Optional Adventure Details

La Dolce Vita means “the sweet life” and we hope to introduce you to this during your retreat. We offer a carefully selected choice of optional activities and excursions, designed to give you a taste of Tuscany and the local culture, without it feeling like an organised tour. Using our local knowledge, we collaborate with the best local operators to offer private full day and half day outings to fabulous destinations. To book an excursion, we usually need about 1 -2 days’ notice to organize transport etc.
You can use the sign-up sheets near the notice board to express your interest and please let us know in advance if you are not going to be at the villa for lunch or dinner so that we can adjust our catering accordingly.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you change your mind and cancel an excursion or holistic treatment with less than 24 hours’ notice, you will charged 50% of the treatment or excursion unless you can find someone to take you place.
Please note that Credit Card facilities are not available at Il Borghino, optional activities are cash only.

Included with registration! A 3-4 hour excursion which includes a scenic walk to a beautiful local winery, followed by an interesting tour and a tasting . The distance is around 3km / 1.9 miles (one way) and we follow the “Strada del Vino“ (the wine road), enjoying beautiful scenery overlooking vineyards and olive groves.
If you prefer a taxi instead of walking, the price is around €25 each way which can be shared between 4 – 8 people (depending on the taxi size!). Arrange the taxi with the concierge upon arriving to the retreat.

A 2-3 hour cooking class at the villa with our wonderful local cook Maria-Angela. €30 per person.

We have a wonderful local therapist who will be available throughout the retreat for various massages and treatments. There will be a schedule on the notice board where you can sign up for your treatment. Please note that the therapists must be paid at the time of the treatment so bring some extra cash if you plan on indulging yourself! Prices start from €60 per 55 minutes

​For the opera lovers, you can catch a Puccini Opera every night in Lucca. The concert starts at 7:00pm sharp and goes for around 1 hr. The price for the Opera is €25 (cash only) plus the cost of a taxi fare from the villa and back again (around €25 each way shared between the number of guests who wish to go).

 Take part in an informal guided tour of Lucca for 3-4 hrs. The tour starts immediately after breakfast returning to the villa in time for a late lunch at 2:00pm.
The tour includes transportation to and from Lucca, a gentle bike ride around the walls of Lucca followed by a tour on foot to explore the main attractions and finally, a refreshment stop.
The cost is €40 per person for up to 6 people. Minimum of 6 people is required.
​Please note that every day in Lucca, the shops close between 13:00 and 15:30. On Mondays, the shops are also closed in the mornings. If you wish to stay in town for lunch after the tour, you can easily find a taxi to bring you back to the villa.

​These will be conducted at the villa with an experienced Italian teacher. Prices are €30 euro per hour for individual lessons. We recommend a minimum of 2 hours.

Daily Private Trip/Workshop to Firenze, Cinque Terre, Pisa or Lucca. Conducted in English.
See the city of love while falling more in love with photography!  With over 30 years as a professional photographer, Nathan will show you how to maximize your camera and lenses. Nathan will spend over 4 hours with you, and we will be on foot, so wear comfortable shoes. Classes are held rain or shine, and do require a nonrefundable retainer of $100. Price start at $249 for up to 2 people, and $98 each additional person. For more details go to:
https://nathansmithphotography.com/italian-photo-trips?fbclid=IwAR2aaC_rJ5v51fgx5wFZXjCGpuKxUbWmOvl-wXb5olsYTUrjqHSpYL7uMLM

If you fancy a night out in a colourful artist’s village, we recommend Pietrasanta, a thriving art centre full of galleries, shops and restaurants spilling onto the pavements. Best known for its marble and bronze artistic works, Pietrasanta often hosts international art exhibitions in the local Piazza’s where you can sit over aperitivo and watch the buzz unfold. The best time to visit is in the early evening and staying for dinner. Our drivers will drop you off around 5:30pm in the evening and bring you home by around 11:30pm. During summer, the shops stay open until late. A minibus for up to 20 people costs €300 or an 8 seater taxi can be booked for approx €180 (round trip) plus your dinner out.

​Spend the day in breath-taking Cinque Terre exploring the five coastal villages embedded in rocky cliffs along one of Italy’s most scenic stretches of Liguria. For those who are keen hikers, it is possible to spend a day walking and climbing between these beautiful villages and enjoy some spectacular scenery along the way. Beware of the crowds though as some of the walking trails do become congested. For those who don’t want to hike, you can enjoy exploring the villages by train or ferry or sampling some of the local delights! Our drivers will drop you off at one of the five villages in the morning and pick you up again in the evening. To make the most of your time in this beautiful area, we recommend skipping the morning yoga class, having a quick early breakfast at 6:30am and departing at 7:00am. There is also the opportunity to hire a boat for 3 – 4 hours and visit one or two of the villages of the Cinque Terre with time for swimming and snorkeling. Cost is €150 per hour for up to 12 people. Bookings are essential and dependent on the weather. The cost of the boat tour would be shared between the number of people who wish to go.

​This is a 4 hour excursion best suited to the cooler months. Spa entry costs €40 per person and includes entry in to the thermal pools (indoors and outdoors), Turkish steam room, sauna and hire of bathrobe, slippers and bathing cap. Allow approximately €25 per person for transport with journey time of approximately 30 minutes away. For more information about the thermal spa, visit www.bagnidipisa.com

​ Described as one of the top 5 best natural swimming locations in Italy by The Guardian, this hike will take you in between the Apuan Alps and the coast to Candalla. Here we will walk amongst ruins and fig-scented woodlands and discover the Lombricese stream which runs over waterfalls and natural pools. Although the trails are not too difficult, this hike requires good levels of fitness as there are a couple of steep points along the way as well as off-road paths with uneven surfaces. The elevation gain is +350 meters and the total distance is 7km. Leaving straight after breakfast at 10:00am, we will drive about 1 hr to Candalla where we commence our hike. We walk for about 1 – 1.5 hrs, stopping to swim in some of the natural pools before arriving in the village of Casoli. From here, we continue to walk for another 1.5 to 2 hrs, stopping to swim again in some beautiful swimming holes before arriving in the village of Metato for lunch. After lunch, we continue walking downhill back to Candalla, our starting point, or depending on the group, we can also be picked up from Metato. We will aim to leave by 4:00pm and return to Il Borghino in time for the afternoon yoga class to stretch and relax after a great day of hiking. The cost of the hike is €250 for private transport (up to 20 people) plus €190 for your hiking guide for the day plus your lunch out. If there are less than 8 people, the transport cost is €180 plus €190 for your hiking guide for the day plus your lunch out.