Herbal Tuscany! May 24 - June 4 2025

Join fellow herbie-and-foodie lovers in Italy!

Our 12-day herbal, foodie, art and culture adventure will immerse you in the sights, scents, flavors and art of the Italian countryside. It's the olive-studded, flower-scented, farm-and-pharmacy, folklore and history trip that will leave you feeling inspired and rejuvenated!

Solo travelers, couples and groups welcome!

Register early! Spots will fill quickly.

Join us to experience:

Herbs of Tuscany

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

Wine Tour & Tasting

We will tour the vineyards and Etruscan tunnels of Montepulciano and/or Chianti where wines are aged in barrels deep in 16th-century underground vaults. We will taste the wines and the foods special to this hilltop Tuscan paradise.

Art & Tastes of Florence

We will explore the Renaissance city of Florence, as well as the ancient Tuscan towns of Siena and Assisi. This is your chance to dive into the history, art, culture and food of Italy's creative ancestors.

Botanical & Herb Gardens

Enjoy guided herb walks and tours, exploring Italy's rich herbal heritage through historic botanical gardens, herb gardens, herbal pharmacies and plant museums, thriving ancient farms, and historic hotels.

Groves, Grottoes & Hot Springs

We will visit the Boboli Gardens in Florence, laid out by the Medici family behind the Pitti Palace, with its underground grottoes, statuary and art. We'll also relax in the healing mineral waters of an authentic thermal hot springs resort in Rapolano.

Optional Herbal Business Track

Deepen your understanding of herbal medicine for natural and organic product makers and entrepreneurs. Optional: please request a scope and sequence if interested.

Relax with Yoga

Daily optional morning yoga, movement and breathing exercises with instructor and certified massage therapist Natalie Young at the centuries-old Villa Certano. Or, sit out under the spring blossoming vines to enjoy a peaceful start to the day.

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. Seek out Tuscany's famous olives, fruity olive oils, its specialty cheeses including Pecorino toscano, taleggio, and cantucci--its delectable biscotti.

Flowers & Perfumery

Explore an essential oil harvesting farm and distillery for a full sensory experience of locally-grown fragrant flowers including lavender, helichrysum, broom, cedar, iris, and rose grown to make exquisite perfumes, soaps, massage oils, honeys, remedies, creams and balms.

Your Tuscany Hosts

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 gorgeous 16th-century Villa

Our home for the trip will be Villa Certano in the heart of Tuscany, surrounded by herbal gardens and a hundred acres of olive groves.

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. An herbalist and teacher of 30 years, Holly is the author of 8 nonfiction books published in 3 languages, and is the director of The Bellebuono School of Herbal Medicine.

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.

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.

Also note: all activities are optional and you are welcome to sit out a tour to relax at our gorgeous 16th-century Villa!:

  • 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
  • Meet and share a wonderful 11-night/12-day adventure with fellow plant lovers and people with an expansive and welcoming spirit

All the Deets

Dates: May 24 - June 4, 2025

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

  • all transportation once you arrive at Florence Airport, including pickup and drop-off at the airport to our Villa
  • 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: First payment (half) plus a $300pp non-refundable deposit is due now.

Final payment is due February 15, 2025.

Payment options: We can accept personal checks by mail; Venmo; and credit card payments through our website.

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

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 to reserve your space. We will send you the details about registration and how to submit your initial payment.

Please note! Spaces are limited. Please fill out this form when you are ready to commit to the trip. We will send you details on how to make your payments as well as what to expect, more specific details, and Zoom links for planning as we get closer to the date!