Well...this pandemic is certainly keeping us on our toes. As well being a great teacher in lessons of patience, and pivoting! 

After much deliberation and going back-and-forth with our Villa and Lucca apartment hostesses, in January we decided to postpone our June 2021 Retreats. 

It was a gut punch...not even a full year since our last gut punch of canceling our 2020 retreats. Besides feeling helpless and restless to travel again, I feel like let down my guests who have been looking forward to traveling to Italy as much as I have. But unfortunately our current reality with the pandemic, and a slow vaccine roll out means there's a strong chance that I, and many of my guests, may not even have access to the vaccine before June 2021 in order to safely travel abroad. 

​So, similar to my post about cancelling our June 2020 retreats... now what?

Ciao friends.

​I've been struggling to find the words during these past 2 months of "shelter at home." I think I've gone through most of the phases of grief after the cancellation of our 2020 summer retreats. There have certainly been a lot of tears, a fair amount of expletives, a *few* glasses of wine and a lot of crushing emails to future attendees and our friends in Italy as we refunded guests and put reservations on hold until who knows when.  

Back in February, things were a little shaky as to whether or not we'd be able to actually host our retreats this summer. I was still trying to put on a brave face and stay optimistic that this would all be resolved by June. But as the numbers got worse, both abroad and here in the states and as all our Italian friends had to go into a country wide lockdown across Italy, the writing was unfortunately on the walls. 

​And now we're 2 months into this global mess. So...now what? 

Strawberry or chocolate gelato? Red or white wine? Pizza Margarita or Pasta Carbonara? While there's no wrong answer (because, YUM!), it can be tricky choosing between two great options! 

We have a similar conundrum when it comes to our Wanderful Retreats. How do you choose between an amazing week in a villa tucked in the hills of Southern Tuscany, or an equally amazing week in the historic center of bustling Lucca?! 

While we can't pick for you (or why pick between the two, you could do both weeks ;)), we can help guide you in selecting the Wanderful Retreat week that fits you best! 

Ciao dear friends, it's been too long...

​This summer was an absolutely wanderful whirlwind of exploring new cities, eating delicious food, making new friends and creating amazing memories. I first traveled through Berlin, Amsterdam and London with my boyfriend and his family, before we headed to Tuscany to prep and host the retreats! After the retreats wrapped up, I flew south (waaay south) to Africa to join my boyfriend on a safari in Kenya and a canoe trip in Zambia. It was quite an adventure!

​There are SO many photos on Instagram across all my social media accounts...Sketchy Notions for peeks inside my 8th sketchbook, my own personal account for little memories, and, of course, the Wanderful Retreats Instagram for all things retreat related! But I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos and memories from the 2019 Wanderful Retreats in Castiglion Fiorentino and Lucca!