Yoga, Wine and Tuscan Cooking: A Wellness Week in the Italian Countryside

The retreat runs for about six days and is based at a restored farmhouse — stone and brick, covered terraces, a large art studio, olive trees and lavender around the property, and a pool a short walk away. Views from the house look out over cypress-lined hillsides. The whole place is the kind of Italian home people picture before they've been to Italy, and it's used as the base for everything: yoga, meals, downtime, and the start and end point of each day trip.

Yoga happens most mornings, and sometimes again in the late afternoon. Sessions are led by the retreat's yoga instructor — recent seasons have featured Alison Sager, a certified 500-hour RYT trained at the New England School of Yoga Therapeutics with advanced study in yoga, mindfulness and neuroscience, and Mindy Johnstone, who leads the yoga plus creativity weeks. Classes are vinyasa-based and mixed level, so beginners and people who've practised for years are both fine. Some sessions are indoors in the art studio; when the weather's good, mats go down on the grass or on the terrace overlooking the hills.

Day trips are the other half of the week. Depending on the specific departure, the group heads out to local towns and markets, historic sites with Renaissance and older art, and at least one winery — Tuscany is wine country and the retreat makes a point of visiting vineyards in the region. There's usually a cooking element too, including a hands-on pasta session where guests make ravioli from scratch. Time in the towns is unhurried: walking the streets, looking at architecture, stopping for coffee or gelato.

Food is a big part of the week and it's not an afterthought. Breakfast is laid out in the shade on the patio; lunches are often at the farmhouse or at a local spot during a day trip; dinners are family-style, cooked with produce from the house gardens and from the market in Chiusi. Specific dishes that turn up include bruschetta with rosemary, fresh fruit and local cheeses, handmade ravioli, and a rotating cast of Tuscan wines.

What separates this from a generic yoga-plus-vineyard retreat is that the itinerary is built around a specific house and a specific region rather than a resort. The operator has been running retreats in Tuscany since the early days of the company and treats it as a home base — the founder is based in the region. That shows in the details: which towns get visited, which wineries get picked, which market is worth stopping at. It's guiding rather than touring.

The pace suits people who want a mix of movement, culture and food rather than an intense training schedule. Yoga is daily but not punishing; the excursions are interesting but not exhausting. Most guests are solo travellers in their 30s to 60s, with a few couples and the occasional pair of friends. Groups are kept small enough that everyone eats together and nobody gets lost.

What's included

- Accommodation at the restored Tuscan farmhouse for the duration of the retreat - Daily yoga sessions, mixed level, most mornings and some evenings - Breakfast each day, served on the patio - Lunches during the retreat - Family-style dinners cooked with produce from the house gardens and the Chiusi market - Tuscan wine with dinners - Guided day trips to local towns, markets and historic sites - Winery visit and tasting in the Tuscan wine region - Hands-on cooking session, including pasta making - Use of the house, covered terraces, gardens and pool - Art studio space for yoga and indoor sessions

What's not included

- International flights - Airport or station transfers (can be arranged at extra cost) - Travel insurance - Drinks outside of those served with meals and at the winery visit - Personal expenses, shopping and souvenirs - Optional spa or massage treatments - Anything not explicitly listed as included