^TM

Yoga and Organic Cooking, Tuscan Style

Spend a relaxing week on a 15th-century estate set within a lush 17-acre park, nine miles from Florence – and you might never want to leave! Tuscan Way has added yoga to its popular four- and seven-day Tuscan cooking vacations at Villa Castelletti October 23rd through the 30th. The wellness weeks feature husband-wife yoga teaching team: Michi Holley & Brandon Jones and Tuscan Way Co-owner, Ian Darrah who will lead morning sunrise meditations and afternoon excursions.

The really extraordinary element of this program is the level of personal attention it promises each of its guests. Add to that a mixture of Eastern health principles (Ayurvedic & Chinese), delicious fresh Tuscan organic foods and the much slower, arguably healthier, lifestyle of Tuscany and you have a truly memorable and enriching experience. Michi & Brandon run an acupuncture and yoga center in Molokai, Hawaii and travel the world teaching yoga at resorts and to celebrities like Sting and John McEnroe. The emphasis at Villa Castelletti will be on gentle Hatha yoga, which anyone can practice.

Restored to its past splendor and managed by a local historical society, Villa Castelletti is a large, upscale estate with spacious halls, multiple wine cellars, painted wooden caisson ceilings, antique fireplaces, red cotto floors, numerous dining areas, a swimming pool, and foot paths for wandering through the tranquil woods and gardens.  Guests are accommodated in private apartments set in the property's recently renovated borgo (hamlet).

Tuscan Way's traditional vacations introduce participants to the art of "La Cucina Povera Tuscana", the traditional peasant's style of using locally grown ingredients to prepare the freshest of dishes. Hands-on classes are taught in an informal style by the estate's head chef, Roberto Bondioli, known throughout Tuscany for his technique of combining the old and the new. And did I mention that glasses of Carmignano and Chianti wines are always within arm's reach?

Dishes vary with the specialties of the season; fresh vegetables and seafood in the spring and summer; freshly pressed olive oil, sauces with mushrooms and truffles, chestnuts and game meats in the fall.  Besides first and second-course menu items, participants are shown how to make handmade pastas, Tuscan breads and classic desserts. Yoga week participants can opt to participate in a cooking class instead of the afternoon excursion.
 
A special day in Florence has been arranged with Sharon Oddson and Mims Walridge, the owners and operators of Trattoria Garga, a renowned restaurant and cooking school located in a 16th-century palazzo in the heart of Florence.  Guests will first visit the Central Food market, where farmers descend from the hills to sell their wares -- pastas, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, meats, fish, free-range poultry, wild boar and other game. Guests will be shown how to choose the freshest of ingredients that Trattoria Garga uses in its dishes. Naturally, a multi-course dinner will follow in the intimate ambiance of Sharon and Mim's restaurant.
 
Wine excursions and tastings include a tour of one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries of Carmignano, "Tenuta di Capezzana", consisting of more than 1,600 acres of vineyards and a wine cellar dating back to the 16th century.  Excursions vary depending on the length of the package and may include a visit to Vinci, home of Leonardo di Vinci; the well-preserved Roman town of Lucca; "San Gimignano" (with the beautiful towers), a medieval town whose tall towers once numbered more than 70 and now only 14; and an olive oil farm in Montalbano.
 
Free time is set aside to explore and shop in Florence, San Gimignano and Lucca and to wander the footpaths, swim in the pool or sit by the lake on the grounds of Villa Castelletti.
 
Reservations, brochures and additional information can be obtained from: Tuscan Way, 2829 Bird Avenue, PMB 242, Coconut Grove, FL, 33133; telephone (800) 766-2390 or (305) 598-8368, fax (305) 598-8369, website: www.tuscanway.com

Edited by Erika Wright

Back to TravelLady Magazine