Food for the Souls of Goddesses Tuscan Retreat

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Giorno Uno—Coagulatio  Saturday, Sept 13th: 

Arrive in Florence

p.m.  Your time in Italy begins with your arrival in Florence. Annamarie will meet you at the airport, where you and your luggage will be picked up and whisked away to your Villa for the week. For your convenience, we will have one minibus for the entire week and one of the staff will be fluent in English and Italian. 

You will be greeted at your Italian home away from home with a flute of prosecco to celebrate your arrival. You will then be taken to your room to unpack, relax and breathe in the Tuscan air in your own private or shared, comfortable room (Please note: limited single rooms are available). In addition to meeting one another on a soul level, you are invited to enjoy a cocktail by the pool before the welcome dinner.   

During the Tuscan retreat, you will have a chance to meet Candice Criscione Roggi, a dear friend of Annamarie’s, who will be facilitating some of the activities. Your first day embraces the process of coagulatio. Having landed in Italy, you become more solid on Tuscan soil, more earthy, more tuned into your body and its foundations. (D.)

Giorno Due—Separatio  Sunday, Sept 14th:

A day at the Villa

a.m.  Your second day will be spent at the Villa. There will be a sharing session led by Annamarie, exploring who we are and why we are here. What transitions are you currently experiencing or will experience? How can this week serve you in the very best way?  (B.)

p.m.  Lunch at the Villa will be at 12:30. The afternoon is free for you to roam about the area—take a swim, nap, journal, or get to know one another. Separatio continues to weave throughout your being. (L.D.)

Giorno Tre—Coagulatio  Monday, Sept 15th:

A day of cooking

a.m.  After breakfast you will have a couple of hours on your own at the Villa before we begin a cooking process of making panzanella followed by lunch. (B.L.)

p.m.  In the late afternoon, Candice will walk us through an olive grove, and then lead an olive oil tasting. This day embraces the process of coagulatio. Having been in Italy for a couple of days, you become more solid on Tuscan soil, earthier, more tuned in to your body and its foundations.  Aperitivo and dinner to follow. (D.)

Giorno Quattro—Sublimatio  Tuesday, Sept 16th:

A day in Florence and at the Ufizzi

a.m.  This morning's breakfast at the Villa will be early (we'll confirm the time on Monday night). We will then depart for Florence for the day (45 minute transfer), south of the Arno River, and then walk (20 minutes) to Uffizi Gallery for a tour from 10:00 – 12:00 with a private guide. (B.)

Note:  Lunch today is not included in the price for the Tuscan retreat.

p.m.  After the Ufizzi, you are on your own for lunch and can choose to visit the Accademia Gallery or have free time to shop and explore Florence and what she has to offer your heart, mind, soul, and body. We will be in Florence until 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. and then will walk to meet the bus and transfer back to the villa to have dinner there. The fourth day, filled with the process of sublimatio, is a day of the electricity of Florence and the gifts she offers—rich in history, art, beauty and, of course, food. (D.)

Giorno Cinque—Solutio and Mortificatio   Wednesday, Sept 17th:

A day of dream weaving/tending and picnicking Tuscan style

a.m.  After breakfast Annamarie will facilitate a dream weaving and goddess tending session at the Villa in one of the meeting areas. According to Carl Jung, “The dream is the little window to the soul.” Dream weaving/tending gives us a way to listen to dreams and allows the images that come in dreams to speak for themselves. This approach to dreams is like a conversation with a good friend. We neither judge nor analyze, but rather listen and learn from each “conversation.” (B.)

p.m.  Candice will prepare a Tuscan picnic lunch for today to follow our dream session. Then, you will have the afternoon free until aperitivo at 7:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30. Through the experience of the fifth day—beginning with dream weaving and ending with a selection of Tuscan wine and succulent Italian food—you will be swimming in the process of solutio. (L.D.)

When you unite higher spiritual powers through dream weaving and tending with your personal experiences, you may dissolve patterns and attitudes which have become fixed . . . allowing them to die. This alchemical process of mortificatio will perhaps lead you to the feeling of the ground beneath your feet being washed away into something wonderful. As you are washed in solution—water in the form of tears of joy or perhaps grief—a nice hot shower or a swim in the pool brings closure to yet another magical day.

You may find yourself contemplative, perhaps remembering images or symbols from your dreams. Most of us seldom recall the beauty in the darkness of mortificatio, the death and darkness of our life process, yet it is a necessary time for each of us. Not negative, but rather quiet, reflective, and soul-filled, enabling change and rededication.

Giorno Sei—Calcinatio  Thursday, Sept. 18th:

A day of exploration and cooking

a.m.  After breakfast, you have a day to enjoy the Villa or perhaps take a taxi into Florence, Siena (45 minutes), or the Chianti towns (Castellina is 15 minutes away) for another adventure. (B.L.)

Note:  The cost of taxis to and from your destination is not included in the price for the Tuscan retreat and taxis will need to be booked ahead of time.

p.m.  For dinner, beginning at 6:00 p.m., Annamarie will lead you through the process of making risotto—an alchemical process of its own! This is not a cooking class, but rather an experience of focusing on the love, art, and soul of cooking . . . Why do we cook? Why do we love to dine and share meals with others? Why do some of us love to entertain? We will cook together and share our dinner in an evening of meaningful (and delicious) process. Our sixth day together explores calcinatio . . . a day of fire! This process creates purity, where we understand the purest form of food and cooking. For some, cooking is therapeutic, for others it is giving. Perhaps we are expressing ourselves through our cooking . . . buon appetito! (D.)

Giorno Sette—Conunctio  Friday, Sept 19th:

A Goddess’s day off

a.m.  The last day of our goddess journey has arrived. What could be better for a goddess than a day off?! We invite you to lounge by the pool, take a stroll, or settle in for a long nap. (B.L.)

A gala dinner party will take place at 7:30. You may want to bring a dressy outfit for this final event of the week—a dinner party to be remembered. Following dinner, we will have a candle ritual followed by one last gift of the week. A surprise! 

This day will be beautifully wrapped in coniunctio . . . the gold, the ultimate. A week of experiences, dreams, laughter, tears, hugs, discoveries, dinners, dinners, more dinners, and now a grand celebration feast.

Perhaps at the start of your trip you were tired, feeling like lead (in alchemical terms), but tonight you are rejuvenated, glowing, feeling like gold. A transformation, an experience that will be with you for months, maybe years. (D.)

Giorno Otto—Ciao!  Saturday, Sept 20th:

A day of goodbyes and returning home

a.m. After breakfast, you will check out from 8:30 – 9:00. Make sure your bags are right outside your room to be collected and delivered to the minibus. Your journey will take you to Florence, where you, your gifts, and your treasures of heart, mind, body, and soul can be gathered together in wholeness as you prepare for your departure to the U.S. (B.)

Note: Because there currently are no flights out of Florence after 10:00 am, we will have just one shuttle to the airport for those who are leaving early. If you decide to stay another night in Florence, please check out from the Villa by 9 a.m. and any transportation costs will be on your own.

Allora . . . well then . . . it’s time to move on . . . . . . with purpose. Ciao bellas!