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A women-only ‘week away’ in Puglia designed to nourish and rejuvenate through the practice of pilates and learning the Italian art of being present.
Be Present, Practice, Pilates, and Take Time Away to Enjoy Yourself in Italy
During eight days spent in a masseria, a fortified farm converted into a beautiful hotel surrounded by olive groves, you will observe a ‘slower’ approach to place and time. Each day will begin with pilates followed by activities that embrace this practice's approach to nourishing and strengthening the body. You will visit nearby vineyards and drink their wine, cycle between two seaside towns, participate in the art of ceramics, taste the olive oil of zero-kilometer producers, learn the recipes of Puglia in cooking lessons, sail the Adriatic, but you will also have time to relax by the pool, to stroll through the olive groves, and enjoy fantastic food, wine, and conversation with friends as you celebrate a connection to place and people.
Practicing Pilates in Puglia will introduce body and movement awareness while daily activities will encourage the art of living in the moment. Throughout this week you will have a unique opportunity to encounter the individuals whose daily lives embody the life and soul of what it means to be Pugliese while enjoying the stunning beauty of Italy.
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More than a trip to Italy, this week-long travel retreat will focus on being healthy physically and mentally through activities that nourish and rejuvenate. Whether detoxing from cell phones, work, or other daily demands, this is an opportunity to be in the moment, to enjoy delicious Italian food, wine, and the fresh perspectives provided by a stunning Italian landscape.
Self care doesn’t just mean pampering, it means intentional practices that will keep you healthy far into the future. Pilates trains your body to make intelligent movements that support your body all day, every day. Travel encourages a perspective of vulnerability, of stepping into the new and beautiful in order to rediscover the new and beautiful within yourself. From this perspective, an experience of the ‘importance of place’ in Puglia is equally to realize that connectedness within yourself.
Originally from the USA, after getting her BA in English Literature Nina set out on what was supposed to be a one year adventure exploring her Italian roots. Thirty years later, Italy is her home and she's still living that adventure.
With more than two decades of guiding experience, Nina's commitment to helping travelers is expressed in a remarkable combination of knowledge and warmth, poise and generosity, realism and belief in humanity. Even more than sharing the some of the most beautiful landscapes of Italy or introducing the most important moments of history and art, Nina embracing the philosophy that travel is transformational, it enriches and changes lives, and that the best adventures are not just those we stumble into but those we work hard to let change our lives.
She is an avid urban cyclist in her adopted home in Rome but her true mentor for staying fit is Joseph Pilates. She has been a devoted practitioner for over 15 years and got her Pilates Matwork certification from Polestar Pilates in 2020.
After arriving at your Pugliese masseria, operating as a farm from the 1700's, you'll check into your room and be free to relax by the pool with a glass of wine or visit the spa. At 4:00 pm you'll gather for an orientation to Alithea's style of slow travel in Puglia while meeting the ladies you'll be hiking, cycling, and relaxing with over the coming week.
This evening you'll have dinner together at the masseria—your first taste of Puglia's hospitality and the pleasure of being connected to nature through food and wine.
At 8:00 am your day will begin with an hour of Pilates followed by breakfast.
Mid-morning, you'll set out for a day of cycling as you cover the territory that reveals the DNA of Puglia in the traces of Greek and Byzantine history, beautiful seaside towns, and medieval castles and marvelously frescoed churches. While moving at the speed of a bicycle you’ll have more time for conversation, observation, and the feeling that slowing everything down means seeing more of the world around you, not less.
In the late afternoon, you’ll return to the masseria in time for an aperitivo followed by a free evening.
Biking: ~ 4 hours
After your morning of Pilates and breakfast, you’ll give your glutes a rest with a day dedicated to ceramics and wine. Your first stop this morning will be a ceramics workshop where you’ll have a chance to throw clay with a local potter before heading out for a late lunch at a nearby vineyard where you’ll taste the great Pugliese wines.
You’ll be free for dinner this evening, either at the restaurant of the masseria or in town a twenty-minute walk from the farm.
Bus time: ~1 hour
After a morning of Pilates dedicated to body-awareness and the practice of intelligent movements, you’ll set out for a day of hiking and swimming along the coast.
In the late afternoon you’ll return to the masseria for a cooking lesson where you’ll learn to make orecchiette, i maccheroncini, e le sagne ncannulate, the home made pastas of Salento, followed by dinner.
Hiking: ~ 5 hours
After Pilates and breakfast, you’ll depart for nearby Lecce, the jewel of Puglia, as rich in baroque architecture as in its thousands of years of history dating back to the Trojan War.
This morning you’ll walk through the civilizations from the Greeks, Romans, Normans, to the Holy Roman Empire and modern Italian state with a walking tour through the city followed by free time for lunch.
In the mid-afternoon you’ll return to the masseria in time for a quick swim before dinner.
After Pilates and breakfast this morning, you’ll depart for the coast for an afternoon of sailing. Moving at the speed of the wind, you’ll observe the coastline and caves from the sea, taking time to swim and to enjoy Pugliese food and wine.
After Pilates and breakfast, you’ll hop back on bikes to cycle to a nearby farm where you’ll learn to make mozzarella or another local cheese that you’ll be able to make again when you return home.
Your next stop this morning will be a traditional frantoio where you’ll taste the local olive oil of a local farmer that still speaks griko or the ancient language of the Greeks.
This afternoon you’ll have some free time to relax by the pool or visit the spa before this evening’s celebrations where you’ll learn the traditional dance and songs of the pizzica with the women of Puglia.
Biking: ~1.5 hrs
This women’s retreat concludes with a final Pilates practice and breakfast. Your guide and pilates instructor will be available to help with the next leg of your journey as you continue to practice the intentionality of movement and the art of being present everywhere you go.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
Previous pilates experience is not necessary; however, pilates is a cornerstone of the experience and we recommend taking advantage of your free online classes before the start of the trip.
This is an active trip with physical activities planned each day. In addition to the morning pilates practice, you will spend considerable time walking, hiking, and cycling throughout the week. If you do not lead an active lifestyle or would like recommendations on how to prepare physically for the trip, please write to us before signing up.
The masseria is about one hour by car from Brindisi (BDS), the closest airport. You can also fly into Bari (BRI) or other Italian cities and take the train to Lecce. From Lecce it’s about 30 minutes by car to the masseria. Wherever you choose to arrive, we recommend setting up a transfer service with Daniele Scodari (danieletransfer@libero.it).
There is much more to see in Puglia and spending a little extra time in the masseria is a great way to settle into the rhythms of southern Italy. If you wish to extend your stay before or after the trip dates, let us know and we’ll help coordinate the additional nights.
Absolutely! Reach out to us and we'll set up a conversation to discuss the details.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
Previous pilates experience is not necessary; however, pilates is a cornerstone of the experience and we recommend taking advantage of your free online classes before the start of the trip.
This is an active trip with physical activities planned each day. In addition to the morning pilates practice, you will spend considerable time walking, hiking, and cycling throughout the week. If you do not lead an active lifestyle or would like recommendations on how to prepare physically for the trip, please write to us before signing up.
The masseria is about one hour by car from Brindisi (BDS), the closest airport. You can also fly into Bari (BRI) or other Italian cities and take the train to Lecce. From Lecce it’s about 30 minutes by car to the masseria. Wherever you choose to arrive, we recommend setting up a transfer service with Daniele Scodari (danieletransfer@libero.it).
There is much more to see in Puglia and spending a little extra time in the masseria is a great way to settle into the rhythms of southern Italy. If you wish to extend your stay before or after the trip dates, let us know and we’ll help coordinate the additional nights.
Absolutely! Reach out to us and we'll set up a conversation to discuss the details.
