Dr. Brandi · Olive oil sommelier · Author · Retreat host
Where ancient groves
meet the art of living well
I am Dr. Brandi — integrative nutritionist, certified olive oil sommelier, and author of "If Trees Could Talk." Welcome to Cesira: a place where Tuscany, food, and the wisdom of ancient trees become a way of living.
Two Days in the Heart of Chianti.
A Harvest You Will Never Forget
An intimate olive oil immersion retreat in the Chianti hills of Tuscany — October 28–29, 2026. Ancient groves, a stone press, long table dinners, and the family who has tended this land for generations.
Oct 28–29, 2026 · Chianti, Tuscany · 6 guests maximum · Led by Dr. Brandi, Certified Olive Oil Sommelier
There is a window in October when Tuscany reveals something it keeps hidden the rest of the year.
The tourists have gone. The heat has lifted. And the olive trees — patient, ancient, indifferent to fashion — reach the end of a year's slow work and offer everything they have held in reserve.
The Chianti Grove & Olive Oil Retreat is two days lived entirely inside that window. We travel to the Pruneti estate in San Polo, Chianti — a working grove of extraordinary heritage — where harvest, pressing, tasting, and table are not separate activities but a single continuous act of attention.
You will leave knowing olive oil the way very few people in the world know it. And you will leave having understood, perhaps for the first time, what it means to eat something that has a story older than the nation that produced it.
What’s Included
🌿Guided harvest morning at Pruneti estate
🫒Private villa accommodation, Chianti hills.
👨🍳Tuscan cooking class with a professional chef
⚙️Professional press demonstration & first-press tasting
An immersive 2-day journey through the heart of Chianti, where ancient olive groves, storied vineyards, and hands-on culinary traditions reveal the living heritage of Tuscany. From grove to table, this intimate retreat blends sensory education, restoration, and luxury hospitality into a deeply authentic experience of olive oil, wine, and Tuscany.
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An immersive 2-day journey through the heart of Chianti, where ancient olive groves, storied vineyards, and hands-on culinary traditions reveal the living heritage of Tuscany. From grove to table, this intimate retreat blends sensory education, restoration, and luxury hospitality into a deeply authentic experience of olive oil, wine, and Tuscany. *
What to Expect
Day OneArrival & Grounding
Day-by-day itinerary
Arrive in paradise and ease into retreat mode. Settle into your villa. Join us for welcome wine in the evening.
Airport Transfer not included*
(Due to differing arrival times and locations, transfers from your Airport of choice to the hotel are not included)
Check-InAfter 3:00 pm
Welcome Wine 8:00 pm
Day TwoGrove Experience Day
Begin our journey to the amazing olive groves of Pruneti in San Polo Chianti. Our journey will begin as we load our van and drive along the winding roads of Tuscany. Take in the views of rolling olive tree lined hills.
Load the Van 9:00 am
Grove Experience 10:00 am
Wine & Lunch at the Mill 12:30pm
Mill Tour 2:00pm
Transport to Greve in Chianti 4:00 pm
Greve & Dinner at Extra Gallery 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Day ThreeFoodie Paradise Day
Today we will spend a lot of time with food. We will have a chance to learn to cook an authentic Tuscan dish with a professional chef. Followed by a visit to a restored grove to understand how this process works and why it is so important. We will also get a chance to meet your tree. (If you added on the tree adoption)
Load the Van 9:00 am
Cooking Class W/ Professional Chef 10:00am
Light Lunch 12:30pm
Tuscan Hills - Restoration Grove Visit 2:00pm
Thank you Dinner 6:30pm
Meet Dr. Brandi
I am Dr. Brandi — integrative and functional nutritionist, certified olive oil sommelier, and author of "If Trees Could Talk."
For years I have been travelling between these hills and home, carrying oil back to my family and slowly understanding that what I was really carrying was a different way of seeing food — not as fuel or trend, but as a relationship between land, time, and the people who pay attention.
The Chianti Grove Retreat is the fullest expression of everything I have learned. I designed it for the people who believe, as I do, that the best meals are the ones with the longest stories.
I will be with you for every moment of it.
Certified Olive Oil Sommelier
Integrative & Functional Nutritionist
Author — If Trees Could Talk
Mediterranean lifestyle specialist
Read The Story, Then Live It!
"If Trees Could Talk" is the story of the olive — its history, its oil, and the Tuscan families who never let either be forgotten.
The retreat is where that story becomes yours.
Every guest receives a signed copy. And in the groves of Chianti, you will find yourself reading differently — because you will have stood in the places the pages describe.
