We are The Hill That Breathes - a retreat centre in the heart of Italy. But a retreat centre with a difference (thus the amount of press coverage)

There's the impressive venue and setting: a 100 acre wooded hill in the heart of Italy, with renovated farmhouse, salt-water pool and huge geodesic dome.

And there's the inspiring teaching that goes on here: we don't do just yoga holidays, but, yes, the best yoga teachers; international 'Masters' including The Barefoot Doctor and Jason Chan… and the now-famous 'F**k It' weeks run by the owners, John C. Parkin and Gaia Pollini.

And then there's the food… delicious, Italian, healthy, vegetarian food… in fact, just the food brings people back to The Hill again and again.

But most of all, there's our approach - unlike many retreats, we don't take anything too seriously… so there's no getting up at the crack of dawn to chant, no strict regimes… there's as much emphasis on pizza as there is on peace, as much giggling as there is contemplating.

Some people ask us if we do 'holistic holidays' as well as yoga holidays.

Well, strictly speaking, they're all holistic holidays: the yoga holidays are, the Masters weeks are and the F**k It weeks are. A holistic holiday like one of ours is simply a way of having a great holiday, relaxing even more than you normally would, and taking something home that will last longer than your suntan.

So whether you've chanced on our website because you fancied a yoga holiday, or a holistic holiday, or you'd heard about one of our famous teachers, or you just fell into it whilst looking for a pizza takeaway… go ahead now and have a look around, see what takes your fancy.

Oh, and one last thing…

.....sorry, we know this is bit like keeping you waiting at the door when all you want to do is come in, have a wander around and enjoy a cup of tea, but a word or two about our programme:

We've structured our programme so that you can either go straight to the type of holiday you want (e.g. yoga holidays), or go to the rough date you want to take a holiday (yoga holiday or otherwise) and see what's happening then.

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Thought From The Hill

You can now read the monthly Thought from The Hill newsletter, written by John C. Parkin here »

F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way

Buy a copy of John C. Parkin's book, signed by the author, on The F**k It Way web site »

The Tea That Breathes

Many of you will have experienced Gaia's amazing tea ceremonies at The Hill… now you can find out about ceremonies in the U.K., full details of the astonishing Chinese teas that she uses, and buy them online at www.theteathatbreathes.com »

News

We're now doing regular updates on our Facebook page… do join us there.

We've had a record number of booking so far for this summer; do book one of the last spaces and join us for some serious relaxation and inspiration.

Hopefully see you soon,

Gaia, John, Maurizio, Monica
& the rest of The Hill team xx

Barefoot On The Hill

The great Barefoot Doctor opened our programme this year… and he's had some lovely things to say about The Hill:
"The Hill is a thrill, a sublime thrill - not the cheap thrill of gaudy fun fairs or any such trivial pursuits of the modern world, yet amazingly good value for what must be one of the world's best-run, most beautifully aspected and most effective healing and self-development retreat centers in the world - and I say so without hyperbole.
Admittedly my view is of the professional who comes here to teach and a biased one at that, as I have a fond love for Gaia and John. Hence I can't speak objectively for the people who come to participate, though all the ones I've taught here have clearly fallen head over heels in love with the place. But speaking as a professional who's run retreats all over the world, this is by far and away my favorite venue of all.
The geodesic dome on the hill in the forest in which the sessions take place is like entering a spaceship that transports you instantly to a fresh dimension. The caliber of teachers is world-class. The atmosphere is warm, safe, easy-on-the-soul and surprisingly good fun. The food is a gustatory delight. The staff are wonderful. The accommodation and facilities are excellent. The setting is idyllic. The air is naturally scented with frangipani. And the fireflies dance a wild fandango for you every night.
I love the Hill That Breathes and I can't recommend you coming here highly enough."