A Rustic Italian Experience • Le Marche, Italy
September 24–29, 2026
Beauty in Reverie
The Experience
Once each year, a small group gathers in Italy’s Le Marche region—where life is shaped by family, food, and long-held tradition. This is quiet immersion rather than spectacle: days guided by local rhythms, shared tables, and the kind of hospitality that can’t be replicated
COOKING & SHARED TABLE
Hands-on cooking with the host family, seasonal ingredients, and long meals that unfold slowly—lunches and dinners that anchor each day.
MARKETS & LOCAL TOWNS
Morning market strolls, coastal time in Fano, and nearby hill towns—guided with an insider lens for food, culture, and everyday beauty.
VILLA TIME & REST
Unhurried pockets of quiet built in: pool time, reading, wandering the grounds, and space to reset between excursions and meals
LANGUAGE & REGIONAL STORYTELLING
A gentle crash course in Italian for ordering and connecting, plus local history and context that deepens the experience beyond a typical itinerary.
DATES & LOCATION
Retreat Dates: September 24–29, 2026
Home Base: Villa Tombolina
Region: Le Marche is a region in central Italy on the Adriatic (east) coast—between Emilia-Romagna to the north and Abruzzo to the south, with Umbria and Tuscany just inland. Its capital is Ancona.
Family-Owned Estate
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Private room for one guest
En suite bathroom
All meals at the villa + in nearby towns
Cooking classes with the host family
All pre-arranged group transportation during retreat days
Curated excursions and experiences
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Private double room for multiple guests traveling together
En suite bathroom
All meals at the villa + in nearby towns
Cooking classes with the host family
All pre-arranged group transportation during retreat days
Curated excursions and experiences
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Private standalone cottage on the estate grounds
Ideal for couples or friends traveling together
En suite bathroom
All meals at the villa + in nearby towns
Cooking classes with the host family
All pre-arranged group transportation during retreat days
Curated excursions and experiences
Where You’ll Stay
Villa Tombolina is privately owned and lovingly maintained by the same family for generations—offering warmth, history, and an easy rhythm made for slow mornings, long meals, and golden-hour evenings. Your retreat investment includes lodging during retreat dates, all meals, cooking classes, pre-arranged group transportation, and curated excursions/experiences.
Room selection is confirmed after inquiry acceptance, based on preferences and availability.
ACCOMMODATIONS, RATES & INCLUSIONS
WHAT TO EXPECT
THE Rhythm of the Week
A thoughtfully paced five-day experience rooted in food, place, and presence—guided by Teressa and the Fraticelli family. Expect cooking classes and shared meals, time to rest (pool, property walks, reading, slow mornings), market visits in nearby towns, coastal and hill town exploring, a simple Italian language crash course, and local history with insider context that opens the region in a deeper way—plus optional olive oil/wine tastings and occasional creative moments (group-dependent).
The itinerary below is a sample; exact experiences may shift slightly based on season, weather, and the group.
Day 1 — Arrival + Welcome Dinner
Private transfer to the villa, settle in, and gather for a first dinner on the historic patio.
Day 2 — Cooking + Coastal Evening
Slow breakfast, cooking class + lunch, then an afternoon/evening in Fano (beach + old town) with dinner out at golden hour.
Day 3 — Nature or Rest + Language Lesson
Optional Furlo Gorge walk (or pool + downtime), long lunch, and a conversational Italian crash course. Dinner together.
Day 4 — Market Day + Table Moment
Fano market + lunch, return to the villa, optional tastings, and a special dinner setting (often outdoors, always memorable).
Day 5 — Cooking + Hill Town Farewell
Cooking class + lunch, rest time, then a final “city on a hill” evening and farewell meal.
Day 6 — Breakfast + Departures
Goodbyes and departure support.
THE HOSTS
The Fraticelli Family: Co-hosts + Venue
The Fraticelli family has cared for Villa Tombolina for over 100 years. The estate has evolved with generations—rooted in farm life, shaped by family traditions, and long cherished as a summer retreat. In recent years, it was thoughtfully restored to welcome guests from around the world while preserving its history and spirit.
Today, Paola and Adriana oversee the day-to-day, with the wider family always close by. Their hope is simple: that you feel genuinely cared for here—like part of the family, even if just for a little while.
Teressa is known for creating inviting, detail-rich experiences rooted in warmth, beauty, and ease. With a refined eye for atmosphere—florals, tablescapes, and food-forward moments—she shapes the retreat’s rhythm from first impressions to final farewells, ensuring each day feels thoughtful, effortless, and deeply lived-in.
Her work has been featured in Sunset Magazine, Camille Styles, Seattle Bride, Architectural Digest, and more. Most of all, she hosts with care—bringing people together around the table and guiding the week with a balance of intention and spaciousness.
Teressa Johnson: Co-hosT & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
HELPFUL DETAILS
Frequently Asked Questions
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No—this retreat is intentionally small and begins with an inquiry + short screening. Submit the inquiry form to receive next steps and confirm availability.
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Lodging during retreat dates, all meals, cooking classes, pre-arranged group transportation during retreat days, and curated excursions/experiences.
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Rooms vary across the villas. After your inquiry is accepted, room options are discussed and confirmed based on preferences and availability.
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Flying into Bologna is recommended, then a train to Fano. Group pickup from Fano to the villa is arranged during retreat travel windows.
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Often, yes. Share dietary needs in your inquiry so the team can confirm what’s possible with the host kitchen and planned meals.
Ready to say ciao to Le Marche?
Submit an inquiry to receive next steps, confirm availability, and begin the screening process.