Aroma~Herb Journey to Tuscany
Our guests describe this as the 'trip of a lifetime!" Come join us a see for yourself the exquisite beauty, fragrances, and botanical wonders of Tuscany. Your comfort throughout this trip is our primary concern.
Tuscany June 17~28 • 2027
$4045 in 3 payments
Come with me, Kathi Keville, herbalist, aromatherapist and organic gardener to meet with Italian experts in clinical herbalism, aromatherapy, perfumery, botany, mycology, gardening, history and plant lore.
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View from our villa
Enjoy nature in the beautiful outdoors under the famous Tuscan sky as we discover plant medicines. As we travel on daily excursions through the countryside on our private bus, enjoy a tapestry of rolling, wooded hills and sharp cliffs dotted with vineyards.
Casalvento Estate
On the highest hill of Castellina in Chianti sits an herb farm filled with the color and scent of fields of Helichrysum, Roses, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Thyme, Juniper, plus nine types of Lavender. This distillery produces high quality essential oils, hydrosol floral waters, and perfumes. The owner personally guides us through fields and distillery and presents an entertaining lecture with demonstration using his state-of-the art equipment to show how essential oils affect brain waves and how distilled hydrosols act on the complexion.
Assisi Lavender Festival
Participate in an annual, country fair in the lavender fields described as “discovering the many scents of aromatic plants often unknown.” In June, lavender fields at their height of bloom and fragrance. Soak in this highly scented landscape as you stroll down endless rows of lavender with pink, blue, and lilac flowers. Beyond these long, colorful rows, sits the walled town of Assisi and surrounding hills. Be sure to sample the lavender gelato!!
Perugia Medieval Garden
Filled with medicinal and aromatic plants, our garden guide is the main gardener. This herbalist paradise mingles art, astrology, and history, with plants that narrate myths, legends, and sacred stories. It includes seven flower beds based on principles laid down by Italy’s 9th century Salerno School of Medicine, which set the foundation for European herbalism. One section displays plants representing twelve astrological signs. There’s even a recreated Medieval apothecary.
Florence
Perfumery & de Medici Garden
The gardens are an education and research facility, as well as a repository of rare and endangered plants and trees. We will explore a tropical medicinal herb world in their large greenhouse. This third oldest botanical garden in the Western world highlights concepts of the Simplers, herbalists who use single plants for healing. One garden honors medieval herbalist Hildegard de Bingen. Another is a raised garden for the blind.