| LUX
World Travel specializes
in mind, body, and spirit tours, trips, retreats and personally planned
vacations to fit your style of travel. Activities generally include
yoga, wellness and spa programs, hiking, eco-tourism, sacred
journeys, cultural journeys, volunteer vacations and more. All travel
packages also promote low–impact tourism, while also providing a
philanthropic aspect of giving back to local communities.
Sample Program
Schedule
Please note, this just gives a general idea-- a revised, updated version will be sent to you before departure, and as always, our daily schedule will be flexible, to best experience La dolce vita, the Italian sweet life.
Arrival day. Transfer from Florence to the Villa. Lunch in a village on the way; settling in, a walk with sketchbooks, and dinner.
Day 1: At the villa : 7:30 Yoga, 8:30 breakfast, 9:30- 12:30 painting 1:00 lunch, free-time, outing to Monte Oliveto Abbey and/or wine tour of the estate, 8:00 dinner.
Day 2: Pienza and Sant’Anna in Caprena Church. 7:30 Yoga, 8:30 breakfast, 9:00 trip to Pienza. Visit town, and painting on site. 1:00 lunch. Visit to Sant’Anna in Caprena monastery in afternoon. free-time at Colle, 8:00 dinner.
Day 3: Montalcino and Sant’Antimo. 7:30 Yoga, 8:30 breakfast, 9:30- 1:00 painting morning at Colle. Lunch out in Montalcino. Abbey of Sant’Antimo to hear monks chant mass at sunset and journal work. Dinner out.
Day 4: Montichiello and La Foce gardens. 7:30 Yoga, 8:30 breakfast. Trip to Montichiello to paint at village. lunch out. Afternoon painting at gardens of Villa La Foce, return to Colle for relax and dinner.
Day 5: Day at Colle. 7:30 Yoga, 8:30 breakfast, 9:30-12:30 painting, 1:00 lunch. Afternoon hike to traditional cheese-making farm; free-time, 5:00 cooking class, 8:00 dinner.
Day 6: Siena. 7:30 yoga, 8:00 breakfast, 9:00 trip to Siena! Cristina guides us into the heart of the city. Sketch project for journals. Shopping time. Dinner out, in Rapolano Terme.
Day 7: Bagno Vignoni. 7:30 Yoga, 8:30 breakfast, 9:00 trip to Bagno Vignoni. Paint, and enjoy the hot springs pool, lunch, return in afternoon to the villa. Art show in evening, celebration dinner.
Day 8: Travel back to Florence.
Single
Supplement and Roommates:
Single
people may sign up to be paired with a roommate can chosen from other tour
members. If a roommate is unavailable, the participant will be notified of
the adjusted price for a single supplement.
Deposit
Information:
A
deposit of $500.00 per person is due at the time of booking, and is
non-refundable. Deposits should be applied 90 days prior to departure, which is
February 29,
2010. |
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Overview
8
Days, 7 Nights from $3500 pp
7 nights accommodation on a historic, four-star villa estate,
daily instruction and guidance in painting, sketching, journaling, art history on site everywhere we
go, morning yoga, guided tasting award-winning wines and olive oils, guided tour of the magnificent town of
Siena, a soak in the ancient-Roman spa pool of Bagno Vignoni, painting, walking, swimming,
shopping, all dinners, 3 lunches and daily breakfasts.
CONTACT
US FOR RETREAT
DETAILS
*Price does not include airfare, art materials or airport transfers
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Trip
Introduction
This retreat will be a week-long celebration of art and the art of living, Tuscany-style. Open to all women regardless of previous art experience. Come stay on a magnificent villa wine-and-olive-oil producing estate in the heart of the most magical area of Tuscany, and we will teach you to paint outdoors in the landscape and the medieval villages surrounding us. You will have a feast of subjects to spark your soul, and morning yoga will be offered daily to refresh the body. Painting can be a profound experience that engages all of our senses, our minds, and our spirits. We begin to see the world as never before, and our paintings give evidence of that new vision. Guidance will be keyed to your experience level, whether first-time beginner wishing to uncover your hidden creative side, or seasoned artist hungry for the time, space, and inspiration this retreat affords, in a setting of unrivaled beauty and fascination.
What to Expect on
this Adventure
We
will paint outdoors in the landscape and the medieval villages surrounding
us—from elegant towns such as Montalcino to jewel-like villages such as
Pienza; from the famous gardens of Villa La Foce to the ancient-Roman spa
of Bagno Vignoni, the majestic spiritual abbeys of Sant’Anna (the church
where the English Patient was filmed), and exquisite Sant’Antimo where
the monks still chant vespers as they have for over 1000 years, you will
have a feast of subjects to paint and enjoy.
There will be full, expert instruction for all levels… Beginning and
experienced artists alike will be treated to a fulfilling voyage of
discovery and creative expression in the land where art is a way of life
and life itself is artful!
We will be painting outdoors each day as well as creating a personal,
illustrated journal with daily guided exercises designed to attune you to
your inner heart’s desire, connecting you with the present moment,
recording clues, making a personal map of the journey.
In addition to hands-on art-making, we will also be exploring the
bounteous art-treasures of Siena, the frescoes of the Abbey of Monte
Oliveto Maggiore, the Renaissance masterpieces of Pienza, and more, with
knowledgeable guides illuminating the works.
Naturally, we will also be celebrating the art of living, following local
custom.. Slow down, taste, savor, sip, and indulge. We will partake of one
of the most luscious culinary traditions in the world, and learn
traditional recipes in a cooking class at the villa. We will enjoy a
guided visit of the working vineyards of our estate, and taste their
award-winning wines, among the finest in Italy.
Retreat
Location
From our meeting point in Florence, we will travel by van about 2 hours south into the province of Siena. This region is known as the Val d’Orcia and is one of the most picturesque and beautiful areas in all of Italy. The villa is located near the charming villages of Trequanda, and Asciano, where there is a
particularly good cappuccino bar as well as important 14th Century paintings in the town church. We will be lodging here for the whole week, so we can settle in and not have to pack and unpack. The area is a treasure-trove of gorgeous villages, towns, gardens, and abbeys for our day-tripping pleasure.
Accommodations
Our home for the week will be the magnificent and luxurious estate of Casabianca, a gorgeously-restored
aristocratic villa with frescoed suites, surrounded by its own stone hamlet and
landscaped grounds. Our rooms are arranged apartment-style, in beautifully-renovated, ancient stone farmhouses, each with its own living room, kitchen for snacks, and private terrace. All rooms have lovely views and well-appointed private bathrooms, and are furnished in traditional Tuscan style. The estate includes an ancient formal garden with statuary, an exquisite small chapel, a gorgeous swimming pool with expansive views over the magnificent countryside that reflects the quintessential dream of Tuscany. Our delicious Tuscan meals, prepared from fresh, local ingredients, will be served in the villa’s lovely restaurant, or outdoors in the cloister. Breakfast at Casabianca is served buffet style, in the ancient stone cloister, a courtyard space surrounded by arches, an features an abundance of homemade pastries and jams as well as local cheeses, cereals, bread, yogurt, juices, and egg frittatas. Foamy cappuccinos and lattes made to order. On days we are out touring we will enjoy lunch out in local trattorias, while some days we will have picnic lunch at our estate, overlooking the vineyards, weather permitting. Dinners feature delicious local specialties of the region, prepared by Casabianca’s gourmet chef. The produce is fresh and organic, direct from surrounding gardens and farms. We will also dine out to enjoy a couple of very special osterias in nearby villages. Some special dietary considerations can be accommodated with advance notice. Vegetarians are well-provided for in Tuscany, and wheat-free pastas and rice are available substitutes for those with gluten allergies.
The villa has an extensive wine cellar, offering the chance to try the top Tuscan wines and selections from all over Italy,
recommended by our nearly all-woman staff of experts! The estate also produces fine, organic olive oil. Combining ancient stone architecture with modern comforts, we will retreat to a timeless world at Casabianca, in harmony with the peaceful and exquisite countryside surrounding us.
Note: Price does not include airfare, art materials or airport transfers.
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www.luxworldtravel.com
Travel for
the Journey Inside You
1.866.269.2659
1.585.672.5587
LUX
World
Travel
Rochester
NY
1.866. 269.
2659
++ 011 585. 672. 5587
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There
will be full, expert instruction for all levels… Beginning and
experienced artists alike will be treated to a fulfilling voyage of
discovery and creative expression in the land where art is a way of life
and life itself is artful!
In all
the places we visit we will be treated to an insightful view into the
history and significance of the art we see. Linking art-history and
heart-history--exploring the connection between the Renaissance and our
own journeys.
Some days
we will have picnic lunch at our estate, overlooking the vineyards,
weather permitting. Dinners feature delicious local specialties of the
region, prepared by Casabianca’s gourmet chef.
Rejuvenating and relaxing
yoga sessions will be offered each morning before breakfast, and there
will be free-time for walking/running the trails around our estate, or
relaxing poolside.
Your Trip Leader
Colleen
Cannon: In her racing days, she was World Champion in 1984, and
National Champion in 1988 and 1990. She also was a multiple U.S. National
team member. Her passions, besides chocolate and being in nature, are
liberating and empowering women through movement and balance, and
targeting their true "hearts' desire." "Colleen continues
to EVOLVE adventures for women, delighting in ways to ENCHANT women
with the experiences that coax happiness grown from joyful physical
experiences,
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