The Trip

Experience Italy in a whole new way!

Alessandra Gardino, founder and owner of M&G Expeditions, is proud to announce a new kind of travel experience that you should seriously consider: the M&G Whole Body & Spirit Travel Experience.

According to Alessandra, there is a great need for a more enlightened and relaxed travel experience: “many of us want to unplug and spend some time having fun and taking care of ourselves,” she said recently. “But whenever we go on vacation we either move around too much or we just lie on a beach and do nothing.”

The Whole Body & Spirit Travel Experience is a one or two week package in Umbria and Apulia which involves the healthiest, organic food on the planet, beautiful and inspiring countryside strolls and daily exercise with a professional pilates and yoga instructor.

Itinerary

Begin each day with a healthy breakfast and guided exercises that have been designed especially for you and cater directly to your desires, needs and limitations.

Day 0 - June 29 - Friday: depart the USA for Italy

Day 1 - June 30 - Saturday
Arrive in Rome and enjoy a comfortable transfer to the countryside of Gubbio in Central Italy’s Umbria region. Tonight you will meet with your fellow travelers for a welcome talk and dinner. Sleep in Gubbio

Day 2 - July 1 - Sunday
Gubbio activities. This morning you will get acquainted with the city of Gubbio with a walking tour and visit to the local market. You will then visit and have lunch at the Palazzo Ranghiasci, the 150-room family palace of Alessandra. You will visit Alessandra’s palazzo several times during your stay for pilates classes, cooking classes and a couple of spectacular meals. Sleep in Gubbio

Day 3 - July 2 - Monday
Meet with our nutritionist today to discuss your food habits and nutrition. It will then be the time for your first cooking class - to learn how to prepare delicious but very healthy dishes central Italian style. You will be able to easily recreate these dishes back home! You will then enjoy the Umbrian countryside with a scenic stroll that will include chats on both architecture and history. Sleep in Gubbio

Day 4 - July 3 - Tuesday
This morning we will order you to simply relax! Yes, we understand you have traveled a long distance to get here but we believe one must slow down in order to feel the special essence of Italy… to smell the flowers and feel the tierra. If you’re interested, you can take an optional trip to visit Under the Tuscan Sun Cortona in the late morning and nearby Lake Trasimeno where will sample Italy’s best olive oil. We will have time for more relaxation in the late afternoon including a dip in our resort’s swimming pool or hydro jacuzzi. Tonight we will sample some of the best food in Central Italy at a local all organic restaurant. Sleep in Gubbio

Day 5 - July 4 - Wednesday
We will enjoy a scenic walk just outside of Assisi today, followed by a short visit of the city. We will then sample excellent local wine before heading back to our resort for a late afternoon open air pilates or yoga class followed by delicious aperitivo and dinner. Sleep in Gubbio

Day 6 - July 5 - Thursday  
Today you will enjoy one of our favorite walks in Central Italy - the Monte Cucco "ring route”, which will grant us incredible views of the surrounding Apennine mountains. During our walk we can search for fossils in the sloping sedimentary rock, wild flowers and the Adriatic Sea in the distance. The park has mineral springs, healthy beech forests, and deep caves accessible only to small groups of travelers. It is also home to wolves and golden eagles. In the afternoon we will be able to relax at the pool before heading to Alessandra’s palace for a great dinner. Sleep in Gubbio

Day 7 - July 6 - Friday
Today we will explore a mystical abbey and one of the most important monasteries in Italy. Surrounded by chestnut trees and wildlife diversity, the Fonte Avellana was an important learning center at the time of St. Francis. It is regarded today as the place where "history was remembered" by monks who worked long hours transcribing ancient documents. In the afternoon we will have some time to shop or spend time wandering through Gubbio before we head to our farewell dinner. Tomorrow morning we will have a very early departure for Rome airport. Sleep in Gubbio

Day 8 - July 7 - Saturday
Departure for the USA or the beginning of your trip extension. You can choose between adding a “cultural tail” to your trip with a four-night stay in Central Italy: two nights in Orvieto and two nights in Rome, or join us for one more week in the South of Italy on a second M&G Whole Body & Spirit Travel Experience.

What’s included in the trip

All your Pilates and/or yoga classes, all hotel accommodation in a charming and well located small hotel, all land transportation in private bus, all breakfasts and one main meal per day, all wine tastings, cooking classes, olive oil tasting, meals at Palace Ranghiasci, entrances to museums and attractions as per the itinerary, professional tour leading, post-departure travel insurance

What’s not included in the trip

International airfare to and from Italy, personal expenses, cancellation Insurance

8 days, 7 nights
$2,295 per person in double room
$385 single room supplement

Itinerary details:
7 nights in Gubbio