Welcome to Il Dolce Far Niente
Join us for a private 6-Day soulful Tuscan retreat for 14 women who are ready to stop rehearsing for life, and start living it.
May 2–7, 2027 · Tuscany, Italy
—RESERVED FOR JUST 14 WOMEN—
Italy doesn’t do hustle
For so many women, life becomes an endless pursuit of the next version of themselves. We put our lives on pause until after. After I lose the weight, after the kids are older, after the business grows — or after I read one more self-help book to finally feel “ready.” And yet the finish line keeps moving while your actual life is happening right now.
Il Dolce Far Niente is the Italian art of doing nothing, but on this trip, “nothing” is a power move. It’s the active choice to put down the burden of constant self-improvement and allow yourself to receive and enjoy the incredible life you’ve already worked so hard to build.
You’ve done enough “work”
Start living the life you’ve
been doing all the work for.
This retreat is your space to sit under the Tuscan sun and remember that you are not a project to be completed. Your hosts, Kacie Merendino and Kendra Beavis created this retreat as an invitation to slow down, take it all in, and be totally present. Together, we’ll wander ancient streets, laugh over long meals, and bond with women who feel more like long-lost sisters than strangers. Through their growth sessions, Kacie and Kendra will show you how to reconnect with your intuition, remember what brings you joy, and fully inhabit the incredible woman you’ve already become.
Claim your seat at the table
Your sanctuary for the week
Located right on the border of Tuscany and Umbria, Porsenna is a grand country house resort tucked into rolling hills and countryside, just a short distance from Lake Chiusi and Lake Trasimeno. This beautiful estate will be entirely ours to enjoy for the week.
The property features spacious guest rooms (where you'll have your own room every night), an on-site restaurant, an outdoor pool, and massage rooms. Surrounding the buildings are expansive gardens where we will be gather for our daily growth sessions.
It's the perfect home base to explore the region on our day trips and truly experience the green heart of Italy.
Tap any photo to take a closer look. Swipe, drag, or use the arrows to see the rooms & grounds.
You've been rehearsing your life.
Tuscany is where you start living it.
Growth doesn't happen in a box.
It happens here.
May 2–7, 2027 · Tuscany, Italy
Radici
A walking tour of the Etruscan hilltop town of Chiusi, with a stop for lunch and time to sketch, journal, or wander.
Borgo
An afternoon across the border in one of Umbria's honey-stoned hilltop towns, Panicale. Quiet lanes, sweeping views, and a slower kind of magic, capped with dinner before we head home.
Vista
A free afternoon to wander the storybook streets of Montepulciano exactly as you please — shop, sip, photograph, or get out your sketch book and watch the world go by.
Sole
The town made famous by Under the Tuscan Sun — with time to shop, explore, and linger over a long lunch in the Tuscan sunshine.
Mangia
Roll up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking class with a local chef and make pasta that would make your Nonna proud.
Sorso
A winery visit and tasting in the heart of Tuscan wine country with some lite bites. Not a drinker? You're in wonderful company, with lovely non-alcoholic options. It's about the golden light, the views, and the company as much as anything in a glass.
Formagio
A visit to a local farm to see how the region's famous cheese is made, followed by a long tasting lunch. Expect cheese in every form, a few new obsessions, and a deeper love for this corner of Italy.
Notte
An afternoon tasting the region's liquid gold straight from the source, then dinner out in a nearby town.
Vagare
We made sure to infuse time for whatever you like. Wander through a piazza, nap by the pool, follow a side street, or sit at a cafe and people watch. This is the il dolce far niente part — and it's the whole point.
Riposo
Carve out an hour that's entirely yours. An on-site massage is included in your stay. Switch off, and let someone else take care of you for a change.
Aperto
One night we trade screens for the real night sky: a film under the stars in the gardens, blankets and snacks included. The cozy, low-key evening that somehow always becomes everyone's favorite.
Tribù
The thing you didn't know you were coming for. Six days with women who completely get it — the long dinners, the belly laughs, the late-night talks — and the kind of friendships that outlast the trip by decades.
How the days unfold
The rhythm of the week.
Daily Growth Sessions
Beyond the Excursions:
Your Shift Inside the Journey.
This week is more than just a vacation; it’s an active playground for your evolution. Alongside our day trips, we have woven daily growth sessions into our mornings and evenings, all intentionally designed to help you shed your old layers and emerge as your truest self.
We keep our exact programming fluid so we can adapt to the energy of the room, but expect a beautiful mix of yoga and movement, meditation, breathwork, and deep soul exercises from Kendra's book. You’ll also get a personal journal and creative kit to sketch, collage, or process the daily prompts we share.
Everything we do is infused with a single goal: helping you let go of the fear holding you back so you can return home ready to live an unbelievable life.
What you get
Everything That's Included
May 2–7, 2027 · Porsenna Hotel & Spa, Tuscany
Where you stay
At the table
Days out
Practice & extras
What's not included
*Activities may change based on weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
The investment in yourself
$4,165 / per guest
Your own private room included. Coming with a friend? Two rooms can be shared at $150 less per person.
Early-bird bonus · limited time
Reserved for the first 4 women to claim a seat.
Just 14 spots available. When they're gone, they're gone.
Book by September 30, 2026
Claim your seat at the tableStill have questions? Read the FAQs →
What you will feel shift
This is why you need to be here.
Reclaiming your joy, your play, and your sense of wonder.
Dropping the exhausting pressure to constantly do, fix, and optimize.
Letting go of the guilt of putting yourself first and choosing to be the main character.
Stepping into the woman you want to be right now, without waiting for anyone's permission.
Stopping the habit of tiptoeing into the next version of yourself to test if it's palatable for everyone else.
Trusting your gut again — because she's been right this whole time.
Belly laughing in a room full of women who completely get it.
Savoring the sweetness of the incredible life you have already built.
The Keepers of the Circle
Meet Kacie & Kendra: Your allies in the unbelievable.
Hey, we’re Kacie and Kendra. We spent years chasing the traditional hustle before realizing that the life you've been dreaming of requires a different kind of medicine: trust, alignment, and a damn good community. As psychics, mentors, and energy workers, our soul's work is guiding women back to their own power. We gather the seekers, the dreamers, and the changemakers. So when you ask, "Why trust them to take me all the way to Italy?" It’s because we’ve cracked open the magic of what happens when women gather in sacred spaces. We are ready to guide you there. You just have to say yes.
Spiritual Teacher • Psychic Medium • Energy Healer • Retreat Leader • Mentor
Joy Alchemist • Meditation Mentor • Spiritual DJ • Author • Recovering Self-Help Junkie • Possibilitarian
Kacie and Kendra’s vision
Our Manifesto
We created this retreat to bring together a very specific collective of women. We are calling in the ones who are ready to accept themsleves and the women around them exactly as they are. That know our differences are our superpowers. That see the opportunities in the struggle, and that understand that true sisterhood means never letting anyone fall behind. That cheer wildly for your growth and your wins. That refuse to participate in competition and comparison. That aren’t embarrassed to be themselves. That know the next version of themselves is a choice away and trust they are being guided.
If this sounds like you, we invite you to come sit at our table. Because it's time to meet your people and start living il dolce far niente.
Good to know
The practical bits.
A $1,500 deposit reserves your seat. Then half of the balance is due 120 days before (January 2nd, 2027), the rest 60 days before (March 3rd, 2027).
Not a traditional payment plan, but you can create your own by making small additional payments between balance due dates. But the balances are still due in full by their due dates — the first half by January 2nd, 2027 before and the final balance by March 3rd, 2027.
Porsenna Hotel & Villa sits just outside Chiusi, on the Tuscany–Umbria border. Fly into Rome Fiumicino (FCO) or Florence Peretola (FLR); from either, there are easy train connections to Chiusi / Chianciano Terme, the station nearest the hotel.
Taxis are always available at Chiusi station, and private door-to-door cars can be arranged from the airport. We're happy to recommend a private driver or public-transport route — full arrival details are sent to every guest.
Yoga mats, straps, art journals & supplies are all provided. Beyond your usual travel basics, bring:
Your private room is included — no single supplement, ever. Many of our guests come alone; if you'd like to share, we match roommates by guest profile. Please note that shared rooms aren't confirmed until both spaces are filled.
A $1,500 deposit reserves your seat. 50% of the final balance is due 120 days before the retreat, and the remaining 50% 60 days before. The full cancellation policy lives in our Terms & Conditions.
It’s soulful, not heavy — and never preachy. We weave in the things that help you reconnect (breathwork, meditation, soundbaths, journaling, a little creative play), but it’s all optional, all gentle, and all grounded in real life. Come for every bit of it or just the pasta and the piazzas. There’s no dogma here, no pressure, and absolutely no requirement to call anything by a name you’re not comfortable with. We bring the magic and the normalcy to all the woo.
None at all. Every practice is open to complete beginners and meets you exactly where you are. Move as much or as little as feels good — this is about coming home to yourself, not nailing a pose.
Wonderful women, most of whom arrive on their own and leave with a group chat that never stops. You don’t need to bring anyone — the whole point is the people you’ll meet. It’s an easy, warm, no-cliques kind of group.
The food is a love letter to the region — fresh, local, and generous. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and most other dietary needs are easily accommodated; just let us know when you register and we’ll take care of it.
You’ll need a passport valid for at least six months beyond the trip. Most travelers (including U.S. citizens) don’t need a visa for a short stay in Italy, but please confirm based on your own citizenship. We strongly recommend travel insurance — it’s the kind of thing you hope you never need.
On the agenda
Your host
I've always believed that some of life's most meaningful moments happen when we slow down enough to truly experience them.
Not when we're rushing from one thing to the next or checking another box off the list, but around a table sharing a meal, wandering through a place we've never been before, practicing yoga as the morning sun rises, or lingering in a conversation that somehow changes us.
Connection has always been at the heart of everything I do.
For almost 15 years, I've had the privilege of creating spaces where people can reconnect—with themselves, with one another, and with what matters most. As a psychic medium, yoga teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, energy practitioner, mentor, and retreat leader, I've guided thousands of people through seasons of healing, growth, and transformation.
Whether I'm leading a moon circle, teaching yoga, facilitating a retreat, or sitting across from someone in a private session, my hope is always the same: that people leave feeling a little lighter, a little more connected, and a little more like themselves.
I've also had the joy of leading more than fourteen retreats throughout the past decade, each one reminding me that the real magic isn't found in a perfectly planned itinerary, it's found in the moments in between.
I've learned that the most memorable parts of a retreat aren't always the workshops or the destinations. They're the conversations over coffee before anyone else wakes up. The laughter shared around a dinner table. The walk back to your room under the stars. The realization that someone you met just days ago feels like an old friend.
Those are the moments that stay with us.
Like so many women, I've spent years building a business, raising a family, growing, healing, learning, and always looking toward what was next. While I wouldn't change that journey, somewhere along the way I began asking myself a different question:
At what point do we stop working on ourselves and simply allow ourselves to enjoy the life we've already created?
When I discovered the Italian philosophy of Il Dolce Far Niente, the sweetness of doing nothing, it felt less like discovering something new and more like remembering something I'd forgotten.
That life isn't something we have to earn.
That rest isn't a reward.
That joy deserves a place in our everyday lives.
That's why this retreat feels so special to me.
Yes, we'll experience the beauty of Italy…..the food, the culture, the breathtaking landscapes, and the slower rhythm of life. But more than anything, I hope you'll leave with something you can't pack in your suitcase.
I hope you'll leave with a quieter mind.
A fuller heart.
New friendships.
A renewed connection to yourself.
And the permission to slow down and truly savor the beautiful life you've worked so hard to build.
When I'm not holding space for others, you'll usually find me barefoot in my garden, reading in a cozy corner, making magical memories with my husband, Tony, and our two children, or happily rearranging the furniture because I truly believe our spaces hold energy, too. (My family has learned that if they leave the house for a few hours, there's a good chance they'll come home to a completely different living room.)
Because to me, that's what connection really is.
It's the feeling of being fully present.
Deeply seen.
And reminded that some of life's greatest gifts aren't found in the places we visit—but in the people we share them with.
I can't wait to welcome you to Italy.
Your host
I spent years building a thriving business, raising two beautiful kids, and playing the roles I thought I was supposed to play. But after a divorce forced me to rewrite my entire identity, I found myself standing in a sacred, transitional space. I call it The Afterlight—the potent chapter between who you used to be and who you are choosing to become next.
Instead of treating that transition like a dark end, I treated it as an active, experimental playground. I reconnected to my higher self, unlocked my intuition, and realized that soul growth isn't a silent, passive practice. It requires you to take massive, aligned chances on yourself.
Today, my mission is to be a beacon for women ready to step out of their safe little bubbles and expand.
The Magic I Bring to the Table
I don’t just talk about energy; I shift it at scale. For the past six years, I’ve studied psychic mediumship under a world-renowned psychic, helping facilitate mass retreats and curating the soundscapes for hundreds of seekers at legendary destinations like Kripalu and the Art of Living. As a Spiritual DJ, Reiki practitioner, Akashic record guide, and Meditation mentor, I know exactly what it takes to capture a room, clear the energetic static, and create a space of absolute safety.
When you step into my circle, competition, judgment, and limited abundance drop away. You are left with pure, unadulterated support from women who genuinely want to see you win.
Why Italy?
To me, Italy feels like a warm embrace returning you back home. It is a culture built on a slower pace, rich history, and constant wonder. Walking the winding cobblestone streets, you are constantly reminded of what it means to be present and enjoy life. It is the perfect backdrop for your own Afterlight to begin.
A note to the woman sitting on the fence: If you are arguing with yourself right now about why you can't come, look closer. Those arguments are just fear trying to keep you safe. But a safe bubble won't expand your soul. You are entirely worthy of the unbelievable life you're dreaming about. Stop holding yourself back—let's go.
Early Bird Extras
