Immersed in the beauty of flowers and the incomparable Italian Countryside .. that’s exactly how it goes at the “FIORI DELLA TOSCANA with Alicia Schwede”
May of 2023 I had the pleasure of teaching floral design to a group of 12 delightful ladies who traveled to Italy from across America. The retreat began with a gathering on a Sunday afternoon and a walking tour of the historic center of the village Città della Pieve. Followed with an aperitivo and a delectable dinner at our boutique hotel.
On Monday morning we were whisked off to Puscina Flower Farm in the undulating hills of Tuscany. Our day at Puscina Flower Farm deserves its own blog post, so check back for a closeup look at this heavenly place.
Tuesday was a leisurely start, many of the ladies headed out for a walk around the village, a delightful breakfast at the hotel and then off to our classroom where we partook in floral arranging, of course! We changed it up for the afternoon and were off to visit a darling restaurant in town where the owner gave us all a lesson on pasta making! A tour of a wine cellar and then back to the restaurant to eat the pasta we made – it was SO fun!
Wednesday we gathered together to create a large floral installation — the perfect backdrop for when our sweet Professional photographer Sara Cencetti would arrive to take photographs of everyone! I adore that Sara takes photos of each attendee so they have their own keepsake of their time at the retreat.
Truly this time in Italy is so amazing. It’s 3 1/2 days of flowers, food, and visits to darling places. Our dear friends of Strada Toscana think out everything for this retreat – they plan the transportation, the amazing and varied meals, the sweetest boutique hotel in an amazing Italian village. I can’t say enough good things about the team and how they bring this retreat to life!
What I truly appreciate about this retreat is the variation in all that attendees get to do — yes, floral design is a big part of this event! We create centerpieces, a bouquet, flowers to wear and an installation piece. Also, we get to indulge in wonderful parts of Italian culture with trying local foods, a pasta making lesson, wine tasting from a local family owned winery, perusing the darling shops of the village where we stay, oh and having some gelato!
If I were to describe this retreat in 3 words I would say – Inspiring, Relaxing, and Unique.
Thank you to all these beautiful ladies who attended the 2023 Floral Designer Retreat in Italy, I was so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people!
