Eating, Praying, and Moving in Puglia
I made it to Puglia, finally!I've wanted to visit this region of Italy for years. I was excited to learn that Eat, Pray, Move had a yoga retreat in Puglia and signed up.I wrote about my first yoga retreat which was in Tuscany. That retreat had an art component. This retreat had a Move + Manifest one.We went on days trips to Alberobello, Polignano al Mare, Martina Franca, Matera, and Ostuni. We covered a lot so instead of writing the longest blog post on earth, this is more of an overview and I will write about some of the individual towns we visited later. There was free time built into the schedule so you never felt rushed. All classes and activities were optional.We were a group of twelve women with most of us being from the States and one from Australia. It was a great group and fun to get to know everyone. Small world alert...I was speaking with one of the women and she made a passing reference to the university she graduated from. I told her that I was an alum too. We talked about our previous jobs and she mentioned a best friend, a Hollywood screenwriter, who also graduated from Syracuse University. Her friend was one of my former assistants and it was his first job in the industry. Random!Michelle's workshops were excellent and helpful. I'm slightly biased as I've worked with Michelle earlier this year. It's one thing to open up one-on-one but in a group, not so easy. On the first day I was a little skeptical about the whole thing. By the end of the week, this was me:
I went to Puglia in late September. While we had some rainy days, I've heard from my Pugliese friends that it's a great time to visit. The weather is still warm and it's less crowded. Puglia gets packed in the summer with Italians coming home from other regions, and Italian tourists. It seems that for at least the last five years, there's been a ton of press about Puglia being the "next" Tuscany. Alberobello and Matera had a lot of tourists but overall Puglia is still off the beaten path for most American tourists. It's a shame as Puglia is a beautiful region and the food is off the chain. Seriously, I cannot stress how fresh and delicious the food was. Puglia's in my top four along with Piemonte, Emilia-Romagna, and Sicily as my favorite Italian food regions.Our base was the Masseria Fumarola. It's an hour or so drive from the Brindisi airport. Thankfully, Alitalia wasn't on strike and was still solvent at the time.
The Masseria (which is what country estate houses are called in Puglia) was perfection. It's located in the heart of the Valle d'Itria area. The main farmhouse dates back to the early 1800s. Once a working farm run by the grandmother of the current owner, Masseria Fumarola was renovated by the owner's architect father. He turned it into a beautiful boutique hotel without stripping the buildings of their original charm.Love the stone floors. I was so busy enjoying the conversations and the food, I forgot to take photos of the dining room.
The Masseria is surround by six acres of woodlands that includes, olive groves, vineyards, several vegetable gardens, and orchards.
Each room/bungalow is unique. I loved how the trulli were incorporated.
The pomengranate tree outside our bunalow.
The meals we had were simple, outstanding, and very local. Most of the vegetables came from the gardens.The one day it was warm enough to go swimming in their pool, we went to the sea. We appreciated the huge fireplace in the main building during the cool evenings. We would meet there for workshops, or a glass of wine (or both) and in the morning, there were fruits, tea/coffee available for us before our 8:00 a.m. yoga class.
I was a tightly wound ball of stress when I stepped onto the plane in Rome. I'm still processing everything I learned during the workshops but physically I feel much better.I walked around the property at sunrise. I was greatful for the stillness, the scents, the freshness of the air, and the beauty of it all. My yoga has improved by leaps and bounds since the summer. This time my mind didn't wander. While Erin's classes sometimes kicked my butt (my abs were on fire the next day) I looked forward to that hour and fifteen minutes.Rome can be a very difficult city and this year has really tested my perseverance. During my trip to Puglia, I was able to reconnect a bit with the main reasons why I moved to Italy in the first place.I cannot wait to return to Puglia. Bari and Lecce are on my list.
Photos: Me and my iPhone, except for the pool photo from Masseria Fumarola.
Eat, Pray, Move - Tuscany
I stopped practicing yoga over fifteen years ago after I seriously injured my right wrist. I was taking "Power Yoga" classes and I don't think I paid enough attention to what was going on with my body.I couldn't focus long enough in class. My mind was always racing, thinking about all the things I had to do or didn't do. The injury was a convenient excuse to say, "arriverderci" to yoga.I've known Erin for over eleven years. We met via our former blogs before meeting in person and we moved to Italy at the same time. Erin was on a sabbatical in Florence for a year or so and then moved back to the States. She returned frequently and we would always try to see each other. I remember when she started Eat, Pray, Move, Yoga seven years ago. She began with one retreat in Tuscany and over the years has added more locations. In 2014 she left her corporate job and now she holds on average sixteen retreats in nine countries, Italy (multiple locations) France, Spain, Croatia, Iceland, Morocco, Indonesia, India, and Japan. The latter she added this year.It's very inspiring to see how Erin has built this wonderful life and business from scratch. She has tapped into something very special.Last month I had the opportunity to see, in person, what Erin's accomplished. I was worried about the yoga. I had asked her in the past if it would bad form to go to a yoga retreat and pass on doing the yoga (ha). Erin assured me that all levels (including those with no experience) were welcome and that participation in all activities was optional.It was an incredible experience and I'm already planning my next retreat. This retreat was yoga and art. It was held at a country house right on the border of Tuscany and Umbria. I took the train into Chiusi, where I met the other participants. Julian and Erin picked us up.The house, Siliano Alto, is part of the “Le Coste” Estate (a 1500 acre protected nature and hunting reserve), and dates back to around 1760. Other sections were added in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the Second World War the house was used as a billet for German soldiers until it suffered a direct hit on the front side from an American bombing raid. After the War, the house was home to the farmers who worked on the estate. Five separate families lived upstairs and cows, horses and pigs were kept in the cantinas below. Julian and his family moved to the property in 2006 and began a two-year restoration project before opening up for art courses.
The location was wonderful with beautiful views and incredible sunsets. I was told that some wild boars were hanging out by our doors during the first night. I didn't hear them, which is a good thing.
I appreciated this welcome aperitivi.
During the welcome Erin went over the week's schedule was (there was a print out as well). I couldn't stay the entire week because of a work commitment back in Rome. There's plenty of free time built into the schedule. Breakfast and dinners are included, along with some lunches.The food is vegetarian and delicious. I didn't miss eating meat or fish at all. If you must get your meat-eating on, it's possible to so during the lunches that are not provided.
Erin is a certified yoga instructor and the morning classes usually start at 8:00 a.m. and last an hour and fifteen minutes. I'll be honest, I was struggling to get through our first class. I kept thinking about how hungry I was, Idris Elba, and work stuff. I couldn't get it together. Erin was great, checking our poses. If there was one movement that was too difficult for some of us in the class, she would suggest an easier one. The next day my abs were on fire.
The second day I had some fruit before class and made more of an effort to focus. Anytime I felt my mind starting to race again, I pumped the brakes. By the time I left the retreat, I was able to make through an entire class without any distractions.The non-yoga part of the retreat was fantastic as well. We visited the town of Chiusi where Julian, who is an artist and art teacher, gave us an excellent tour. We had pizza in town with the perfect crust. We also drove to the small borgo of Panicale and had a fun wine and olive oil tasting.
The next day was our day trip to Siena. I visited Siena during my second vacation to Italy. I had my guide-book and everything but I learned a lot more about the Duomo and the town with Julian. He went into detail regarding how the Plague impacted the city. Seven out of ten Sienese died.The Duomo is breathtaking. What Julian said about the cathedral architects of that era was profound. The architects were designing buildings that would be finished long after they died. They knew they would never see them completed. Very different from these McMansiony times.
On my last day we had an art class. We did several drawing exercises. Later, during our free time, several of us took advantage of the watercolor paints in the studio.
That day we also had a pasta making class. I haven't made pasta from scratch in years. I need to do it more often. The pasta was ridiculously good. All of us had seconds.
In the afternoon we went to Cortona. Of course we had to stop by Bramasole.
I can see why so many of the participants are repeaters. It's a genius way to travel, especially if you're a solo traveler. The retreats are small and personal. Yet, there's plenty of alone time if you need it.Since the retreat I've been trying to practice yoga at least three times a week. My friends, who are very serious about it, recommended a few beginner videos to me. It's a great way to start my day (good thing I saw 45's unhinged press conference this morning after yoga). I say this as someone who is not crunchy. I still don't understand what the heck is going on with this bulletproof Matcha tea craze.One of Erin's goals when she started Eat, Pray, Yoga, was to find a way to include charitable work. You can read more about the organizations they collaborate with here.