We're very lucky to have made incredible friends over the years that give us access to their amazing properties to host our retreats. Both locations are unique and have their individual perks and charms. Both locations are also very home-y since we have American friends on the ground that stock them with amenities (hello air-conditioning!) to keep them modern and accessible. 

During our Villa Retreat, we get to call the idyllic Villa La Guardata home for the week. This small villa is tucked up on the hills overlooking Castiglion Fiorentino and the Val di Chio. It's owned by our friends, the Buccelletti Family. The Buccellettis have been in the region for generations and have built up an incredible women-run wine and olive oil making business, as well as curating gorgeous properties for destination weddings and retreats like ours! 

Our villa is quiet. Very quiet, with the exception of the occasional pheasant cruising through the surrounding olive trees. Located about 2 miles from the center of Castiglion Fiorentino, we can still drive into town for a morning cappuccino OR enjoy a home brewed espresso next to our private pool. The quiet and isolation is wonderful, but we're less than 10 minutes from town if we want to grab a pizza to-go or an evening gelato.

In the evenings we're often treated to an incredible sunset and visited by fireflies. Every now and then we'll hear a hedgehog or cingale (wild boar) cruising through the olive groves too. 

By comparison, our Lucca Retreat has a very different location. But with some more ease and convenience.

Our apartments are located right in the historic center of Lucca in a building that dates back 7 centuries. While it may be an old building, we can easily climb the stairs, or take our elevator, up to our apartments and enjoy the hum of the town below (if we can hear it over the air-conditioning). These charming apartments are managed by our dear friend (and very talented musician), Vanessa. She's thought of everything to keep these apartments comfortable with modern amenities while retaining their Tuscan charm that you come to expect from a town that hosts monthly antique festivals! 

Since we're centrally located, we can easily grab a morning pastry fresh out of the oven at a bakery nearby, pop back to the apartments for an afternoon nap or head out in the evening for a second gelato and a walk around the walls.

Our villa overlooks the Tuscan hill town Castiglion Fiorentino. Your host, Chelsea, called this town home during her study abroad and after college for 2 years (read more on that here). Chelsea also brought her family over in 2022 for her wedding at the largest Buccelletti property in the Val di Chio! While it doesn't seem like a likely location to host a retreat, Castiglion offers a lot of charm and comforts without the big crowds. 

For how small our town may feel, there's quite a few restaurants, bars and coffee shops (5 coffee shops just along the main street through town). Fresh focaccia made by Carmen is always a perk when cruising through town early in the morning and a pastry from our friends at La Sfizzeria or La Perla are great ways to start your day. 

While nearby Cortona (famous from Under the Tuscan Sun) and Arezzo (from Life is Beautiful) get larger crowds of tourists, Castiglion retains its local and quiet charm. It hosts many big events throughout the year, including a Medieval Festival in the shadow of our medieval tower at the top of the hill and a Palio (a smaller, family friendly version of the famed horse race in Siena). These events bring tourists and folks from the surrounding areas but there's plenty of local nightlife even without those visiting crowds. Castiglion Fiorentino is also along the main train route between Rome and Florence so it's easily accessible by train if you fly into either city!

In comparison to Castiglion, Lucca will feel like a large city. But! It's nothing compared the overwhelming crowds of Florence and Rome. Lucca is often a day trip for tourists so the days can be semi crowded but the evenings are peaceful and perfect for roaming the walls with a gelato in hand like the rest of the locals. 

Besides having the historic walls that encircle the historic city, Lucca has a LOT. Everything from churches and towers with trees on top, to gorgeous antique and leather shops and even brands you'll recognize. There's small Tuscan charm and the convenience of big brands that makes shopping in Lucca a treat. ​

Lucca is also a destination for the region for multiple events. Throughout the year, there's a monthly antique festival that pops up in the main piazzas during the 3rd weekend of the month. It's a huge event and it's hard to leave empty handed. 

In the summer months we have the treat of the Lucca Summer Festival which brings in huge bands (Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, etc) for concerts during the month of July. They build a stage and seating in Piazza Napoleone and the whole city feels like a concert venue. It's quite a sight! In the fall, Lucca hosts a giant comic festival that takes over the city as well. There's so much happening in this hidden jewel of Tuscany! 

Both of our weeks have wine tastings, olive oil tastings, cooking classes and art instruction built into the itineraries. But what really sets apart the two weeks are the different day trips. 

During our Villa Retreat in 2025, we'll be venturing into the hill towns! On one day trip, we'll cruise South to our neighboring Cortona to visit our friends at Del Brenna Jewelry and meander these famous (and kinda crowded) streets. There's some really delicious food to eat there too!

The real treat during the week will be our day trip to Pienza. We'll hop into our car and meander through the hills to reach Pienza, a picturesque, ideally planned Renaissance town that's hard to access without a car.  We can take our time and stop at Montepulciano on our way home or even take a break for a wine tasting. It's a leisurely day to explore these adorable and hard to access hill towns. 

On our free day during the week, we can even head into Florence, or down to Orvieto. Castiglion may be a hill town but it's just a quick train ride away from the famous larger cities nearby. Or just hang out by the pool and catch up on your reading that you never seem to get to do when you're back home in the states.

During the Lucca Retreat, we're going to Pisa! We'll take an early train from Lucca so we can spend the whole day exploring this famous town. Chelsea has a really fun tour through town that takes you to famous monuments, including climbing the famed tower if you're up for it. With a flexible return time, we can stay for dinner or head back to Lucca to make our own dinner at the apartments or hit a favorite restaurant we've discovered during the week.

We'll also head North of Lucca on our 2nd day trip to visit Ponte della Madalena (aka the Devil's Bridge) and up to Garfagnana. There's a bit of a climb to the top of the town but we promise the view is worth it. After lunch, how about we stop for another wine tasting? This area is hard to access without a car and we don't want to miss out on any of the local treats! 

If you're feeling ambitious on the free day, the famous Cinque Terre towns area a couple train rides away to the North. Or, Florence isn't too far either. Or you can stay put in Lucca! There's so many churches, museums, antique shops and gardens to visit while you're in town.

Getting married in one of my favorite places on earth was so special. Before the ceremony, we drove into town with the photographers to run around and snap some photos. We got to walk up the main street to the main piazza at the top of the hill, and say hello to some friends along the way. We ran into my friend Davide at La Sfizzeria who shared a glass of prosecco on our way back down the hill. 

It was so fun being able to capture some of my favorite spots in Castiglion with Louie. 

One of the main things we wanted was to work with friends to keep things as simple as possible. And we wanted to house as many friends and family right by us. Luckily I already had my friends with the Buccelletti family to reach out to! I chatted with Renee and Federica and we reserved their largest villa, Borgo Gaggioleto (conveniently just down the road from the villa we use for the Villa Retreats). 

Renee and Fede made planning everything SO simple and easy to stay in budget. Plus it was just magical being able to stay in that adorable stone building right next to the ceremony site (the garden) and down the hill from the pool... aka the reception site!

There were a few things I wanted to figure out once we got to Italy. During the Villa Retreat the week prior, I met with my friends at Del Brenna Jewelry in Cortona to chat about some custom jewelry. Megan and Sebastian are just the sweetest and created a gorgeous necklace and matching earrings to wear on the big day. 

I also made a bunch of paper goods and had them printed locally in town so our guests had a map of town of our recommendations of places to eat, as well as an itinerary for the week.  For the wedding favors, we went with bottles of Buccelletti olive oil (yum!) and I lettered all the place cards on seed paper. 

And the bouquet... I made myself! I scouted some wild sunflowers in a field along the road to the villa and chopped them the morning of with some olive branches from around the villa property. They're paired with some dried purple flowers I got at the grocery store in town and tied up with a cord from Del Brenna. 

Renee and Federica Buccelletti had some many amazing vendor recommendations for our wedding...

• Photography: Alice Tanganelli
• Catering and Bar: Terretrusche (with Buccelletti wine, of course!)
• DJ: Sauro Le Ben

Oh ribollita... how I love thee. 

The first time I ever had this amazing veggie stew was during the fall while I was nannying for an Italian family. The mom made the most incredible batch and topped it with bright green olive oil. It was pure heaven.

Ribollita in Italian means "re-boiled." This soup is traditionally made with leftover veggies! All the scraps left over at the end of the week or already cooked veggies, hence the name. It definitely tastes better with fresh but you do you ;) 

This soup is super easy and gives you LOTS of leftovers.  And trust me, you're going to want the leftovers...

​Pistacchio or cioccolato gelato? Vino rosso or bianco? Gnocchi or pizza? 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! ​

During our Villa Retreat in 2023, we'll be venturing into the hill towns! On one day trip, we'll cruise South to our neighboring Cortona to visit our friends at Del Brenna Jewelry and Laura Laureto and meander these famous (and kinda crowded) streets. There's some really delicious food to eat there too!

The real treat during the week will be our day trip to Pienza. We'll hop into our car and meander through the hills to reach Pienza, a picturesque, ideally planned Renaissance town that's hard to access without a car.  We can take our time and stop at Montepulciano on our way home or even take a break for a wine tasting. It's a leisurely day to explore these adorable and hard to access hill towns. 

If you feel like you need a day to yourself, take a train to easily head into Florence, or down to Orvieto! Castiglion may be a hill town but it's just a quick train ride away from the famous larger cities nearby. Or just hang out by the pool and catch up on your reading that you never seem to get to do when you're back home in the states.

Cos'è questo? What is this?
1. It's delicious. 
2. It's easy to make. 
3. It became my obsession during our honeymoon in Southern Italy this summer! My husband and I first ventured to Naples for pizza (of course) and then to Capri. After Capri, we flew to Sicily and headed to our agriturismo out in the countryside.

By recommendation of our host, we tried the farmhouse antipasti spread which included this saucy, savory and sweetly stewed dish called Caponata. I have NEVER encountered it before and I certainly didn't want this time to the best the last! For the rest of our time in Sicily, besides hunting down the best cannoli and granita we could find every day, I was on the hunt for more of this dish! 

As soon as we got home to Los Angeles, we tracked down some recipes to try and recreate it. We've gotten *very* close to what we tasted in Sicily and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. 

Ciao amici! Long time no blog post ;) 

2022 was certainly an unforgettable summer. In addition to having two WONDERFUL group retreats in both Castiglion Fiorentino and Lucca, my now husband and I got married in Castiglion Fiorentino two days after I wrapped up the Lucca Retreat! It was a whirlwind but an absolutely magical whirlwind. 

I'll be writing more in-depth journal posts about each individual retreat but I just wanted to put together a little highlight post of some of my favorite moments from possibly my favorite summer in Italy since the very first one in 2009. 

Read on for more! 

50 hours to get to Italy as a highlight? Yes, absolutely. It became such an insane scenario that my mom and I ended up taking 50 hours to travel to Italy when it should have been done in a day that in the end it felt comical! 

We left our hotel by LAX around 5:30 Wednesday morning and didn't get to our Airbnb in Cortona until sunset (aperitivo time!) on Friday evening, the night before I was to start hosting the Villa Retreat. Our original plan was to get to Italy Thursday and immediately head to our Airbnb in Spello. Then get the rental car on Friday and stay in Cortona before starting the next day.

​Instead our connecting flight to Rome from JFK was delayed from 5:30 pm until after midnight due to thunderstorms. By the time we got on the plane and were taxiing on the runway, the pilot came on and said the crew timed out... 4 minutes shy of take off. We spent 2:00-5:45 am waiting in line to talk to someone since the flight was cancelled. By 7:30 am we finally had a new flight, leaving Thursday evening from JFK to Amsterdam and then on to Florence so I would at least not miss my rental car reservation! 

The icing on top of the whole wild adventure was that I only had my wedding dress in my carry-on and my mom had 5 pairs of shoes and enough extra clothes in hers to keep us clothed for the first few days while we waiting a full week for our luggage to find us! I was taking little snippets of video during our entire travels there and they made it such a silly misadventure in hindsight, you can watch the video here on Tik Tok.  We were greeted by this epic sunset in Cortona and immediately headed to Enoteca Enotria for spritz and antipasti before passing out in our adorable Airbnb. 

Now that we had made it to Italy, the jetlag and trauma from the 50 hour ordeal had subsided, and some supplemental clothing and toiletries were purchased, we ventured back for our daytrip to Cortona for the Wanderful Retreat! All my guests this week were previous retreat guests so it felt like bringing everyone back to our favorite haunts to say hello to all our friends. 

One of our stops, of course, was in to Del Brenna Jewelry to see Meghan and Sebastian. I needed to chat with them about some custom jewelry for my wedding and the gals wanted some new pieces and to get their previous purchases cleaned up. Little did we know that two gals would both be leaving with rings straight out of the cases, including my mom! Both of them spotted these stunning rings that were perfect for them and, magically, NEITHER ring needed any adjustments or resizing and could be worn out right on the spot! It was pretty wild and they were such beautiful purchases. 

Friends, I don't know if you heard about the weather Europe encountered this past summer but it was HOT to say the least. Hotter than I've experience in a long time, especially so early into June. 

We were very lucky that our apartments in Lucca both had air conditioning (thanks Vanessa!) and we were lucky that everyone was flexible with switching times around during the week. 

On what was supposed to be a day trip to Florence, we decided the afternoon before to switch things up and head towards the coast instead! Rather than having a day marching across Florence in mid 90s all day, we went to Pisa for some 80s instead. 

It was the first time I've ever brought a group to Pisa (and my first time back in almost 10 years) and it was absolutely delightful! We took a quick train and headed straight to the tower. After taking a peek inside, we sketched while we waited for our time to climb the tower, another first for me! It was such an unexpectedly lovely day that I'm going to incorporate a Pisa day into all future Lucca Retreats. 

We wrapped up the Lucca Retreat and my mom and I immediately headed back towards Castiglion Fiorentino, grabbing another rental car and picking up a couple of friends in Florence on the way! 

The day between was nice and relaxing and lazy for me, which was perfect! I went back to Cortona to pick up my custom jewelry... spoiler, the necklace and matching earrings were STUNNING! Sebastian is just so talented. 

And then it was the wedding day! Louie and I hung around the villa all day, I went swimming in the morning and we just lazed and cooked. After lunch, I drove down into the valley where I spotted a couple wild sunflowers the day before. With a pair of scissors in hand, I snipped a handful of wild sunflowers to use in my wedding bouquet! Combined with some dried purple flowers I picked up from the grocery store the day before and a ribbon from my Del Brenna gift bag, it was the most perfect foraged bouquet I could ever want. Bonus was that my shoes were the perfect shade of sunflower yellow. 

2022 was truly one of my favorite summers of all time. I can't wait to share more about each individual week and even some peeks at our very handmade Tuscany wedding in one of my most favorite places in the world. Stay tuned amici! 

Since I had a connecting flight through Paris, France, I had to pass through Customs there. France has a full check point where they ask you to go through security again (get ready to dump or drink any water you have) but the passport control was very efficient.

Before boarding my 2nd flight to Italy, they asked for my PLF and my vaccine card but that was it. France was oddly relaxed about everything.  

Arriving in Italy was no problem. Nothing checked or asked for since I had already completed customs in Paris. And then I was free to go! 

Italy now has a Green Card system. Since our group was pretty small, I wasn't too concerned about getting tables to sit at restaurants.  It didn't hurt to message/email ahead of time though just to give everyone a heads up about our vaccination status! Since we all had our vaccines and were keeping our cards on us at all times in our plastic sleeves, we got used to showing them off and explaining it was a CDC vaccine card. I think we only got questioned about the legality of them once in one of the smaller towns but the larger touristy areas were already used to seeing these cards. 

I would say the majority of Italians were also very good about wearing masks indoors and when it got crowded. You could definitely tell who the tourists were...or just the teenagers. I did see a woman chastise a teenager on the metro in Florence about his lack of a mask and it was nice to see people enforcing the mask rules on their own and getting support from the other passengers. 

Heading home also had its own hoops and requirements, including another negative covid test. For 2 of my guests, we had appointments books through one of the pharmacies in Castiglion Fiorentino so they would have their tests within the 48 hour window of departure. We booked these appointments a week out but I had heard of friends popping into pharmacies in big cities the day before to get an appointment for the "tampone rapido" (aka quick swab) the following day. In smaller cities it's best to book as early as possible since smaller towns may have rotating pharmacies open on the weekends and are just less prepared for tourists at the moment. Tests at the farmacia were €22.

Since I was flying out of Florence (at 6:50 am on a Monday...che palle) I booked my appointment at the airport! The Florence airport has a big testing tent out front for incoming and departing passengers, as well as anyone who just wants a test. It was €20 for the rapid test if you had proof of an upcoming flight! I booked my appointment in advance but you could likely just walk up because they were so efficient at getting people checked in, tested and on their way.

Checking in for my flight was about the same...they wanted my negative test, passport and vaccine card. Arrival at LAX was long because the lines are always long at customs but they didn't ask to look at anything besides our passport to stamp! 

1. Stay the night: One of the biggest mistakes I think people make when it comes to Lucca is making their only visit to Lucca a day trip. It's such a missed opportunity to explore this amazing town! While people rush through Lucca as a day trip, I highly advise against this. Instead, I recommend booking 2-3 nights and using Lucca as your home base...then you can day trip to Florence or Pisa and come back to the quiet (and usually cooler temps) in the evening. Need a rec on where to stay? Our friend Vanessa with Lucca Travels has some amazing apartments smack in the center of Lucca!

2. Shop like a local: Bring on the local markets! Italy is such a tease when it comes to antique shopping (why can't I fit that gorgeous antique armoire in my carry-on?!) but it's so worth the eye candy! While the vintage furniture I've found won't fit in my suitcase, I've found some absolute treasures over the years! Including one of my favorite turquoise rings and some amazing Kilim pillow covers that can be folded up to travel home.

If you don't happen to overlap with an antique festival during your time (typically the 3rd weekend of the month), at least try and hit one of the early morning markets in various neighborhoods of Lucca. These traveling markets carry everything from kitchen supplies (olive oil dispensers and tablecloths make for great souvenirs or gifts), clothing (with terribly spelled English translations) and delicious local cheeses and produce. They're eclectic and so fun to explore. 

3. Explore the walls, above and below: The walls are amazing and are perfect for a variety of activities...riding a bike, jogging, reading a book, picnicking (and napping), taking an evening stroll, and even wandering inside! The wall around Lucca were made to fortify the city of Lucca against attacks and now encircle the historic city center. Up top, it's about 2.6 miles all the way around with a variety of tree types growing along each side of the wall. Fall is a pretty gorgeous scene as the trees are changing colors at different times. 

Below, it can be very fun to explore. There's tunnels in portions to allow for pedestrians and bikers to enter the city on a path without cars and some larger areas are also open. The Bastion of San Paolino is particularly cool as they've renovated it in recent years to help preserve it, and now use it as a space for art exhibitions! 

Now... we have our sights set on both Fall 2021 AND Early Summer 2022! 

I'm chomping at the bit to get back on a plane to Italy to visit with friends (one of whom has had a baby since I last saw her in 2019!) and I have guests who are just as anxious as I am to smell that sweet Tuscan air again. Yes, things are still up in the air but a lot of great things can happen in the next 7 months that will allow us to safely travel back to our beloved ITALIA!

And hellooo...Tuscany in the fall? Between the fall colors and the taste of freshly harvested olive oil, it's kind of hard to resist! Our Fall 2021 dates will be September 12-19 for our Villa Week and September 22-29 for our week in Lucca!

In addition to planning for Fall 2021, we are also looking ahead to Early Summer 2022! Many of my guests would rather wait until next year with the hope that ALL the dust will have settled by then and I'm totally on board for that too. With that in mind, I'm happy to share that our Summer 2022 dates will be June 4-11 for our Villa Retreat and June 14-21 for our Lucca Retreat!

Both our Fall and Summer Retreats will follow roughly the same itinerary (availability of activities pending) and will give me the chance to show you around two of my favorite corners of Italy...Castiglion Fiorentino (the town I first studied abroad in and lived back in 2009/2010) and Lucca (a hidden gem of Tuscany that's come to be like a 3rd home for me). 

So...who's ready to dust off those passports and meet me in Tuscany? ​

Some ways I've found to get a taste of Italy while I'm stuck in California...

• Find your Little Italy: This one is definitely harder depending on where you live but if you live near a larger city, track down your local "Little Italy" neighborhood! We've found pretty dang delicious pizza in San Francisco at ours, as well as markets that import all my favorite drinks, treats and cooking ingredients. We go through olive oil really fast in out apartment so buying it in giant metal cans is definitely helping to keep the Italy withdrawals at bay.  Speaking of cooking...
• Cook Italian: Dive into our recipes or google your favorite pasta sauce that you had that one summer years ago! While it may not live up to the memory, it will still be a delicious challenge. Pasta dough and focaccia from scratch are great quarantine activities, and aren't that hard to make yourself.
• Make an aperitivo: An Aperol Spritz is my favorite drink of choice at Aperitivo (read more about Aperitivo hour here), and they're just as easy to make in the states. No Aperol on hand? Pop open some wine! Then grab some peanuts, chips, olives and cheese and you've got yourself a lovely pre-dinner snack. Bonus points if you can eat it outside on a patio to people watch! 
• Scroll on Instagram: This can also definitely hurt but I still love seeing how the leaves are changing and getting a peek at the harvests. Or earlier in the summer when Livia Hengel shared that the cobblestone piazzas in Rome were growing grass due to the lack of tourists marching across them! We may be stuck in lockdown but life in Italy still marches on and I still want to take a peek! 

• Shop: Giving the gift of Italy (or receiving) is a wonderful way to support our beloved Italy and ensure it will still be there and ready for us when travel is allowable! Scarves, lace and linen. Pastas, spices and oil. Cheeses and wine. Jewelry, leather goods, ceramics and art. There's SO many things you can buy from businesses based in Italy, or from importers stateside! Italian grocery stores are great place to start to source these goodies. 
• Listen and Watch: Italy music and movies are a great way to transport yourself to bella Italia without the jetlag. You can stream Italian radio stations online or listen to Italian musicians (Jovanotti and Elisa are my personal favorites). Movie wise, if you can find it Benvenuti al Sud is a hilarious movie! Roman Holiday is always a classic. And my personal favorite guilty please is Under the Tuscan Sun. 
• Daydream and Plan: Not traveling to Italy in 2020 was definitely a gut punch but looking ahead and planning for future adventures helps to keep me sane. Talking with our friends at Buccelletti, Lucca Travels and Love Light Yoga Italy to plan for future trips and collaborations. Reading what Katie from Dream of Italy has brewing. And just staying in touch with friends in Italy while we're so far away all helps to get a dose of Italy from my couch in California! 

How are you finding or making bits of Italy in your homes, amici?