Course itinerary
Slow down to the pace of Italian village life on this unique yoga and cookery holiday. Stay for 6 nights / 7 days in the peaceful medieval walled village of Casperia, just 1 hour north of Rome surrounded by fields of sunflowers, distant mountains and tiny farm houses.
Practice yoga each morning in a fun and friendly environment and unwind, relax, and physically, mentally and spiritually recharge during your stay in this magical place.
During the holiday, you’ll also have the chance to enjoy 2 cookery lessons which are taken at a local agro-tourismo just outside the city walls of Casperia where you’ll learn to cook authentic Italian dishes from the region using local ingredients, many of which are grown in the grounds.
Stay in the former home of Count and Countess Casperia in the Forani Palace. This beautiful and historic property is a restored Italian palazzo set it its own grounds and gardens.
Relax and recharge your mind and feed your body and soul on this yoga and cookery holiday in Italy with a difference.
Suitability
- Yoga holidays are suitable for all levels from complete beginners to advanced yogis
- Cooking lessons are suitable for all levels from complete beginners to enthusiastic chefs
- Minimum age 16 (if you are under 18 you must be accompanied by an adult)
Travelling Solo?
- These yoga and cooking holidays make great singles holidays and singles can book a private single room for a supplement
Yoga And Cookery Holiday Start Days
- All arrivals are on Thursdays from March to November
- If you are unable to make a Thursday arrival, we may still be able to accommodate you so please do contact us at with your preferred day of arrival and date of travel and we will do what we can to organise this for you
Yoga And Cooking Holiday Itinerary
- You will have 1.5 hours of yoga practice each morning
- Yoga starts around 8.30am or 9am each morning depending on the time of year
- After your yoga practice, you’ll be served a healthy and delicious breakfast of fresh fruits, cheeses, hams, cereals, breads, yoghurt, fresh coffee, tea and juices and more
- Over breakfast you’ll be given information on what treatments, therapies and activities are planned for the day and have the chance to book these
- All activities and treatments are paid for locally at the end of your stay
- Twice during the week you’ll head off to the local agro-tourismo Gusto al Borgo situated in a lovely countryside setting just outside the walls of Casperia where you’ll learn to cook a delicious Italian meal taught by local English speaking chef Paola who will take you on a culinary journey to discover locally grown produce and how to cook the Italian way
Want To Practice More Yoga?
- For those who would like the opportunity to practice more yoga, extra private classes of Hatha yoga or meditation are optionally available throughout the week and will be charged as an optional extra
- Extra classes can be booked and paid for locally on a day by day basis
About The Yoga Retreat In Casperia
- The yoga retreat has a purpose built indoor yoga studio with fresh spring water and a bathroom made from an underground cave
- Weather permitting, you can also practice on the outdoor platform surrounded by an oasis of green inside the village walls
- All staff are highly qualified with a wealth of experience, teaching beginners to advanced yogis
About Your Hatha Yoga Teachers
- All of the yoga teachers are required to have undertaken a minimum of 2 years teacher training, there are no teachers that have "fast track" yoga certification so you can rest assured you’ll be taught by professionals with plenty of experience and a passion for yoga
- The yoga classes cover the physical teachings of yoga with emphasis on the spiritual and holistic aspects of the yoga tradition in general
– All teachers base their classes on Hatha yoga, a gentle form of yoga that focuses on form and alignment to bring balance to the body and mind
- Some teachers also bring elements of Iyengar yoga, Chakra yoga, Hatha flow and Dhamma Yoga
What Will I Learn?
Yoga
- Yoga practice will be adapted for all levels from complete beginners to advance yogis
- Your yoga classes will be based on Hatha yoga and will cover Asanas (Physical Movements), Pranayama (Breathing practices), Meditation (Stilling and calming of the mind & inner self) and Relaxation (Complete mind, body relaxation)
Cooking
- Cooking courses concentrate on the cuisine of the region: its risottos, pastas, meats, fish and traditional desserts
- You’ll learn the secrets of Italian cooking with Chef Paola and will use many ingredients grown in the gardens of the agro-tourismo
- Chef Paola’s love of cooking started when she was a child playing in her grandmother’s restaurant
- From her mother, a refined and exacting cook, she learned the secrets and techniques of Italian cooking
Sample Dishes – Cooking Course
Dishes vary according to the season and what food is available but may include:
- Aubergine and squash patty-cake with ricotta cheese
- Dried-beef roulade with tuna/ham mousse on a bed of salad
- Lemon scallops
- Pasta 'amatriciana' style
- Ricotta cheese-cake with chocolate sauce
- Risotto with shrimps and squash
- A glass of 'zuppa inglese' with strawberries
- Pasta with a glass of ragù sauce
- You’ll also be cooking with Sabina olive oil that comes from the olive trees in the grounds of the cooking school
- Local wines are carefully chosen to accompany the food you’ve learned to cook
- Dietary requests can be catered for including vegetarians if advised at the time of booking
What To Bring
- Please bring comfortable clothing which you can move easily in for your yoga practice
- It can be hot in the summer months so please bring clothing that will be suitable for practicing in hot weather, if you are travelling in the height of summer
- Yoga mats are provided
Treatments And Holistic Therapies
- Each morning after breakfast you can book a treatment or holistic therapy from the wide range on offer
- Choose from massages, facials, hopi candles, reiki, hot stone therapy, reflexology and more
- All treatments are paid for locally and prices start from 20 Euros
About The Accommodation – Forani Palace
- Stay in a lovingly renovated Italian palazzo set in its own grounds and gardens in Casperia
- The house is in the village of Casperia just a few minutes’ walk from the yoga retreat
- Forani Palace has two levels with rooms either in the main house or the turret and there are a total of 6 twin rooms, 4 each with en-suite bathroom and lovely views over the village and 2 with shared bathrooms (prices based on en-suite, discounts for shared bathrooms)
- There is also a communal lounge and the house is decorated in the class 'Italianete' style with the antiques and decor of a noble family home
- Prices are based on 2 sharing a room
- It is possible to book a twin room for sole occupancy for a single supplement which can be added at the time of booking
- Accommodation is included for 6 nights / 7 days
- Check in anytime after 2pm on day 1 and check out by 10am on day 7
Meals
Breakfast
- Breakfast is included each morning and is taken at the lounge-café which is run by local Italians at the yoga retreat
- Special diets will be considered with advance notice, but please bear in mind that in a small Italian village, specialist ingredients (dairy/wheat/vegetarian cheese replacements for example) are not readily available
Lunch & Dinner
- You’ll eat the lunch or dinner you’ve learned to cook during your two cooking classes during the week
- Other lunches and dinners are not included in the price and guests usually prepare their own meals at the accommodation or take lunch or dinner in one of Casperia's cafes or restaurants
- Snacks, drinks, aperitivi and music are available at Il Dopolavoro lounge-café at the yoga retreat throughout the day
- It is also possible to organise transport to authentic local Italian restaurants and folklore festivals in neighbouring hill-top villages or the countryside, where delicious traditional specialities of vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes can be enjoyed
- A small fee per person is charged for transport to and from these venues and can be arranged on the day after breakfast each morning
Free Time In Casperia
- During your free time enjoy the hospitality of the picturesque town of Casperia, wander through its myriad of cobbled streets to discover local shops, cafes and stop for a cappuccino and drink in the view
- Your hosts will give you lots of information on what activities are on offer in the local area which include cycling, walking, visits to the thermal baths, hot springs and more
- If you are a keen photographer or painter, the area is guaranteed to inspire your creativity
- You can also visit the wild hot sulphur springs situated in their natural environment in open fields; here you can bathe in the sulphur-rich organic mud used in rehabilitative treatments, beauty masks and wraps
- The thermal baths and the hot springs are quiet, perfect places to relax, unwind and feel the tension, toxins, aches and pains being released from your body, please remember to pack flip-flops and a towel, or towelling dressing gown, for this excursion
Swimming
- Guests can enjoy swimming all year round in the thermal baths at Viterbo and also in the hot springs
- An open-air pool is also available in a private tennis club in Casperia from June to September
- This pool is set in a beautiful location and can be reached on foot from the village, by bicycle or by our free shuttle bus, please note there is a small entry cost
- Other open-air pools can be easily reached by car from Casperia
Pursue your passion for Italian food and yoga as you practice yoga surrounded by fields of sunflowers, breathe the crisp mountain air and slow down to the pace of local Italian village life on this yoga and cooking holiday with a difference.