The experience has been described as “life-changing” and as “joy in every possible way.”
The Tuscan Girls’ Getaway at Viila Renietta owned by Debbie Travis, the British-Canadian television personality, interior decorator and author, is a bucket list item for devotees, including Barb Roy of Sudbury.
The Tuscan trip is exclusive and limited to a small number of women. And many guests like Roy, who is 68, are in their prime with the time and money to splurge on a week of great food and wine, cooking classes, inspirational talks, yoga sessions, health and wellness seminars and sight-seeing.
The retired nurse combined her Tuscan experience with a short stay in Rome and a visit with family who live on England’s Devon coast in the summer of 2023.
She has long been a fan of Travis’s TV shows such as “Painted House” and “La Dolce Debbie” and follows her on social media.
Travis is the author of numerous books including “Design Your Next Chapter.” For that book, she interviewed people around the world about how they met their challenges and pursued their dreams.
Her own dream was to buy a holiday home in Italy. She and her husband bought a rundown villa and farm minutes from the medieval towns of Montepulciano and Pienza, and renovated it into a 14-bedroom hotel/resort.
There were as many as 1,000 applicants for 18 openings for the summer retreat, said Roy, who was able to take advantage of a last-minute opening.
“In December 2022, I was at the Wolves game, and I looked at Facebook on my phone because the game wasn’t very good. It said there were three openings (at the villa) for the retreat.
“I did a two-sentence thing on Facebook (indicating my interest) and got a reply back saying I should go to their website and fill out an application.
“Within a couple of days, I got a reply that they thought I would fit into the group nicely with the same likes and about the same age. It’s not about being with Debbie but about being with each other and making friends.”
Roy convinced a former co-worker to go with her to take advantage of the double-room availability.
“It costs about $10,000 for six days and that does not include the flight. But everything was so wonderful. If you read Travis’s book ‘Joy,’ that is your experience for the week,” said Roy.
There were many highlights including seeing the house where Frances Mayes, author of “Under the Tuscan Sun,” lives. Mayes’s memoir relates the story of an American divorcée who renovates a villa in Tuscany.
The popular book was made into a movie.
“We had a full moon when I was there. They pulled out a projector on the deck one night and we watched the movie ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ under the Tuscan moon,” said Roy.
The mother of two adult children would like to return to Italy someday, but her favourite destination is England where her paternal grandparents were born. (Her mother’s family came from Ireland in the late 1800s.)
“My grandparents came to Canada in 1917, but I had no idea where they had lived in England. My dad couldn’t remember the name of the place where my grandmother was from.
“I did some (genealogy) research and I found my family in Devon. My grandmother was one of 12 children and the only one who left England. I discovered I have a lot of relatives over there.
“I go back every two years and some cousins have visited me here,” said Roy, whose maiden name is Gabriel.
She has been able to trace her roots back to the 1500s and beyond and has been a member of the Sudbury Genealogy Society for 30 years.
Next month, Roy’s wanderlust will take her to Barbados for a vacation with her husband. In March, she is planning a family trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. In June, she will attend the Rotary Club convention in Calgary, Alta.
Then the globetrotter will start making plans for a summer vacation.
Roy, who retired almost a decade ago, loves to learn about other countries and cultures.
But when she is home, she devotes her time to volunteer causes. A member of the Rotary Club Sunrisers, she was honoured for her work with Syrian refugees in 2019.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer. Prime is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
