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Which Week Will You Choose?

2/6/2024

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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! 

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A Tuscan Wedding

12/28/2022

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On top of having a wonderful summer hosting back-to-back retreats in Tuscany, my now husband and I got married right after I wrapped up the Lucca Retreat...a full 2 days later.

It was a busy summer but it was still pretty magical. I wanted to share a few photos of that day... since we got married at a villa just outside of Castiglion Fiorentino, I was able to not only show my family and friends a town that is so special to me but I was also able to collaborate with some dear Italian friends in the region for our special day. 

Read on for links to vendors and peeks at our summer wedding in Tuscany!

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Ribollita

10/13/2022

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PicturePhoto by Melina Hammer
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...


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Which week will you choose?

9/30/2022

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​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! ​


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Caponata

9/14/2022

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PicturePhoto by This Italian Kitchen
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. 


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2022...the unforgettable Italian Summer

9/13/2022

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PicturePhoto by Alice Tanganelli in Castiglion Fiorentino
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! 


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Traveling to Italy during a Pandemic

10/7/2021

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Hello! I'm just a week and some change fresh off the plane coming home for Italy. I spent 3 weeks in Italy after over 2 years of not stepping foot in my beloved 2nd home. It was wild to finally be back after so long, and wild to experience traveling internationally during such an unprecedented time in our lives. 

To be honest, it was a lot easier and better than I expected (and easier than my anxiety thought it would be). I wanted to share the things I experienced with you in case you're planning your own trip abroad in the coming months.

​At the time of writing this, it's the beginning of October 2021. Obviously it's Italy and with information in flux and research constantly improving, things are apt to change but this is a good framework to give you an idea of what to expect!

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10 Things To Do in Lucca

5/2/2021

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Oh Lucca...how I love thee so.

I first found myself in Lucca for a quick overnight visit in 2011 to visit my friend Vanessa. It only took one bike round around the wall to have me hooked. The next fall, I spent 3 months making Lucca my homebase for sketching and exploring. 

Over 10 years later and I still can't get enough of this city. There's so much to explore here while still not feeling like you're in a giant overwhelming city like Florence. I adore this town and look forward to bring people back to it every year.

Even if you can't join us on a retreat in Lucca, here's my list of 10 things to get you started when you make your way to the Hidden Gem of Tuscany!

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Looking ahead to Fall 2021... and Summer 2022!

2/18/2021

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My view from my room at the Study Abroad Center in Castiglion Fiorentino, in 2009
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?

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Find bits of Italia when you're stuck in the states...

12/16/2020

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You know that photo we use on our landing page of our website? Well, it's one of our biggest secrets. 

It looks like we took it in the rolling hills of Tuscany but the truth is that we actually snapped this photo in a friend's backyard... in Southern California! Miles and miles from Italy, but full of all the warmth and vibes of our beloved 2nd home. 

While we find ourselves in month 8 of sheltering at home, and over a year without stepping foot in Italy, we're looking for ways to bring bits of Italia into our home as a comfort and to keep the withdrawals at bay. 
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It may not be Italy, but it's pretty dang close!

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  • About
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