A scenic landscape of rolling Tuscan hills with a sundown sky, cypress trees, and a historic structure in the distance. Overlaid text offers details about the Alchemy of Elements Tuscany retreat focusing on art, embodiment, and ancient wisdom.

JUNE 27 - JULY 4, 2026

This retreat is SOLD OUT join our WAITLIST or NEXT Retreat 2027

What is AOE?

(Alchemy of Elements)

Alchemy of Elements is a soul-centered method where the timeless wisdom of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Metal becomes a pathway for returning home to yourself. Each element serves as a guide and mirror, offering balance, insight, and renewal.

Through an alchemy of intuitive painting, embodied movement, and ancient wisdom, you’ll be invited to reawaken your creative spirit, release what no longer serves you, and align more fully with your authentic essence.

All inclusive retreat package:

  • Lodging in a 16th-century Tuscan villa

  • Nourishing farm-to-table meals *All diets honored

  • Daily guided painting & movement sessions

  • Elemental rituals & group integrations

  • Curated excursions & cultural immersion

  • Time for rest, reflection, and connection

Two women are holding hands during an outdoor ceremony, surrounded by other people, with candles and a bowl on a white cloth.

Be
divine

This is a retreat for women ready to soften, awaken, and alchemize—held in a private villa in Tuscany, nourished by locally grown meals, immersed in the beauty of the Tuscan landscape, and supported by a loving sisterhood.

Person painting a landscape on a canvas outdoors, using a brush and wearing a white long-sleeved shirt.

Be inspired

Each day we’ll move through an elemental energy with a blend of intuitive painting, expressive movement and embodiment practices designed to awaken your creative essence and ignite your vital energy.

Women dressed in white dresses dancing barefoot outdoors on a grassy field, surrounded by flower petals and a scenic countryside landscape with cloudy skies.

Be moved

Through guided, intentional practices, deep connection to our inner creative, and through immersive experiences with the natural splendor of Tuscany, we reconnect with our own harmony and rhythm, reclaim our spirit, and remember the magic we carry within. This experience offers time and spaciousness for relaxation, rejuvenation and reconnection to our essential selves.

Be in your essence

Spend a full week in a private, 16th-century Tuscan villa—luxurious yet welcoming—perched high in the hills, with a saltwater pool and expansive gardens with stunning views. You won’t want to leave the villa but we also have some exciting excursions planned to some of the most breathtaking and inspiring locations. Experience the magic of Tuscany through the lens of your most authentic self.

Entrance to an art gallery featuring a banner for a contemporary art exhibition in Cortona, Italy, with a wooden wild boar sculpture near the doorway and artwork inside depicting a forested landscape.
A cozy bedroom with a wooden bed frame, white bedding, and towels. There are rustic wooden wall art pieces above the bed, a small white side table with a magazine, and a green plant near the fireplace. The room has high, white, vaulted ceilings with
Outdoor covered patio with a wooden dining table and four chairs, stone wall, tiled floor, and a view of trees and greenery outside.
A cozy bedroom with beige walls, wooden ceiling beams, a window letting in natural light, a wooden chair with a dark cloth, a radiator, and a bed with white pillows and folded towels, decorated in a rustic style.
Bathroom with a shower stall, a white vessel sink with a faucet, and a mirror on the wall. There is a door leading to a room with a chair and a window visible.
Kitchen area with wooden cabinets and a sink, connected to a dining room through a stone archway, with a window and dining table visible in the background.
Two rustic stone houses with a garden and a view of green hills under a partly cloudy sky.
A stone house with three windows and a door, outdoor patio with wicker furniture and a grassy lawn, mountain view in the background.
Resort backyard with a pool, lounge chairs with umbrellas, set on a grassy area, stone steps leading up to a large stone building surrounded by greenery and tall trees.
A rustic hotel room with two beds, brick walls, a window with curtains, a desk with a fan, and warm lighting.
A woman in a white dress carrying a straw bag, standing in a rustic doorway, looking outside at trees and houses in Tuscany.
Cortona’s historical stone building with a clock tower and bell, sunset sky in the background, people gathered on steps decorated with lights at the entrance.
Nighttime scene in Cortona, Italy with historic buildings lit by streetlights illuminated by the moon in the sky.
Sunset view of a narrow Italian street in Cortona with flags hanging from buildings, a green neon sign for Ristorante, and an archway framing the scene.
An ancient stone monastery on a hillside surrounded by tall pines and lush greenery, with a dramatic sunset sky overhead.

Be nourished

All fresh and locally sourced farm to table meals, including beautifully crafted brunches and lively dinners at the villa prepared by our private chefs plus several evenings out to dinner in the enchanting centers of Cortona and the surrounding hill towns. *All diets honored.

Assorted Mediterranean-style food spread includes bread, cheese, grapes, pickles, salad, roasted vegetables, lemon, herbs, and dips on a white table.
Person passing a plate of grilled meat with pomegranate seeds to others at an outdoor gathering with flowers and wine on the table.
A woman in white sitting on a stone windowsill reading a book, with open shutters and a pool in the foreground.
Two people holding hands during a ceremony or ritual, with an outdoor setting and other participants in the background.
A person holding a floral headband with yellow sunflower-like flowers, white leaves, and small white and brown accent flowers, against a wooden background.
A wooden serving board featuring an assortment of cheeses, fresh strawberries, blueberries, a cherry, honey, walnuts, and a bowl of spicy dip garnished with a jalapeño and drizzle of sour cream, with a small piece of dark bread in the background.
A person mixing paint with a brush on a palette, with small jars of paint and other art supplies on a table.
Small ancient Etruscan bronze or metal figurines of people, some standing, some with arms outstretched, displayed on transparent bases in a museum. In the background, there are larger artifacts and display cases.
View of a historic Italian street in Tuscany with stone and brick buildings, flags, and an archway, seen from a restaurant table set with glassware, plates, and cutlery in the foreground.
A scenic landscape of rolling green hills of Tuscany and trees at sunrise with mist and a clear sky.

Be guided

You’ll be lovingly guided by two (and a quarter) seasoned facilitators, each bringing her own alchemical medicine through art, somatic healing, and the ancient wisdom of the natural world… The magic is in THIS mix!

A woman artist with long brown hair smiling outdoors in Tuscany on a sunny day, wearing a brown sleeveless top and a necklace with a turquoise pendant.
A woman with gray and black hair resting her face on her hand, smiling softly, looking into the camera with a black background.
A happy white fluffy dog with curly fur, wearing an orange bandanna with white flowers, sitting on a tiled floor next to a wall and a heater or vent.

  • Founder

    Mary, an intuitive artist, leads our soul painting sessions, inviting you to express the unseen and reclaim your inner muse through color, texture, and sweeping gestures. Mary also has a home in Cortona and has been a part of the community there for 30 years.

    www.marymckinleystudio.com

  • Founder

    Misa, a somatic healer and movement guide, offers daily dance and embodiment practices to help you feel, release, and move with the wisdom of your body.

    www.soulpowerliving.com

  • Every retreat needs a guardian of joy for the pack, and we are thrilled to introduce Halo-Bibi, our beloved miniature schnauzer, as part of the facilitation team.

    Hypoallergenic & Non-Shedding: Perfect for sensitive guests — she’s safe to love without worry.

    As our Retreat Therapy Dog, whether she’s quietly curled up beside you during breaks, supervising group sessions, or just trotting through the gardens, Halo-Bibi brings a layer of comfort and sweetness to our shared journey. She reminds us that sacred community often happens in the most gentle and unexpected ways.

Be vital

7:30 - 8:30 Breakfast at the Villa

9:00 - 12:00 Misa’s Embodiment & Meditation flowing directly into Mary’s Soul Painting

12:00 - Farm-to Table Healthy Lunch at the villa

12:30 - 3:30 FREE TIME

3:30 - 7:30 Group Excursion to nearby villages in Tuscany & Umbria (Optional)

8:00 - Authentic Farm-to-Table Italian Dinner with Wine & Sisterhood * All diets honored

Evening (Optional) – Celestial rituals, sound healing, light body activation, grounding practices, group gratitude integrations, coronation ceremony, and SO MUCH MORE...

Here’s an example of the retreat flow. The week progresses with a natural arc that begins with arrival and orientation, moves through the five elements, and concludes with integration, celebration, and departure.

 FAQs

    • 7 Nights in a luxurious 16th-Century Villa in Tuscany

    • Saltwater swimming pool and nature trails on a private 200 acres

    • Daily soul-powered movement and embodiment sessions

    • Daily intuitive painting sessions and ongoing works of art to take home

    • Sacred group ceremony, meditations & guided integration

    • Two guided excursions plus transportation to some picturesque and magical locations

    • One day at a geothermal bath and spa

    • All meals at the villa are included. All dietary needs will be honored. **Dinner during the two excursions are not included (dinner is free time on just these two evenings to choose your own dining experience. Recommendation lists offered for all budgets)

    • Plenty of time for spacious rest, relaxation and rejuvenation

    • Small group atmosphere of 14 women

    • Transportation to/from Cortona-Camucia train station to the villa at a scheduled time on arrival and departure

    • Gift bags on arrival and special creations throughout the week

    • All art supplies are provided but you are encouraged to bring any additional supplies

    • Airfare to Italy is not included

    • Travel to and from airport to Cortona-Camucia train station is not included

    • Meals during excursions are not included (dinner is free time during the two outings to choose your own dining experience)

    • Tips for our excursion guides & drivers

  • All food allergies, sensitivities, and requests will be honored. Our chefs are trained and prepared for all current dietary needs. Please let us know in advance what you require so that we can create daily menus to nourish everyone in the most accommodating way.

    • All women of all ages, typically from age 30 to 75, who are able-bodied to move, create, connect, and join in group dynamics in a respectful and encouraging way.

    • Women who desire new and integrative experiences, and appreciate time to rest and reflect on their experience in quietude.

    • Women who are inclusive and can be in loving witness of other women while deepening their own inner knowing.

    • Women who are prepared to create a safe atmosphere to expand and to embody the beauty, expressive arts, and warmth of the Tuscan people and the Italian lifestyle.

    • Women who have any level of curiosity, interest and experience in the expressive and intuitive arts. We invite all to have a beginner’s mind and an explorer’s heart. No fine art skills necessary and all levels are welcome.

  • There are International flights to either Florence or Rome. From either airport you can take a Regional Train to the Cortona-Camucia train station where we will pick you up and drive you to the Villa.

    From Florence take the regional train south to Cortona-Camucia train station (about a hour and a half train ride). This station will be along a main train route, not the train’s final destination.

    From Rome take the regional train north to Cortona-Camucia train station (about a two and a half hour train ride). This station will be along a main train route, not the train’s final destination.

Be there

Old wooden door in Tuscany with metal studs and two lion head door knockers, set in a stone archway with a crest above.

Join our mailing list for live info sessions and future retreats. *MORE RETREAT DATES COMING SOON!

AOE Retreats

Soul Powered Retreats for Women