This 7-day journey is designed for the woman who’s ready to slow down, breathe deeper, move with joy, and reconnect with her soul — all while savoring the magic of Italy’s most stunning coast.
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.
You’ve been everything to everyone. Now it’s your turn to come home stronger, clearer, and more connected—body, mind, and soul. 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 taking a break from professional duties, children, pets, laundry, and everything that demands your care and attention, this is an opportunity to be in the moment, to enjoy delicious Italian food, wine, and the fresh perspectives provided by focusing on you in a stunning Italian landscape.
Join April for eight days spent on a masseria, a fortified farm converted into a beautiful hotel surrounded by olive groves, where you will practice pilates and discover the dolce vita in Puglia as you visit local olive farms and vineyards, learn to cook like Italians, hike the Adriatic coast, cycle between villages, spend the day sailing or simply relax each evening with friends, fantastic food, wine, and conversation.
Throughout the week, you'll slow down to explore the rhythms of Southern Italy: sharing long meals made with local ingredients, sipping wine at golden hour, taking a dancing lesson from local women, cycling and hiking along the coast, sailing the Adriatic, and exploring the nearby city of Lecce.
Between nourishing experiences, you'll have space to simply be, to practice dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing, with time to journal, to stroll through the olive groves, to relax by the pool or in the masseria's spa, to read, or to connect with the inspiring women around you.
After arriving at your Pugliese masseria, operating as a farm from the 1700s, you'll check into your room and be free to relax by the pool with a glass of wine or visit the spa.
Around 5:00 pm we will gather for an aperitivo and an introduction to Alithea's style of slow travel, and the Pugliese approach to living well. This evening, our first shared dinner unfolds here at the masseria, all’italiana: a generous, multi-course meal prepared with the freshest ingredients of the region. Enjoy your first taste of Puglia’s cuisine with candlelit conversation and good company, as the women you’ll be moving, meditating, and sharing the week with come into gentle focus.
•Dinner together.
Begin the day with mindful movement adapted just for you, and after breakfast we will set out by bicycle into the landscapes of Salento.
Mid-morning, you'll set out for a day of cycling as you cover the territory that reveals the DNA of Puglia through traces of Roman history, olive groves, medieval fortifications, and beautiful seaside towns. 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 afternoon, we will make our way back to the masseria, where we'll gather again for dinner, sharing memories of the day and looking ahead to all that is still to come.
•Biking: ~ 4 hours
•Lunch at leisure.
•Dinner together.
After an energizing Pilates class and a nourishing breakfast, our morning will be devoted to the traditions and flavors of Puglia. We will make our way to Cutrofiano, a town whose history and identity are deeply rooted in the ancient practice of ceramics. Here, we will be welcomed by the Donatis family, heirs to a lineage of sculptors that stretches back to the 1650s. We will spend the morning in their boutique family workshop, where you will have the opportunity to try your hand at throwing pottery on the wheel, and to experience a craft that has been passed down through generations.
Following the workshop, we will walk to a nearby vineyard for a shared lunch. Here you will be welcomed into a beautiful family-owned estate, and you'll have the option to try some of Puglia’s signature wines such as Negroamaro and Primitivo, paired with fresh seasonal dishes. After taking our time to enjoy lunch and explore the property’s underground olive press and wine cathedral, we will head back together to our masseria. The evening remains open, an invitation to choose between the familiar comfort of the villa for dinner, or to venture to the unknown tables of a nearby town.
•Lunch together.
•Dinner at leisure.
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 Adriatic coast.
Passing through limestone cliffs and serene viewpoints overlooking the sea, we will see where the ancient pajare still stand — traditional dry-stone structures unique to Salento, testaments to the region's rich relationship to the land and harvest. We will finish our hike at a striking coastal canyon, where you will have time for lunch, a refreshing swim, or to continue exploring the surrounding area on foot. In the late afternoon, we return to the masseria for a private cooking class with our chef. Here, the shaping of orecchiette and maccheroncini pasta, local staples in Puglia, become tactile reminders that real nourishment is an act of participation in cultural traditions. Our day closes with shared dinner and music, enriched by the knowledge that we created our meal together by hand.
•Hiking: ~ 2 hours
•Lunch at leisure.
•Dinner together.
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.
Today after Pilates and breakfast together, we embark by sailboat upon the Ionian Sea, where the wind becomes both guide and teacher. Gliding past the coastline, lighthouse, and the historic city of Gallipoli, the sails reveal the landscape from a perspective of surrender and flow. Swimming in clear waters and savoring Pugliese snacks aboard will reinforce this underlying lesson: joy often arises when we allow ourselves to be carried. We will return to the port around lunchtime, when there will be time for independent lunch in Gallipoli and the chance to explore at leisure. From the Greek Kale Polis, meaning “beautiful city,” this seaside fortress town is best discovered slowly, walking through its narrow streets and along the old walls overlooking the water. Later in the day, we will return to the masseria, where the evening remains open—whether for a quiet night of rest or the chance to discover another nearby town.
•Sailing: ~ 3 hours
•Lunch at leisure.
•Dinner at leisure.
After rejuvenating Pilates and we breakfast together, we’ll hop back on the bicycles and head to a nearby farm, where you will learn to make mozzarella and other traditional cheeses by hand. We’ll enjoy lunch here together, surrounded by nature and the animals whose milk gave form to these fresh cheeses. Today’s journey also includes a visit to a historic frantoio, where olive oil was pressed to give light to entire cities, and a local farmer, Gaetano, will share the UNESCO endangered language of Griko, which acts as a fragile bridge to the region’s ancient Greek roots.
In the afternoon we return to the masseria for a celebratory four-course dinner. Beneath the Pugliese sky and the arches of the villa, our final meal together becomes a closing reflection: on the week’s discoveries, the bonds formed, and the subtle shifts in perception that occur when we travel with intention and purpose.
•Biking: ~ 3.5 hours
•Lunch together.
•Dinner together.
Our retreat draws to its gentle close with a final Pilates session. As you depart, your instructor and guides will be there to ease the transition and help you on your next leg of the journey. The memories and friendships you’ve cultivated throughout this week will not be left behind in Italy, but will be woven into your daily life, encouraging a disposition of openness, relationality, abundance, and appreciation for life’s simple joys.
What has been awakened within you, always travels with you.
I loved how it was just women on this trip. Great bonding trip for all of us and I will treasure the time we had together
This trip was a once in a lifetime experience. Puglia was one of the most beautiful areas to visit, and all of the women supported each other throughout the journey. From yoga and pasta making to hiking, sailing, and art classes, each day was filled with experiences that shaped the trip and left me feeling grateful and thankful, guided every moment by an amazing team.
Everything!!! Sailing, clay making, pasta making, cheese making, Giada and Anna Rose and Gabriella
The amazing attention to detail and kindness from everyone. Thank You Guys!!!!
How beautiful and wonderful the area and people were. And how amazing the trip/activities were planned and executed.
You’ve been everything to everyone. Now it’s your turn to come home stronger, clearer, and more connected—body, mind, and soul. 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 taking a break from professional duties, children, pets, laundry, and everything that demands your care and attention, this is an opportunity to be in the moment, to enjoy delicious Italian food, wine, and the fresh perspectives provided by focusing on you in a stunning Italian landscape.
Join April for eight days spent on a masseria, a fortified farm converted into a beautiful hotel surrounded by olive groves, where you will practice pilates and discover the dolce vita in Puglia as you visit local olive farms and vineyards, learn to cook like Italians, hike the Adriatic coast, cycle between villages, spend the day sailing or simply relax each evening with friends, fantastic food, wine, and conversation.
Throughout the week, you'll slow down to explore the rhythms of Southern Italy: sharing long meals made with local ingredients, sipping wine at golden hour, taking a dancing lesson from local women, cycling and hiking along the coast, sailing the Adriatic, and exploring the nearby city of Lecce.
Between nourishing experiences, you'll have space to simply be, to practice dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing, with time to journal, to stroll through the olive groves, to relax by the pool or in the masseria's spa, to read, or to connect with the inspiring women around you.
With a deep passion for travel, health, and wellness, April has dedicated her career to helping others live vibrant, balanced lives. She spent 22 years in corporate America—15 of those in senior leadership roles, where she led high-performing teams for a large organization. While she thrived in the corporate world, she ultimately felt called to pursue a career that aligned with her passion for health and well-being.
In 2017, April earned her Health Coaching certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, setting the foundation for her journey in fitness and holistic well-being. She went on to open her first fitness business in 2018, an indoor cycling studio, and later expanded into Pilates, where she is currently completing her instructor certification. Through her studies and personal practice, April has developed a deep appreciation for the mind-body benefits of Pilates, recognizing its ability to enhance strength, mobility, and overall well-being. She believes Pilates is a powerful tool for creating strength, reducing pain, and building resilience at any stage of life.
An avid traveler, April has explored 21 countries, embracing the transformative power of new experiences, movement, and mindful living. She is passionate about combining travel with wellness, creating opportunities for others to move, explore, and reconnect with themselves in meaningful ways.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
Previous pilates experience is not necessary and beginners are welcome. If you are new to pilates you'll receive helpful coaching and learn the foundational movements that strengthen muscles, improve posture, enhance flexibility, and develop overall body awareness.
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.
Yes. Starting in late 2026, U.S. citizens will be required to obtain an ETIAS travel authorization before entering Europe.
ETIAS is a simple online application, with responses typically issued within 96 hours. Once approved, it is electronically linked to your passport.
ETIAS is not yet in operation, but it is expected to be introduced soon. We kindly ask travelers to check whether ETIAS is required for their travel dates and to complete the application if necessary.
To apply, please visit: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias
