OVERVIEW

YOGA + CULTURE + CUISINE

Join us for a restorative and healing retreat in the Italian countryside on this special collaboration with yoga teacher and wellness enthusiast, Amy Commander. In our private boutique villa you will be surrounded with breathtaking views, mesmerizing sunsets, and a wonderful sense of peace - the perfect setting to nurture yourself and your spirit. 

What better place to be inspired by fabulous cuisine and local organic farming. We’ll enjoy daily yoga, meditation, wellness tips and tricks, cleansing juice/smoothie recipes, cultural sites, spa treatment, healing meditations and astrology readings! Yoga with Amy will be offered each day to get our bodies and minds ready to experience the present moment and get the most out of our week.  The wellness workshops will be included to get close guidance from Amy as we start each day with healthy mindset.  As we set off on our day trips (many focused around cuisine), we can try out our new tips to help digestion while indulging in the Italian lifestyle.  

Plus even though we’ll be in Italy nearer to the high season, we’ll be staying on the border of Tuscany and Umbria with smaller villages and spreadout countryside - avoiding the major tourists hubs. So you can relax, soak in the Italian sunshine, enjoy teh sunflower season, and live “la dolce vita”!

ACCOMMODATION

Located on the border of the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, Porsenna Hotel & Spa is a grand country house resort hotel amid the fields and rolling hills of the countryside, just a short distance from Lake Chiusi and Lake Trasimeno. Our group will enjoy this lovely hotel and grounds during our week together. The hotel boasts spacious guest rooms, an on-site restaurant and an outdoor pool, as well as massage rooms. Beautiful gardens surround the buildings with various areas for us to conduct our creative workshops, as well as a place to stretch out in the daily yoga classes which will be offered to guests. Here, we are surrounded by historic and ancient Etruscan towns, hilltop villages, and storybook scenery. It gives us a perfect home base to explore the area on our day trips and see what this green heart of Italy has to offer.

ACTIVITIES

Our day trips will allow us to experience the many unique landscapes and activities that this area has to offer. We will begin our week with a visit to the nearby Etruscan hilltop town of Chiusi, where we’ll enjoy a walking tour and a stop for lunch. For dinner we will head across the regional border to Umbria for an atmospheric dinner. The next day, we’ll venture a little further afield towards the Val d’Orcia and its iconic rolling Sienese hills to a cheese farm in the area of Pienza where the famed pecorino cheese is made - after our farm tour and tasting we’ll have some freetime in the town for some wandering. By the middle of the week, we will recharge with spa treatments on site and a cooking class before down time before heading out that evening to explore a beautiful view and olive oil tasting, learning from an olive oil sommelier about the nuances and profiles of this elixir.

We will also fit in a visit to the town of Cortona, famed from Under the Tuscan Sun for time to enjoy some time for shopping and lunch. And the week wouldn’t be complete without a wine tasting visit - how can we be in this part of Italy without partaking in its sacred potion?

CUISINE

Healthful food is part of the retreat, drawing on the in-season harvests from the local area. Daily breakfast is prepared on-site, and the itinerary includes dinners and most lunches as well, many incorporating a visit or experience in the nearby area. We've carefully chosen delicious and fresh meals from renowned restaurants and chefs that will give guests an expansive experience of the cuisine. Throughout the week, we will get to sample several of the regional specialties like olive oil, coffee, wine, pecorino cheese, maybe even some truffle if we are lucky!  We'll relish in a range of local eateries, like cantinas, family osterias, and award-winning chefs, and we’ll have hands-on experiences with an Italian cooking class.

*In the yogic tradition, meals on our retreats are vegetarian. When the company was founded, we wanted to create consistency and integrity within our yogic lineage as well as finding the most consistent way in each location to leave a light footprint. We know not all our guests are vegetarian, but we ask that they be open and understanding of the principles that guide this choice for just the few days that we are together. That said, breakfast is an open menu with all diets being represented, so there are usually options of meat / fish. Plus, a couple of the provided meals at sea-based locations will have an option for seafood, and of course guests can choose whatever they prefer from menus when we are on our own for a few meals during the week. Special allergies can be addressed and noted.

WELLNESS + CREATIVITY

Daily meditation and yoga classes will be offered in a way to relax, stimulate, and help guests grow in their own personal practice. Classes are open to all levels, beginner to practiced, and can range from gentle, restorative, and more vigorous vinyasa flow and ashtanga styles.* Style and class levels will be determined and moulded to fit participating students' needs, and with a small intimate retreat class size, students will be able to get personalized attention and comfortability to deeply explore their practice. Depending on each retreat location, classes will be held in a dedicated indoor yoga space and some also offer outdoor options as well for us to use if the weather is agreeable.

AMY COMMANDER

Amy found yoga in 2003 after a knee injury from long distance running. Following the advice of a friend, she started taking classes in an effort to help get her knee healthy enough to continue running in marathons and racing. It did not take long for her to realize that yoga was a much healthier and more sustainable form of mental and spiritual exercise, eventually leaving running behind in favor of yoga. In 2008, Amy opened her first yoga studio that she successfully ran for over twelve years. In addition to being a studio owner and having over 14 years experience actively teaching, Amy is an accomplished intuitive. Having completed her advanced training with Astrologer Debra Silverman, Amy enjoys providing in-depth astrology readings to support members in their healing journey. She is also a certified master Reiki healer, an oracle/tarot reader, and certified holistic nutrition counselor. After losing one of her closest friends to cancer in 2020, Amy went back to school for nutrition, successfully graduating from IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition). Amy has since started a new business, Yogi Bites, offering nutrition services of all kinds, including home baked goods. She is the owner of “The Studio”, in St Augustine Florida.
* Participation in classes and activities is optional throughout the retreat. All levels welcome!

WHAT PAST GUESTS ARE SAYING

DETAILS / PRICING

• 6 days / 5 nights (Jul 12-17, 2026)

• Inclusive Retreat Price = $3595USD Single Room, ($150 discount per guest for sharing* room. 3 shared rooms available)

• Deposit to hold space = $1500

• Max # Guests = 14
  * Many of our guests come alone and we match up based on guest profile. Please note however that shared rooms will not be confirmed until both spaces are filled.
  ** 50% of final balance due 120 days before retreat start date, and remaining 50% due 60 days before retreat start date. Read full cancellation policy in our Terms & Conditions.  

INCLUDED*:

• Villa accommodation (spacious bedrooms each with private bathrooms, linens)

• Daily Breakfast & Dinner

• Selected Lunches

• Welcome Aperitivo & Orientation Reception

• Transportation to/from day trips

• Daily yoga/meditation class

• Use of yoga mats

• Use of hotel amenities (pool, gardens, etc.)

• Regional Tastings -  winery, olive oil, coffee, cheese etc

• Olive Oil Tasting / Aperitivo

• Wine Tasting & Tour

• Italian Coffee demo

• Walking tour of Etruscan hilltop town, Chiusi

• Afternoon in Pienza

• Visit and dinner to Umbrian town

• Visit to Cortona

• Italian cooking class

• Spa Treatment

• Taxes

  * airfare not included
  **activities may change based on weather or unforeseen circumstances such as weather, etc

LOCATION / TRAVEL:

• Located just outside of Chiusi, Tuscany, Italy

• AIRPORTS: Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Florence Peretola Airport (FLR). From both airports there are easy train connections to the station nearest the hotel. Full details on how to best arrive will be given to guests.

• TRAIN STATION: Chiusi/Chianciano Terme

• We can provide recommendations for a private driver or public transportation. Taxis are available at any time from Chiusi Station, and private cars are available for door-to-door service from airports.

SUGGESTED PACKING:

Besides the basic packing and travel needs, here are a few things to think about bringing with you.

• YOGA MATS & STRAPS ARE PROVIDED

• Bathing suit (on-site pool)

• Yoga clothes

• Plug adaptors / converters

• Comfortable walking shoes