Herbal Tuscany Retreat!

Join fellow herb lovers in the countryside of Italy for 11 nights and 12 days of beauty, plants, food, learning, and history.

Herbal Tuscany Retreat

May 24-June 4, 2025

Join herbalist Holly Bellebuono in Italy!

Our 12-day adventure will immerse you in the sights, scents, flavors and sounds of the Italian countryside. It's the olive-studded, flower-scented, farm-and-pharmacy, folklore and history retreat you don't want to miss!

Register early! Spots will fill quickly.

Together, our foodie-and-herbie group will experience:

Herbs of Tuscany

Fragrant, colorful, heady aromas. Indulge your senses in herb gardens, historic botanical gardens, and flower gardens that have been thriving and blossoming for centuries.

Wine Tour & Tasting

Tour the vineyards of Montepulciano and taste the wines and foods special to the this hilltop Tuscan paradise

Sights & Tastes of Florence

Enjoy excursions and tours into the ancient Tuscan towns of Siena, Florence and Assisi. Your chance to dive into the historic cities and their culture.

Botanical & Herb Gardens

Together and with our guides, we will explore historic botanical gardens, herb gardens, herbal shops, ancient farms, thermal hot springs, historic hotels, and more on our excursions to Florence, Siena and Assisi.

Groves & Grottoes

We will visit the Boboli Gardens in Florence, laid out by the Medici family behind the Pitti Palace, the Villa Certano 16th-century herb and flower gardens, ancient trees, olive groves, and the lush and fragrant roses and lavender of Tuscany.

Coaching in Entrepreneurship

Schedule an optional session or series of customized sessions to discuss, brainstorm, and assess your natural & organic products business.

Relax with Yoga

Daily morning yoga, movement and breathing exercises with instructor and certified massage therapist Natalie Young at the centuries-old Villa Certano.

Traditional Tuscan Meals

The trip includes most (except 3-4) delicious meals with fresh local cuisine and thoughtful vegetarian options, with many meals made in Villa Certano's historic kitchen.

Flowers & Perfumery

Visit an essential oil harvesting farm and distillery for a full sensory experience of fragrant flowers including lavender, helichrysum, broom, cedar, and more

Join fellow plant lovers for the trip of a lifetime

Our trip will be hosted by leaders in the herbal world who love Italy and have deep connections to its people and to plants. About your hosts and instructors:

Holly Bellebuono has taught in Costa Rica, Canada, England, and across the US. Join her now in the heart of historic Tuscany to share tales, imbibe wine and spirits, eat delicious food, explore ancient towns, sleep in ancient (and comfy!) villas, delight in fragrant and tasty herbs, explore herbal medicine, and much more. An herbalist and teacher of 30 years, Holly is the author of 7 nonfiction books on herbal medicine, apothecary owner and developer of retail and wholesale product lines, is the founder and director of The Bellebuono School of Herbal Medicine teaching Western herbal philosophies, and is founder of The Selle Entrepreneur Network and its business courses for natural and organic product makers. Holly's 8th book is Once Upon a Place: Forests, Caverns, and Other Places of Transformation in Myth, Fairy Tale and Film, exploring the hero's (and heroine's) journey, descent & resurrection, and personal growth.

Husband-and-wife team naturopathic physician Dr. Richard Liebmann, former Executive Director of United Plant Savers and co-founder of Lokahi Garden Sanctuary in Hawaii, and Natalie Young, dancer, pilates and yoga instructor, and certified massage therapist. Richard is curating this amazing experience, and both have extensive experience across Italy and will organize a fantastic trip.

Your Hosts & Instructors

Holly Bellebuono and David Vigneault

Herbalist, author, entrepreneur coach, and herb school director Holly Bellebuono and her partner David Vigneault, housing director and disabilities professional, will warmly welcome you to Italy.

Dr. Richard Liebmann and Natalie Young

Husband-and-wife team naturopathic physician and former Executive Director of United Plant Savers Richard Liebmann and Natalie Young, certified massage therapist and yoga and pilates instructor.

Our Italy Itinerary

Dates: May 24 - June 4, 2025

Expertly curated and organized by Richard Liebmann. Note: While the itinerary is subject to change, this is the current offering:

Delicious breakfasts, luncheons, dinners and feasts make with fresh local Italian foods at our Villa as well as specially selected local restaurants
Home-away-from-home at the 100-acre, 16th century Villa Certano
Guided tour of an essential oil production farm and perfume distillery in the heart of Chianti, growing thyme, rosemary, sage, helichrysum, hyssop, broom, Damascus rose, and of course lavender
Experience the thermal spa and bubbling hot springs at a Tuscan resort (optional massage, beauty and hydrotherapy treatments are encouraged!)
Tours and free-time in the ancient Gothic walled city of Siena and its cobblestone lined piazza
Visit and get a special tour of the Orto Botanico of Siena, the oldest "Horto Medicinale" in the world established in 1545
Guided tour of Siena's Baroque Duomo Cathedral, with its paintings, frescos, and sculptures
Tour Florence's Simpler's Botanical Gardens, originally a teaching garden for Italian physicians in the 1500s
Tour the Boboli Gardens of the Pitti Palace and its famed underground grottoes
Tour the Aboca Herbal Museum with its medicinal herb gardens and botanical library in the ancient walled city of Sansepolcro
Explore Assisi, with free time to see its Basilicas of Santa Chiara and San Francesco, and grottoes
Enjoy a Vineyard tour, wine tasting, and Tuscan supper in the famous hilltop town of Montepulciano, with its Etruscan underground tunnels
Guided tour of the fragrant lavender farm of Assisi
Explore ideas of descent and resurrection, personal growth, and a sense of place in fairy tales and myths with Holly, based on her new book Once Upon a Place: Forests, Caverns and Other Places of Transformation in Myth, Fairy Tale and Film
Meet and share a wonderful 11-night/12-day adventure with fellow plant lovers and people with an expansive and welcoming spirit
Natural and organic product business coaching (optional): get business brainstorming, insights and assessments with Holly in scheduled mini-sessions during and customized sessions after the trip (paid separately)
Herbal Medicine FOUNDATIONS certificate course: (optional) retreat participants who would like to enroll in The Bellebuono School of Herbal Medicine's online certificate course receive a 20% discount off the 6-month course (paid separately).

All the Deets

Dates: May 24 - June 4, 2025

What's included: So much is included for this fantastic price!!

all transportation within Italy including pickup and drop-off at the Florence airport
nearly all meals (except 3-4)
11 nights double-occupancy lodging (single upgrades are available)
all instruction and material fees
all tours and excursions, including all fees
all entrance fees
daily yoga & movement

Cost per person: $3,900

Non-refundable deposit: $300pp. Total payment due by February 15, 2025.

Not included: tips, 3-4 meals, airfare to Italy, and items of a personal nature (such as phone calls and laundry).

Herbal Medicine FOUNDATIONS certificate course: (optional) retreat participants who would like to enroll in The Bellebuono School of Herbal Medicine's online certificate course receive a 20% discount off the course (paid separately).

Natural & Organic Product Business Coaching: (optional) contact Holly to schedule a private mini-sessions during the retreat and customized sessions after to brainstorm, assess, and get insights into your business (paid separately).

Let's go to Italy!

Pay your deposit and reserve your space today for

HERBAL TUSCANY, May 24 - June 4, 2025.

Fill out this form and we'll email you the details about registration and deposit.

Limited spaces!