Imagine a week of guided visits to picturesque local towns with our own private car to whisk us through the countryside.
Visit historic churches and museums, and even the quieter ones that get passed by.
Follow us down quiet alleys to find the hidden gems that are often overlooked by tourists.
Capture the beauty of the scenery without your camera to really take in the view with one-on-one watercolor and sketching lessons on site.
Learn where to find the delicious treats and culinary delights that keep us coming back year after year after year.
Enjoy lengthy meals in the company of new friends, paired with delicious wine that will leave you satisfied and loving life.
And at the end of every day, we'll return to our quiet villa overlooking the valley to sip some prosecco by the pool and reflect on another wanderful day.
Visit historic churches and museums, and even the quieter ones that get passed by.
Follow us down quiet alleys to find the hidden gems that are often overlooked by tourists.
Capture the beauty of the scenery without your camera to really take in the view with one-on-one watercolor and sketching lessons on site.
Learn where to find the delicious treats and culinary delights that keep us coming back year after year after year.
Enjoy lengthy meals in the company of new friends, paired with delicious wine that will leave you satisfied and loving life.
And at the end of every day, we'll return to our quiet villa overlooking the valley to sip some prosecco by the pool and reflect on another wanderful day.
With Wanderful Retreats, we've crafted week long intimate retreats in beautiful locations, filled with exploration, creating and indulging to nurture your creative and adventurous side.
Frankly, we think they're pretty wanderful!
Our week long retreats are filled with day trips, cooking classes, on-location sketching and painting lessons and with the flexibility to do what YOU want to do. After all, this week is for YOU!
Want to sleep in? Certo! Don't want to paint at all? That works too!
Our groups are small and intimate so you don't get lost in a sea of strangers. Think of it as traveling with a handful of your new best friends, and creative companions!
Our retreat locations are in idyllic places that we have been lucky to call home over the years. We know you'll love them as much as we do! And by partnering with some of our beloved locals and gathering our favorite spots, you'll leave our retreats feeling like a local and longing for a return flight back to Italia!
With over a decade of experience traveling through Italy, our retreats are created to leave you relaxed, inspired and feeling simply wanderful.
Frankly, we think they're pretty wanderful!
Our week long retreats are filled with day trips, cooking classes, on-location sketching and painting lessons and with the flexibility to do what YOU want to do. After all, this week is for YOU!
Want to sleep in? Certo! Don't want to paint at all? That works too!
Our groups are small and intimate so you don't get lost in a sea of strangers. Think of it as traveling with a handful of your new best friends, and creative companions!
Our retreat locations are in idyllic places that we have been lucky to call home over the years. We know you'll love them as much as we do! And by partnering with some of our beloved locals and gathering our favorite spots, you'll leave our retreats feeling like a local and longing for a return flight back to Italia!
With over a decade of experience traveling through Italy, our retreats are created to leave you relaxed, inspired and feeling simply wanderful.
Ciao, I'm Chelsea! I'm an avid sketcher, Italy addict and the hostess of Wanderful Retreats!
My love for Italy started back in college when I studied abroad one summer while attending the University of Texas at Austin. For 6 weeks we called a converted convent in the hilltop town of Castiglion Fiorentino home. It only took 6 weeks for me to fall in love with watercoloring and become addicted to this incredible country. You can read the full story on the Wanderful Journal!
I loved Italy so much that I looked for any way to get back, including skipping my graduation to go back for an internship at the very same study abroad center. I spent the next 2 years washing dishes, stacking boxes of pasta, corralling college students, nannying for an Italian family, learning Italian, sketching and loving every hectic minute of it. It was a lot of work, but it was a magical time.
Since that fateful summer, I've hosted retreats almost every year since 2016. This most recent summer, I was lucky enough to convince my family to join me in Tuscany for my now husband and our wedding in Castiglion Fiorentino!
I love my little corners of Italy and I can't wait to share this unique and beautiful country with you!
Wanderful Retreats grew out of my absolute passion for Italy and my love for showing folks all my favorite sketching, eating and sight-seeing spots. Every summer is a new adventure and I'd love for you to join us on the next one under the Tuscan sun.
My love for Italy started back in college when I studied abroad one summer while attending the University of Texas at Austin. For 6 weeks we called a converted convent in the hilltop town of Castiglion Fiorentino home. It only took 6 weeks for me to fall in love with watercoloring and become addicted to this incredible country. You can read the full story on the Wanderful Journal!
I loved Italy so much that I looked for any way to get back, including skipping my graduation to go back for an internship at the very same study abroad center. I spent the next 2 years washing dishes, stacking boxes of pasta, corralling college students, nannying for an Italian family, learning Italian, sketching and loving every hectic minute of it. It was a lot of work, but it was a magical time.
Since that fateful summer, I've hosted retreats almost every year since 2016. This most recent summer, I was lucky enough to convince my family to join me in Tuscany for my now husband and our wedding in Castiglion Fiorentino!
I love my little corners of Italy and I can't wait to share this unique and beautiful country with you!
Wanderful Retreats grew out of my absolute passion for Italy and my love for showing folks all my favorite sketching, eating and sight-seeing spots. Every summer is a new adventure and I'd love for you to join us on the next one under the Tuscan sun.
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"Wanderful Retreats is the best way to visit Italy! You get to spend a week with someone who knows the cities and a lot of history that goes with them. You also get the chance to learn how to sketch and paint the beautiful Italian scenery around you. You can't go wrong booking a week with Wanderful Retreats. My only regret is not participating in both weeks!"
- Haylee, 2019 Villa___________________________________________________________________
"The Lucca tour was like a dream come true. The hostess was very organized but still offered spontaneous time to explore. I especially loved the Chianti region with our private tour guide arranged through our hostess. " - C, 2019 Lucca___________________________________________________________________
"Both of my retreats in Italy have been fabulous. Chelsea does an amazing job leading her groups through Tuscany and making you feel at home. She organizes everything so you get a taste of Tuscany but still have the freedom to explore solo if you want. Our weeks were filled with exploring gorgeous towns, eating delicious food and learning how to paint under Chelsea's guidance. Chelsea also speaks Italian so it's great to have someone by your side to help translate and navigate this beautiful country. Can't wait to join Chelsea again on another retreat in Tuscany!" - Holly, 2018 Lucca & 2017 Villa |
"Looking through my pictures from the Tuscany retreat and wishing I were back in Italy right now! It was an amazing week with amazing people. We had time for ourselves and time to be social. There was a perfect balance of painting, relaxing, and sight-seeing. We shopped, cooked, ate, traveled, and laid by the pool. The activities were well planned out and so enjoyable.
Chelsea’s sweet demeanor and attentiveness really made the trip perfect. Since she speaks Italian we were able to speak with everyone and feel at home in Italy!" - Lauren, 2017 Villa___________________________________________________________________
"My Italy art retreat was some of the best money I've ever spent. Chelsea organized it perfectly. It was stress-free in that everything was planned and ready to go - the amazing apartment, food in the fridge, an awesome itinerary - and yet, throughout the week, I still had the freedom to branch off and do other things I wanted. The best part is Chelsea is practically an Italian herself so you get much more than a surface tour. After a week, I knew the good spots to get coffee and where to find a killer sandwich, which restaurants would give me free Limoncello if I stayed late enough, and how to do a decent watercolor to boot. I made new friends, made memories with old friends, and came home with a handmade sketchbook full of art. Overall, it was a perfect adventure! " - Kendal, 2016 Florence |
"You may have the universe if I may have Italy."
