SOULSHINE Creative Wellness Retreats are soul-nurturing gatherings featuring yoga, spiritual circles, creativity, delicious cuisine and meaningful activities. With a focus on nurturing your body, soul, mind, and spirit through creativity, adventure, movement, and music, our retreats provide a refuge for relaxation, renewal, and inspiration.

Join us and embrace the opportunity to explore, be brave, dive in, be authentic, and open yourself to creativity and transformation.

Relax & Renew Creative Wellness Retreat

Cortona, Italy June 4th - 11th 2024

Escape to the stunning Italian countryside and join us on our week long well rounded Yoga & Creative Wellness retreat in the enchanting Tuscan town of Cortona, Italy named one of the prettiest towns in Tuscany.  Our private villa overlooks the border between Umbria and Tuscany and the beautiful city of Cortona, renowned for its Etruscan origins. This retreat is designed to nourish your body, mind and soul providing you with a transformative experience that will leave you feeling renewed, refreshed and inspired. With its limitless panoramas across rolling hills, cultivated fields, olive groves and forests, our villa Terzo di Danciano is a natural refuge, and the perfect setting for a retreat to relax and renew. 

Surrounded by nature and the scent of olives and grapes in the Tuscan air, this retreat is the best way for you to foster your creativity, …. your desire for adventure, give you permission to relax and tap into your creativity and inner self. 

During this retreat we will stay 7 nights in our beautiful villa. Yoga will be offered daily with Melissa, complete with props and mats if desired either inside our beautiful light filled theater with huge open arches overlooking the gorgeous landscape or outside in the garden surrounded by nature and the scent of olives in the air. We will explore some markets, enjoy a wine tasting, get hands on with a cooking class, stroll through the streets of Cortona and possibly nearby towns. For those that seek adventure there’s optional hikes and kayaking. Every day we will be enjoying the most delicious and nourishing meals created by Chef Sergio. 

With our own private pool, spa and garden right at our feet, there will be ample time to unwind and you’ll be feeling like you’re blissed out Under The Tuscan Sun in no time. 


Whether you are traveling with a friend, a family member or you’re coming solo, there’s a place for you on our retreat and we welcome you with open arms. If you are traveling solo and would like to share, reach out to us and we will try our best to find you a roommate. Otherwise our private rooms are quite lovely as well. 

This retreat is open to individuals of all levels from beginners to experienced practitioners. 

Free Time

You can explore the towns of Siena, Florence, Cortona, Montepulciano, Arezzo, and Perugia or you can relax by the pool, enjoy the Turkish baths, and watercolor in the garden, or indulge in a spa treatment. You’ll have plenty of time to tailor your retreat to your desires. 

Circles

Start your morning with our morning circle or wind down your days with an evening Circle. These optional yet gently encouraged circles are where we gather together as a group for meditation, inspiration, and some occasional special treats and surprises. 

Who should attend

This retreat is open to individuals of all levels from beginners to seasoned practitioners. Whether you are seeking relaxation, renewal, adventure, exploration of creativity, or self-discovery, this retreat is designed to provide you with what you need. 

Room options

Melissa Scagliarini has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and teaching for more than a decade. She is the founder and owner of Satya Yoga Studio. Alongside extensive experience, formal training, and an in depth understanding of human physiology, Melissa brings humor and warmth to each of the classes she teaches. She has been trained in multiple traditions by some of the leading teachers in yoga. In 2017, Melissa became a certified Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist through the Himalayan Institute.

In 2010, Melissa traveled to India to participate in a month long Advanced Yoga Training, also through The Himalayan Institute. Traveling to the geographical heart of yoga was a personal and professional milestone for Melissa—a true lesson in Yoga off the mat. Melissa learned to look at herself with a bit more softness and love and was able to truly practice letting go of attachments.

These experiences have crafted Melissa into a masterful teacher who creates a caring, honest, and safe yoga environment. Classes are rooted in tradition and are designed to truly meet you and your body where you’re at. Using her deep understanding of yoga, hands-on assists, and a great selection of props, Melissa offers each participant, in every class, an opportunity to challenge and center themselves on the mat.

In addition to a variety of classes offered on a weekly basis, Melissa leads a yearly Yoga Teacher training course and offers yoga retreats around the world like this one! So far Melissa and her cohort of yoga and travel lovers have practiced in France, Costa Rica, Northern and Southern India, Italy, Spain and looking forward to this retreat in Italy 2024 and future retreats in the works to Greece, Scotland, Costa Rica and Bali.

Melissa and her husband Matt have two young boys and have lived and worked in the Plymouth area for over 20 years. They know and love the mountains, the rivers, and the people who live there.

Other Certifications include: 200 hr YTT, 500hr YTT, Pre-natal, Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist, Certified Holistic Health Counselor.

Our Teacher & Spiritual Guide

melissa scagliarini 500hr YTT

Dara Troshane, known as Dvora to many, is a creative visionary that has a passion for wanderlust and creating soul inspiring retreats all over the world. A mixed-media artist, creative wellness guide, healing arts practitioner, luxury travel advisor and art teacher for over 23 years, Dvora has been the driving force behind SOULSHINE, an art studio she founded in the lovely coastal town of Port Washington, New York in 2000. 

Her passion for art and providing everyone with a warm and safe outlet for creativity has fueled her journey of teaching art to children and adults, facilitating workshops, art parties and art camps as well as curating magical retreats. Dvora feels deeply blessed to be using her passion for wanderlust by organizing inspiring, adventurous, creative and transformational art and wellness retreats. SOULSHINE retreats are carefully curated with intention and attention to detail.

Dvora can frequently be discovered finding joy and catharsis in creating her own work. Her intuitive process of creating art includes incorporating vibrant colors, weaving words, unique imagery, mantras, and inspirational sayings to create artwork that inspires and invokes happiness and positive energy to its viewers. 

She encourages people to express their creativity by exposing them to a variety of art materials to explore their inner artist. Both SOULSHINE and her home studio are light filled spaces brimming tons of art materials as well as art adorned walls. Really great music is always on which creates such a positive energy and vibe. 

Dvora seamlessly integrates creative wellness into every aspect of her life, embracing opportunities for creativity in activities like cooking, dancing, painting, hiking, designing, and curating workshops, retreats and events. This infusion of creativity not only energizes her day but also radiates positive energy and gratitude to those around her.

She lives with her two dogs Mona and Sadie and her partner Noah in a beautiful cottage on the water in Oyster Bay Cove, New York where she has a home studio and hosts monthly spiritual creative circles. When she’s not at the studio, home or on a retreat, you may also find her on tour with conscious roots music artist and friend, Will Evans. Dvora enjoys hiking, restorative yoga, bonfires, the ocean, awesome music, soaker tubs, cooking, kind and generous humans, spirituality, nature, hugs and community. 

our retreat organizer & creative guide

Dvora troshane, soulshine creative wellness retreats

What’s Not Included:

Your flight & Alcohol are NOT included. Any transfers other than to/from the train in Terontola, Cortona to/from our villa. 

What is the refund policy:

Due to limited space available, we do not offer refunds, however we understand life happens so kindly give us enough notice to replace your spot, and/or we will allow you to use whatever amount that you invested towards a future retreat, or any other programs. You may also find someone to take your place.