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Combine relaxing yoga with painting lessons on this unique 4 night yoga and watercolour painting holiday in Italy; stay in a traditional medieval village house in the pretty walled village of Casperia, just 1 hour north of Rome, and paint the beauty of the surrounding Sabina hills.
Slow down to the pace of Italian village life on this unique watercolour painting and yoga holiday. Your 4 nig...Read All
Eco-tourism is at the forefront of Lucy and Alan’s vision for their retreats in Italy and Costa Rica and they work in harmony with locals supporting organic methods of farming, protecting local fauna and flora.
Lucy, your host and yoga teacher, is not only highly qualified and experienced, but approaches yoga with an infectious passion for inner peace and spiritual development. Her global travels have lent great insight to her lifestyle and teaching methods. She will guide through every step of the rejuvenating and uplifting experience.
Eco-tourism is at the forefront of Lucy and Alan’s vision for their retreats in Italy and Costa Rica and they work in harmony with locals supporting organic methods of farming, protecting local fauna and flora.
Lucy, your host and yoga teacher, is not only highly qualified and experienced, but approaches yoga with an infectious passion for inner peace and spiritual development. Her global travels have lent great insight to her lifestyle and teaching methods. She will guide through every step of the rejuvenating and uplifting experience.
With nearly 20 years’ experience offering yoga holidays, this yoga retreat bases its holidays around health and relaxation, good food, Italian culture, eco-tourism and nature. Located just an hour north of Rome in the beautiful pedestrian village of Casperia in the Sabina Hills, there’s no better place in which to enjoy a yoga holiday with a difference.
Getting there
Please note that prices for the holidays do not include flights. We recommend using www.skyscanner.net to check flights.
Nearest airport:
Rome (90 minutes away)
Note: Rome has 2 airports – Ciampino and Leonardo Da Vinci Fiumicino
Approximate distance:
Casperia is located about 2 hours from the centre of Rome and 90 minutes on the train from both of Rome’s international airports.
A comprehensive guide will be sent to you post-booking which covers all instructions and times.
Car
We visited sunflower retreat in Casperia in September 2020, and it was an amazing experience. Allan and Lucy are the nicest people and we felt extremely welcome and taken care of. The surroundings of Casperia were so beautiful and Casperia is a very charming and old village with an amazing view and sunset! The restaurants in town serve delicious food. We had a holistic treatment including massage and it was wonderful and relaxing. The yoga teache
The staff were brilliant! The location was stunning and the yoga was nourishing and rejuvenating. Even the locals went out of their way to make sure you have a good time. Highly recommend the retreat for anyone looking for a yoga holiday with a difference!
- Yoga holidays are suitable for all levels from complete beginners to advanced yogis
- Watercolour painting lessons are suitable for all levels from complete beginners to enthusiastic artists as lessons are in small groups
- Minimum age 16 (if you are under 18 you must be accompanied by an adult)
- Both yoga and water colouring lessons will be taken in English and Italian
- All arrivals are on Mondays from May to October
- All departures are Fridays
- Weather permitting, the majority of yoga lessons will take place in a stunning hilltop location surrounded by nature on an outdoor platform surrounded by an oasis of green inside the village walls
- The yoga retreat also has a purpose built indoor yoga studio with fresh spring water and a bathroom made from an underground cave
- All staff are highly qualified with a wealth of experience, teaching beginners to advanced yogis
- Group watercolour painting lessons are with Giovanna Somai; a local artist and interior decorator who speaks English
- Giovanna teaches you in her own unique style and helps you to develop your watercolour paintings during the course of your stay
- Classes are suitable for all levels and Giovanna will adapt the lessons to match your level of experience so that you make the most progress with your painting during your group classes
- Please bring comfortable clothing you can move easily in, for your yoga practice
- It can be hot in the summer months so please bring clothing that will be suitable for practicing in hot weather, if you are travelling in the height of summer
- Also don't forget your mosquito spray for the hotter months
- Yoga mats are provided
- Please bring pool towels, otherwise there is a rental fee
Watercolour painting
- You will have the opportunity to paint landscapes, buildings in and around Casperia and still life, either focusing on one or many different pieces
- You will learn the basics of perspective, colour mixing, light and shade and how light can affect your work along with other techniques
- The aim of the course is to encourage your creative technique by explaining the fundamentals of painting in watercolour to those who are novices, or for those more advanced artists, by improving your painting technique in watercolour
- You’ll achieve the confidence to continue and develop your skills whatever your level, and take this away with you with your paintbrush tucked behind your ear, hopefully inspired to carry on when you return home
- You'll meet other budding artists in your group who might teach you some next techniques too!
- Each morning after breakfast you can book a treatment or holistic therapy from the wide range on offer
- Choose from massages, facials, acupressure hopi candles, reiki, hot stone therapy, reflexology and more
- All treatments are paid for locally and prices range from 30 Euros to 100 Euros per session, depending on your choice of treatment and duration
- There is also a Finnish ‘sweat room’ sauna at the Casa Latini accommodation which guests can use where you can relax and revitalise; the cost of the sauna session is 10 Euros
- During your free time enjoy the hospitality of the picturesque town of Casperia, wander through its myriad of cobbled streets to discover local shops, cafes and stop for a cappuccino and drink in the view
- The retreat also offer a huge range of optional activities and excursions you can choose to join during your stay
- Please note you can only book these activities during your stay, activities are subject to availability and subject to minimum numbers, and prices are for guideline only:
- Horse riding – from 40 Euros
- Guided Sabina mountain walk offered every Sunday – free of charge
- Cycling – from 40 Euros
- Salsa dancing – from 15 Euros
- Watercolour painting – from 70 Euros
- Italian language classes – from 35 Euros per hour
- Creative writing courses (not July & Aug) – from 50 Euros
- Cooking class and dinner - from 90 Euros
- Access to the swimming pool
- Excursions to Orvieto, Assisi, thermal baths, Saint Francis’ hermitage and nature sites can be organised upon arrival – prices range from 6 Euros - 60 Euros per person
- Full information and pricing for these activities will be provided to you upon arrival at the retreat
- An open-air private swimming pool is also available exclusively for guests just a 10 minute walk from the yoga retreat or a short cycle ride away
- The swimming pool is set in the Casperia countryside surrounded by olive groves and rolling hills
- The pool is open from May-October
- Please note the opening of pool depends on the weather before June, therefore it is not always open
- Guests can enjoy swimming all year round in the thermal baths at Viterbo and also in the hot springs
- You can also visit the wild hot sulphur springs situated in their natural environment in open fields; here you can bathe in the sulphur-rich organic mud used in rehabilitative treatments, beauty masks and wraps
- The thermal baths and the hot springs are quiet, perfect places to relax, unwind and feel the tension, toxins, aches and pains being released from your body, please remember to pack flip-flops and a towel, or towelling dressing gown, for this excursion
- The yoga retreat run an excursion to the sulphur water baths and wild hot springs on either Wednesday or Thursday after your morning yoga and breakfast
- The excursion runs from 12pm to around 5pm
- The cost of the excursion is of 40 Euros per person
- Included in the 40 Euro price is return transport from the retreat, entrance fee to sulphur water pool and visit to the wild hot springs in the same area
- The journey takes about 50 minutes each way
- If you wish to book this excursion, you can book locally upon arrival to the retreat
There is a charge for collection at the local station Poggio mirteto which is currently 10 euro per person or there is the local bus that is free with the train ticket from Rome .
Please see our attached travel page for full details https://www.sunflowerretreats.com/casperia-travel-information.
For airport transfers services the costs are as follows:
Ciampino - 65 euro per person minimum of 2 people - 130 euro for one person - collection services before 10am incur an additional 20 euro
Departure transfer the same cost , however early departures before 8 am cost an additional 20 euro.
Rome FCO: 75 euro per person - minimum of 2 people - 150 euro for one person
Departure transfer cost the same , however early departures before 7am costs an additional 20 euro.
For collection transfers at Rome FCO airport before 9am an additional 30 euro .
Please note we do advise people if possible to get the frequent train from Rome FCO airport to Poggio mirteto .
All charges to be paid locally with cash. There is an ATM in the village of Casperia to withdraw.
WiFi is available in the breakfast area, cafes and treatment area, but not in bedrooms.
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