THE ANCIENT WAY
A five day women’s retreat to remember our place in the world.
PUGLIA, ITALY
May 12 - 18th, 2027
The Ancient Way is a five day women’s retreat to remember our connection to the land, our breath, and practices that support and nourish the soul into remembrance.
We’ll enjoy simple yet ancient rituals of gathering together in community, slowing down and tending to the soil of life. Breaking bread at sunset, sitting around the fire, dipping into the Mediterranean Sea and nourishing our living relationship to place.
The home of this retreat is a unique place called Terra Elaya, a soul-centered regenerative land project and sanctuary in southern Italy near the sea. Where we will learn about Ancient Practices that sustain life, while renewing our sense of connection to earth and immersing ourselves in excavation style breathwork experiences and workshops that take us into deeper reciprocal relationship to plants.
This is a technology free retreat - so that we can remember.
To remember why we came here.
Somatic practices to connect with the land.
Plants for magic, ritual and clearing.
This retreat is for you….
The Experience
Conscious-Connected Breathwork
Conscious-Connected Breathwork will be our main medicine. We'll dive into this practice to connect with our bodies and unearth what's ready to be set down and reinvigorated with fresh life-force, presence, and new perspective.
We'll have afternoon workshops and plenty of spaciousness to integrate our breathwork experiences.
Spaciousness
The schedule provides plenty of spaciousness to lean back into simplicity, wander through the farm, walk to a nearby village, or simply nap, read a book, and savor your rural surroundings. This is an opportunity to deeply rest and gently restore your connection to life.
Place
There is a palpable sense of magic at this place. The extinct volcano that Ebbio sits upon was known as “magic mountain” by the Etruscans. A sacred location and home to their Gods. We’ll connect to the lands, sit with the Great Earth, walk the Via Francigena - an ancient pilgrimage path and swim in the cleansing waters of a natural spring nearby the farm.
Workshop Magic
Added workshops include a guided ecstatic dance from Sweden facilitator Minna Julkalender, an authentic Italian cooking class lead at the farmhouse with foraged ingredients from the farm. Jessica Langella will lead an altar building experience to generously give back to the land.
Evening Wind-downs
Each evening we'll wind-down with a gentle group ritual to end our day together. This will include candle-lit poetry readings, yin yoga and warming herbal tea before bed.
Our final evening we'll close with a fire ceremony under the clear night sky.
OUR RETREAT HOME
Terre Elaya is situated on three hectares of land in southern Italy, among old olive and pomegranate trees and just a few km from the Mediterranean Sea,
Elaya offers a space for deep inquiry and practice of new and old ways of living that are animistic and in devotion to the sacred. Here, they explore ways of being in which the human soul can truly blossom in harmony with the “other”, the land, and with the cosmos.
A unique soul-centered regenerative land project and sanctuary in Puglia, Italy.
Elaya is not a retreat center in the conventional sense. Rather, it is a place of ongoing exploration and of profound engagement with life. Aside from conventional ways of teaching, learning there happens through embodied listening, active imagination, ritual, ceremony and community living.
The Sanctuary
Where the healing happens.
Facilitators
Natasha Stewart
Retreat LeaderWe count on this visionary to define strategic priorities, allocate resources responsibly, and ensure every decision reinforces long-term value creation.
Emilia Ciancia
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
Scott
We depend on this engineer to transform conceptual requirements into robust technical solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructures.
Hands in the soil
Since our inception, we have advanced organizations across sectors by pairing strategic insight with disciplined execution.
EXCURSIONS AND SPECIAL WORKSHOPS
WALKING THE ANCIENT PATH
The Via Francigena is the ancient path that has connected Canterbury and Rome since the Middle Ages. Nowadays it remains a pilgrimage path, as part of the Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago).
For our excursion, we'll be lead by a local guide through the Tuscan countryside and ancient old towns on the pathway of the Via Francigena. We'll stop for lunch in a beautiful hamlet and treat ourselves with some gelato, before heading back to our farmhouse for some R&R.
The walk is about 10-12 kms.
BUILDING AN OFFERING TO THE LAND
Jessica Langella will lead us in a workshop to build an altar to the land.
We will gather in gratitude, to build a living altar - a gateway to the unseen, a mirror of unity, a place where our prayers, songs and love meet the spirit of the land.
Jessica Langella is a land tender, artist, herbalist, and mother rooted in the mist and moss of the Pacific Northwest. She helps steward Wapato Island Farm, listening to the whispers of soil, seed, and spirit, tending food and medicine in sacred reciprocity with the land. Through the Wapato Table UnSchool, she shares ancestral skills as pathways of remembrance — where making, tending, and breathing become prayer. Jessica’s work is an offering to the Earth, a call to return to belonging, and a blessing of gratitude for all that nourishes life.
Daily magic ~ Sample Schedule
7:30 AM Morning warming beverage, fresh fruit and biscuits
9 - 11 AM Breathwork Ceremony
11 AM Brunch
12 pm - 4 pm Free Time
4- 5:30 pm Afternoon Workshop
6 pm Dinner
7:30 PM Evening Wind Down
A cooking class and a day excursion will also be weaved into the schedule. Schedule is subject to flow and change.
How do I get there?
Fly into Florence, Pisa, or Bologna and book a rental car, take train or order a taxi to arrive at Ebbio.
All surrounding airports are connected by the Italian railway system. Siena and Castellina in Chianti are the closest train stations to Ebbio.
A group shuttle can also be arranged by Natasha from Florence to Ebbio if enough women are interested.
Note that transportation to Ebbio is not included in the price of the retreat.
Raina Jung
“The Art of Living Retreat in Italy was magic beyond magic. It was a space of deep healing and, at the same time, gentle restoration. A re-centering and reconnection with myself and with a greater sense of support through the presence of the group of wise and powerful women. There is nothing quite like being in a place so breathtakingly beautiful that it stirs something inside you, and then being invited to breathe deeply into that beauty, to ground into it, expand within it, and let it open your heart and move you.
To be held in the practice of breathwork, to journey into the unseen spaces within and around me, and then be given time and space to integrate, was a gift beyond words. I came into the retreat with the intention to open myself to inspiration. What I found was how naturally and abundantly inspiration flows when we are given spaciousness, when we remove the layers of rushing and distraction, and let ourselves flow through the time and space of a day.
There are so many moments I've held close to my heart since leaving—reading poetry by candlelight, passing the flame as we shared the words of great poets with one another... doing yoga nidra as the sky erupted with thunder and lightning and rain fell like the release of our tears... laughing over meals that were so delicious they felt like love made edible. I took naps and walks. I rested and had long conversations. I played and painted and made messy marks free of judgment. And somehow, in the perfect weaving of depth and lightness, I found an even deeper intimacy with parts of myself I'd been slowly reconnecting with over the past year.
The retreat space itself felt like something out of a dream—more beautiful than I could have imagined, down to every texture and detail. The way the steps were worn down by all the many footsteps that came before us. Each room was its own unique cocoon.
Natasha, oh my goodness! She holds space in a way that is powerful and rare. There is a grounded trust in the way she facilitates, a deep sense of safety and belonging that reminds you that you already have what you need, that you can go exactly where you need to go, one breath at a time. Her presence feels like the loving embrace of an unconditionally supportive mother being, so steady and sure that you can’t help but feel trust in yourself more fully.
I returned home with more of myself than I could’ve hoped for. The magic is still unfolding. I’ve carried it with me, and I continue to feel its presence in how I live into the moments and details of my life back home. I went in hoping for inspiration, and I came away with my eyes wide open to it. I’m deeply, deeply grateful.”
Kind Words
Jillian W.
“When people ask me how the Italy retreat was, the thing I keep coming back to is that I felt very held. It was the little things- someone making my bed everyday, a daily handwritten schedule, someone else making my coffee, and it was the big things- the relationships, the life changing breathwork sessions and thoughtful weaving of the daily rhythm. To be held to that degree is a healing experience. It mended parts of me that I didn't know I needed to heal!
A retreat in a different country sets the experience up to be different. Every person was arriving to every breathwork session without the pulls of family, work, parking, and all the daily tasks and trials that come with being near home. Arriving as our most present selves made the sessions so much more intense. I feel like every session was ten fold more powerful than the sessions I attend at home (and those are powerful!). And then having the time and beautiful physical space to process afterwards was truly life changing. I returned with a new found sense of who I am and how I need to navigate through my life.”
Natasha Stewart
Natasha is passionate about fostering nurturing and transformational spaces for individuals and groups, to unveil their innate healing capacity and unearth material blocking their most authentic expression and connection to life. She is trauma-informed and provides a compassionate, judgement-free and gentle presence for clients to dive into their full spectrum of human-ness and open to the preciousness of this life.
Her favorite healing modality to guide is Conscious-Connected Breathwork for it’s ability to connect individuals with their bodies, unleash creativity, and help people get unstuck.
Natasha delights in international travel as she’s spent 5 years collectively working as a flight attendant and a first mate/chef on a sailboat. She is well versed in holding space for large groups on international journeys and loves to combine her passion for travel with her hearts work of facilitating transformative experiences.
ROOM OPTIONS
Single Room - $3,700
Sleeps one person
1 single available
$500 deposit included
Double Room - $3,400
Sleeps two people, separate twin beds
1 available
$500 deposit included
Triple Room - $2,900
Sleeps three people
1 triple rooms available
$500 deposit included
$200 off until Feb 28th
two weeks after deposit is sent in, the full payment or a payment plan can be set up.
5 days and 5 nights at Ebbio
Daily meals: morning beverage service, brunch and dinner
Breathwork, Meditation, Evening wind-down sessions
Excursion on Via de Francigena
Bed Linens and Towels
Yoga Props: blankets, bolsters, yoga mats
A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due to secure your spot, this is included in the price. Three weeks later the full payment is due or a payment plan is to be set up.
Payment Plans are welcomed! Please reach out to inquire about plans.
What’s included
What’s not included
Travel to and From Ebbio
Personal Excursions
Travel Insurance
Individual Lunch for Excursion day
Thank you for your interest in this dreamy retreat! Please send me any questions you have!
With love,
Natasha
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Terms and Conditions of Use
The Art of Becoming Retreat
Hosted by Natasha Stewart at Ebbio, Tuscany, ItalyPlease read these Terms and Conditions carefully before booking your retreat. By paying your deposit, you acknowledge and agree to these terms in full.
For any questions, please contact Natasha at hello@natasha-stewart.com.Pricing
Retreat pricing does not include airfare or transportation to and from Ebbio. Retreat pricing does not include travel insurance.
If you have specific dietary needs or restrictions, an additional €10 per person per day will apply.
All prices are fixed and non-negotiable.Deposit and Payment Terms
A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your booking.
The deposit will be deducted from your total retreat price.
You are required to pay in full two weeks after your deposit or set up a payment plan.
If the full balance is not received by April 13th, 2026, your reservation may be canceled and your spot reassigned.
Deposits are non-refundable under any circumstances.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
The $500 deposit is non-refundable.
Cancellations made before March 1st, 2026: 50% refund of the remaining balance, less the deposit.
Cancellations after March 1st, 2025: No refund.
Bookings may be transferred to a friend or someone on the waitlist (if available).
No exceptions will be made to the cancellation policy for any reason, including (but not limited to): weather, illness, COVID-19, government restrictions, travel delays, or personal emergencies.
No refunds or discounts will be given for late arrivals or early departures.
Teacher Cancellation
Natasha reserves the right to cancel the retreat prior to departure. In the event of cancellation:
You may choose to transfer to a future retreat or receive a refund, less your deposit.
If cancellation occurs due to a governmental travel ban, environmental crisis, or pandemic, your deposit will be transferred to the following year under the same pricing conditions.
Natasha is not responsible for any costs incurred as a result of retreat cancellation, including airfare, travel documents, or other expenses.
Please do not book travel until you have received confirmation that the retreat has met the minimum number of participants.
Ebbio Liability Terms
Participants are responsible for any damage to property during their stay.
Ebbio is a working rural farm with animals and natural terrain; participation is at your own risk.
Ebbio reserves the right to photograph or film your stay for promotional purposes without compensation.
Room Allocations
If you are traveling solo and book a shared room, you will be paired with another participant on a first-paid basis.
Travel Documents and Arrangements
You are responsible for obtaining all necessary travel documents, including passports and visas (with at least six months’ validity).
You are responsible for arranging your own flights and airport transfers.
Natasha can, upon request, connect you with other guests to explore shared travel options. Any shared transport is undertaken at your own risk.
Insurance
All participants are strongly advised to purchase comprehensive travel and medical insurance upon booking.
Insurance is not included in the retreat price.For travelers from the USA, please ensure your insurance covers medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and retreat participation.
Participation in activities (e.g., yoga, breathwork, excursions) is at your own risk. Natasha and her team are not liable for any injuries, illnesses, or damages that occur during the retreat.
Health and Medical Disclaimers
You must disclose any relevant medical conditions, injuries, or disabilities at the time of booking.
If your condition makes participation unsafe, Natasha reserves the right to decline your booking or terminate participation at any time.By accepting these terms, you confirm that you are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit to participate, or that you have disclosed any limitations in writing.
You acknowledge that Natasha and retreat staff are not licensed medical providers and that you are responsible for consulting a doctor regarding any health concerns before attending.
Allergies
Please note: a completely allergen-free environment cannot be guaranteed.
Responsibility and Behavior
Participants are responsible for any loss or damage they cause during the retreat.
Payment for damages must be made immediately or within a reasonable timeframe after the event.We reserve the right to terminate your participation without refund if your behavior is deemed inappropriate, unsafe, discriminatory, or disruptive to others.
Photography and Media
A professional photographer will be present during the retreat.
Images and video may be used for promotional purposes by Natasha Stewart.If you prefer not to be photographed, please inform us in advance, and your wishes will be respected.
As mentioned above, Ebbio may also capture photos or video of your stay for promotional use.
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There is wifi at the farmhouse, but we try to follow intentional phone practices during the week. We ask that no phones are present during workshops, at any meals or in common areas. We invite you to leave your phone in your room and only use it very intentionally. There will be a photographer capturing images that will be shared with everyone.