SEPTEMBER 19-26, 2027
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.
Like stepping back in time, the landscape of southern Italy is an invitation to observe an older, more connected world where shepherds are seen grazing their sheep, homemade pasta is a daily ritual, and wealth is measured by the hours spent with friends around the dining room table or sharing a glass of wine.
Largely undiscovered by travelers outside Italy, the region of Puglia preserves an approach to life where traditional Italy still thrives. Unlike a tour spent hurrying from one site to another, our week will unfold from a masseria, a southern Italian villa, where you'll connect to the rhythms of Puglia, have time to stroll through the vineyards, and embrace on the nourishing power of natural beauty.
Each day will begin with Pilates followed by activities that embrace a Pugliese approach to nourishing and strengthening the body. Throughout the week you'll take time to connect with cheese makers, wine-makers, and olive farmers; you'll cycle between seaside towns, create ceramics with local artisans, and learn traditional Puglian recipes in cooking lessons; you'll also find time to unwind and reflect whether by the pool or among the olive groves, or while hiking the coastline, sailing the Mediterranean, or enjoying candlelit dinners with friends.
For those seeking to disconnect from work, technology, or the constant noise of modern life, this week in Italy will provide an opportunity to reset with the daily rhythms of Puglia. Grounded in the practice of both Pilates and the 'dolce vita' the goal of this retreat is not just to get away, but to strengthen both body and soul, to let exterior voices grow quiet, and to return home stronger, and more present to yourself and to those you love most.
Inspired by Joseph Pilates' vision that 'everyone is the architect of their own happiness', daily Pilates will introduce body and movement awareness while daily activities will encourage the Italian art of living in the moment.
Just as Pilates trains your body to make intelligent movements that support your body all day, every day, travel encourages a perspective of awareness, of stepping into the new and beautiful in order to rediscover the new and beautiful within yourself. From this perspective, the goal of practicing Pilates in Puglia is to strengthen this connectedness to yourself and to the world.
Throughout the week you'll stay in a masseria, a working Italian farm converted into a beautiful hotel. Surrounded by olive groves and equipped with its own restaurant, spa, and pool, your masseria operates like a traditional Italian family, welcoming guests as if they were returning home. The antidote to large, impersonal hotels in cities, every room in the masseria is slightly different, has its own story and expresses the hospitality of authentic Italy.
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 led by Randi, 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 a slow flow Pilates session with Randi 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 breakfast and a slow flow Pilates session, you’ll be free to enjoy a leisurely morning by the pool or in the spa. You’ll depart after lunch 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 afternoon you’ll walk through the civilizations from the Greeks, Romans, Normans, to the Holy Roman Empire and modern Italian state with a guided walking tour through the city.
In the evening you’ll be free to explore the winding streets, shops, and restaurants before returning to the Masseria.
After pilates and breakfast this morning, you’ll head to the coast for an afternoon of sailing.
Gliding at the speed of the wind, you’ll take in the coastline and landmarks from the water, with plenty of time to swim and to savor Pugliese food and wine.
After a workout with Randi and breakfast together, you’ll hop back on bikes to cycle to a nearby farm where you’ll learn to make mozzarella and ricotta with your own hands,.
Your next stop this morning will be a traditional frantoio where you’ll experience an underground olive oil press operated by a local farmer that still speaks the endangered language of griko, the ancient tongue of Greek settlers.
This afternoon you’ll have some free time to relax by the pool or visit the spa before the evening’s celebrations, where you’ll learn the traditional song and dance of Puglia, the pizzica, performed by live musicians in folkloric vernacular.
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.
Nicky Maloney is the owner and lead instructor of Heart & Soul Pilates Studio and a comprehensively certified Pilates instructor through ITT Pilates. Half Italian and deeply drawn to Italian culture, she brings accessible, strength-based Mat Pilates into immersive travel experiences. Her teaching emphasizes connection, inclusivity, and movement that supports both the body and the journey.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
