Geometry of Life Retreat:
Discovering Sacred Geometry in Renaissance Art and Architecture
in Tuscany, Italy
With Tiffani Gyatso & Christiana Polites
May 25th - June 2nd 2024
This retreat is taught in English. Limited to 16 participants.
An IMMERSIVE contemplative art retreat exploring sacred geometry through the observation of nature and guided drawing techniques with daily meditation and healing yoga, cultural excursions, and farm-to-table local food
PRICE from 2,900 Euros
PRICE INCLUDES:
8 nights deluxe accommodations at Pure Land Farms Tuscany or our neighbor’s Agriturismo farm hotel
(See accommodation options below)A full week of art teachings between Pure Land Farms, Florence and Siena.
Art & Drawing classes, daily meditation, healing yoga immersed in peaceful Tuscan nature with Tiffani Gyatso and Christiana Polites, gourmet farm-to-table local meals prepared daily onsite by professional chefs.
Three day trips to Florence and Siena to explore local sites with our world-renown art historian expert. Exclusive art history and architectural class about the Duomo by Brunelleschi by one of the leading world experts on the subject, visit to Basilica di San Lorenzo, The Laurentian Medici Library, the Cathedral of Siena, tour about the history and meaning of the Contrade.
Visits to Florentine local artisans art workshop and laboratories.
Private van transportation and meals provided in local restaurants.
Transfer to and from Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence on arrival and departure day
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
International travel to Florence, Italy
Additional personal car transfers
REGISTRATION
Please write to info@purelandfarms.com. A 1000 Euro deposit is required to reserve your spot.
Our ancestors had the most precious gift: time. Time to watch the sky, the orbit of stars and planets, the phases of the moon, the tides of the ocean, the fascinating movements of migrating animals, time to appreciate the constant presence of beautiful nature. While observing nature so closely, we were once able to understand and develop our artistic expression through a spontaneous appreciation and understanding of beauty, proportion and intimacy. Being so present in each and every moment is one of the best things we could ever achieve in our lifetime, being able to always appreciate, savor and enjoy every second that goes by in the impermanence of our existence.
Geometry of Life is about bringing us back to the basic matrix that sustains all our life. A matrix based on real time, our connection to nature, the innate ability that we all have: our natural gift of being present. The ability to fully appreciate a sunset, contemplate the beauty of the palette of colors on a butterfly’s wings, have a fully embodied experience when eating real Italian food coming straight from local farmers and reconnect with the spirit that moved all Italian artists to create beautiful, unique art.
In this retreat we will be learning from a place of intimate inner silence through sessions of guided meditation and healing restorative yoga with Christiana Polites. Creating such inner space, the artist Tiffani Gyatso will teach us how to draw beautiful geometrical patterns originating from nature and appearing in creations such on the walls of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and inspiring the Renaissance genius, Leonardo Da Vinci.
To enhance our studies, we will dedicate specific days to expeditions into the heart of Florence with our Art History and Brunelleschi world-renowned expert, George Bisacca that will give the participants a private exclusive class about the real meaning of the mysterious and partially yet-unexplained technique of the Duomo Brunelleschi, as well as a special tour of the Basilica di San Lorenzo and the stunning Laurentian Medici Library. We will be able to visit local artisan art workshops and the magnificent masterpieces from the Renaissance Italian period through the lens of Sacred Geometry as a journey into the artists’ minds and visit Leonardo da Vinci's Museum, witnessing and studying the master’s creations with the sense of the “golden ratio” formula.
In Siena we will be inspired at the beauty of the Cathedral built between 1370 and 1550, where we’ll be greeted by the mythological figure of Hermes Trismegistus symbolizing the approach to the divine sphere by traveling the road of wisdom.
When not visiting Florence and Siena, the program will be based at Pure Land Farms Tuscany, a healing sanctuary immersed in nature where a private chef will be preparing delicious farm-to-table meals daily for the participants. Art classes will be punctuated by walks and meditation in the surrounding hillsides, contemplating the unique forms of geometry present in the nature and building community and connection.
This program is open to all, no previous art experience is required!
Program Schedule
(Subject to minor modifications)
SATURDAY MAy 25th:
Arrival and welcome dinner at Pure Land Farms (Check in 3 - 6pm)
SUNDAY MAY 26th
Teachings, guided meditations, and art practice immersed in nature at Pure Land Farms;
Gourmet meals prepared by private chef
MONDAY MAY 27th:
Day trip to Florence, the capital of Tuscany and birthplace of Renaissance and UNESCO world heritage site: Visit the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), Basilica di San Lorenzo, Laurentian Medici Library, and explore local artisan workshops, guided by art history and Brunelleschi expert.
TUESDAY MAY 28th:
Teachings, guided meditations, and art practice immersed in nature at Pure Land Farms;
Gourmet meals prepared by private chef
Wednesday May 29th:
Day trip to the medieval city of Siena: explore the UNESCO world heritage historical center with its architectural masterpieces and enjoy dinner on the way back to Pure Land Farms in Tuscan village.
THURSDAY MAY 30th:
Teachings, guided meditations, and art practice immersed in nature at Pure Land Farms;
Gourmet meals prepared by private chef
FRIDAY MAY 31st:
Day trip trip to Florence - Visit the Leonardo da Vinci Interactive museum;
Walking tour of the open air art throughout the city; Free time to explore
SATURDAY June 1st:
Final full day of teachings and practice at Pure Land Farms
Concluding dinner and special tasting of Tuscan wines prepared by local wine expert sommelier
Sunday June 2nd:
Meditation and final breakfast. Check out before 12pm
YOUR TEACHERS
Tiffani Gyatso is an artist from Brazil who focused her studies on the sacred expressions of art from different cultures. She specialized in traditional Tibetan Thangka painting, which she learned in India at the Norbulingka Institute from the years 2003-2006 and later furthered her studies at the Prince School of Traditional Arts in London where she studied sacred Geometry of the Middle East. Today she runs her own art retreat center at the Atelier YabYum at the mountains of Brazil and guides art groups to India and Nepal.
Christiana Polites received her Bachelor of Arts in the Comparative Study of Religion at Harvard University and has been immersed in Eastern spiritual traditions for over twenty years. She has studied both Tibetan and Chinese Daoist healing arts and received a Masters in Acupuncture from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She has traveled extensively around the world, seeking out authentic living lineages in both the healing and spiritual sciences.
Christiana is the co-founder and director of Pure Land Farms and the Sowa Rigpa Institute. She teaches foundational courses on Tibetan Medicine, yoga and rejuvenation and guides retreats and practices in the Yuthok Nyingthig meditation tradition at Pure Land Farms, online and internationally.
Christiana is also the co-founder of Yangchenma Arts & Music, a community organization celebrating the richness and diversity of human cultures through their artistic and musical wisdom traditions, kept alive through the connection and shared experience of humans throughout the world.
George Bisacca is a conservator of paintings who trained in Palazzo Pitti and worked for 35 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York but now live in Florence.
ABOUT Pure Land Farms TUSCANY
Pure Land Farms Tuscany was born on what once was “Il Mulino di Ferraia” (still known to locals by this name): an old 16th Century stone water mill, newly renovated with loving care to combine a preservation of its original appearance and fascinating mystique with all modern amenities. This magical place, situated next to a river in a sheltered position is immersed in the most diverse vegetation and neighboring to vineyards which used to attract many poets, writers and artists since the 1700s when the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth became internationally famous with his verses for the nearby Vallombrosa Abbey and its fantastic forest.
The natural gardens along the riverside offers many tranquil spaces and nooks in which you can meditate, relax, write or draw, while the swimming pool is surrounded by a bamboo forest with steps leading down to the river and waterfall. The room of millstones, kept in its original condition, is the place where homemade bread and pasta were made daily and offered to locals coming to the mill (Il Mulino) throughout the centuries, its atmosphere taking you back to ancient times. The large room where the grains were historically stored has been transformed into a spacious meditation hall where indoor classes and group yoga and meditation will take place.
Pure Land Farms is surrounded by history: nearby you will find one of the oldest roads, called Setteponti, from ancient Roman times. It starts in Reggello (known as the ‘City of Olive Oil’ and will lead you to must-see places such as the church of San Pietro a Cascia, the San Giovenale Tryptic by world-renowned artist Masaccio from 1422, a museum dedicated to Masaccio in the town of Cascia and the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria in Piandisco’, built in the year 1008. Last but not least, the incredible Vallombrosa Abbey built in 1036, still the current home of the Benedictine Monks who run it along with one of the oldest natural pharmacies in the world, surrounded by a magical forest.
ACCOMMODATIONS ONSITE AT PURE LAND FARMS TUSCANY:
Deluxe Accommodations:
Double Occupancy: 2,900 Euros/ person all inclusive with retreat (8 night stay)
Single Occupancy: 600 Euro supplement (3500 Euros all inclusive with retreat_
All rooms have private bathrooms.
Accommodations at Pure Land Farms Tuscany are limited to 8 participants on a first-come first-serve basis. More accommodations are available at our neighbor’s farm/agriturismo (3-minute walk from Pure Land Farms) at the same rates above.
ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS AT OUR NEIGHBOR’S AGRITURISMO TUSCAN FARM HOTEL
Additional accommodations in a superb setting a 3-minute walk down a country road from Pure Land Farms.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
The closest airport to Pure Land Farms is Florence Airport, Peretola (Amerigo Vespucci Airport FLR). Alternatively, arriving by train into Florence center (Santa Maria Novella Station) is a good option for those who prefer to arrive in another larger Italian city (Rome, Milano, Bologna, etc).
If you are traveling internationally, we recommend arriving in Italy a few days before our program starts to adjust to the time change and have an opportunity to do personal sightseeing in Rome, Florence, or nearby villages.