Healing In The Willows

Querceto dates back to the 11th century and, unlike many other nearby hamlets, Querceto is not featured on the tourist map, making it a rare jewel of its kind and the perfect place to retreat in meditation. Preserved as a living hamlet by its owner, the Marquis of Ginori, Querceto is home to 35 permanent residents – an eclectic collection of farmers, writers, athletes, musicians, and yogis! In line with the teachings of Yoga, Healing in the Willows aims to offer retreats with a social and environmental conscience. As such, we source all of the materials and services required for the retreats as locally as possible, with the utmost respect for the environment and the local community. All products used during the retreats are organic and eco-friendly (including the pure-rubber yoga mats provided) and all our meals are vegan and free from palm oil. Why Vegan? Because we share the growing understanding that, in an uncontrollable global system of food production, Veganism best embodies the contemporary meaning of Ahimsa [‘non-violence’] – the very first observance of the path to Yoga. Moreover, by sourcing as many goods and services locally, we support local business, including neighboring family-owned organic farms (where we buy all the fresh produce used for the retreats’ meals), the local organic shops in the towns of Cecina and Volterra (for most of its dry food and bread), and local transport companies for picking-up our guests from the local train station. The very hamlet of Querceto is powered through renewable electricity, generated by the biomass reactor that feeds on the wine and olive-oil by-products produced by the hamlet itself. Committed also to making Yoga available to the widest possible demographic we have a wide price range and offer a number of bursaries to enable those in need of some financial support to also partake in the retreats.