughout, regulated humidity, natural ventilation and subfloor air circulation.

Baita 1697 was built in 1697 as a farmhouse and converted by Lucie with local architect Daniele Ronchail. It has appeared in Architectural Digest and Forbes, and Jamie Oliver has called it his best chalet experience. The open-plan living and dining area sits under exposed 17th-century stone vaults, divided by a glass staircase with a waterfall of lights. Each room was made by local carpenters and is different. Guests frequently comment on how well they sleep there.

Evenings are relaxed. Meals are eaten together with wine and conversation; there's no fixed programme after dinner. Your hosts can recommend extra tours before or after the retreat — biodynamic wineries, mountain treks and similar. The whole thing is capped at a small group size, which past guests have noted makes it easier to actually talk to people.

The optional village stay, 28–30 May, adds three nights in Cerrina Monferrato in the Monferrato region. You stay in a small house in the village and walk to Lucie's home for meals cooked by Jo. The days include grocery shopping in the village, visits to organic farms and dairies, cooking demonstrations with local nonnas, and long lunches outdoors. It includes all meals and transport from Turin to the village and on to the chalet. It's not part of the main retreat price.

What's included

- Transport from Turin to the chalet in Pragelato (Monday morning) - Luxury accommodation at Baita 1697 - All meals from Monday lunchtime to Friday morning - Transport back to Turin and train station drop-offs (Friday) - All workshops, cooking classes, activities and outings - Meals and cooking classes tailored to your dietary needs - Natural body products and local gifts on arrival - Access to a retreat chat group for recipes and resources

What's not included

- International flights - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Optional 3-day village stay (€1,800) - Optional local tours such as biodynamic wineries and mountain treks