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Secret Garden

A retreat for women in Italy with Iva Samina & Marissa Cosma Vitelli & Kerstin Kussmaul (special guest)

Date

June 22nd - June 28th 2026

Pricing

From € 840 to € 1,530 per person
Book now

Secret Garden

A retreat for women in Italy


This Dolce Vita retreat is an invitation to explore yourself—honestly, gently, and in all your facets. A place where you remember what it feels like to be truly alive and hear the whisper of your own longing.

The Secret Garden is a journey to yourself – to your sensuality and vitality. We live in a world shaped by masculine principles – by structure, performance, control. A world that for centuries taught women to be quiet, to conform, and to tame their power.

But your true strength lies in something else entirely:
in your depth, your rhythm, your sensuality.

Here, you can remember what it feels like to be truly alive. A space where everything becomes quieter until you can hear the whisper of your own longing again. A return to your sensuality, your desire, and your inner rhythm. Between the earth, bare skin, and sun, you can unfold, reveal yourself, and feel yourself. Here, everything is allowed: the wild and the tender, the uncertain and the courageous. Every movement, every breath, every touch reminds you that you are part of this beauty called life.

“In the garden of humanity, every woman is a flower that blooms despite all adversities.” — Maya Thompson

In a beautiful villa with a garden, yurt, and pool, under the Italian sun, you will explore with other women what it means to feel truly alive—through movement, dance, touch, tantric exercises, plants, rituals, and moments of silence. Time for yourself, for nature, and for sweet idleness. We will eat, enjoy, laugh, and allow ourselves to be touched—by ourselves, by life, and by the beauty around us.

A fantastic chef will spoil us with authentic Italian cuisine—fresh, vegetarian, and lovingly prepared: “Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto.”

What to expect

Preparation & Integration

  • Two joint online meetings: one before the retreat to get in the right frame of mind, one afterwards to integrate the experience.

Exploration & Experience

  • Guided meditations & free dance: get your body, breath, and consciousness moving and open up space for vitality and inner softness.

  • Tantric touch rituals & mindful bodywork: deepen presence, trust, and closeness—to yourself and others.

  • Intimate & Sexual Communication Experience: learn to clearly feel and express desires, boundaries, and needs.

  • Bossy Massage according to Betty Martin: playful exploration of giving, taking, exploring, and enjoying.

  • Genital Meditation: opens a deep space of experience for awareness and presence in the womb space.

  • Sensual Self-Care: Strengthen the loving relationship with your body and your feminine essence.

  • DIY Natural Cosmetics Workshop: Create your own Yoni Flower Power Balm – a powerful ritual of self-care.

  • Self-Love Rituals: Nourish your inner femininity and support you in honoring yourself on a deep level.

  • Dolce Vita & Community: nourishing moments, encounters, exchange, and togetherness in a warm, non-judgmental environment.


Important: All program items are invitations—not obligations. You determine your pace, your space, and your experience.

"There is a garden inside me, quiet and alive at the same time.
Nothing planned grows there, and yet everything that is real blooms.
Here, the wild breathes alongside the tender, longing alongside tranquility,
the joy of life in every leaf.
The Secret Garden is this inner space where I remember
that I don't have to become – because I already am."

Come into the secret garden of hidden fruits and blossom into the vibrant, sensual woman you have always wanted to be. You are welcome—with everything that you are.

Meet your workshop leaders

I open a space where you don't have to perform. You are allowed to arrive, in your body, in your breath, in your truth. In my world, there is room for everything—tears, laughter, silence, trembling, longing. I accompany you with open hands, alert eyes, and a clear heart. What I offer is not a concept. It is a living river – nourished by experience, intuition, and a deep trust in you. Tantra, sexological bodywork, womb wisdom, women's healing massage, kink, systemic coaching, the art of breathing, and silent listening weave together to form a path back to yourself. Your body is a sacred place, not a puzzle that needs to be solved. I believe in your power. I believe in your wisdom. I believe that we are allowed to remember – what was never really lost. If you are ready to receive yourself fully, I will accompany you. Gently, alertly, and with everything that is there.

As a naturopath, I combine systemic-integrative and body-oriented methods and usually involve the body as a direct access to inner processes.

Over the past fourteen years, I have helped thousands of people discover a new body awareness, a self-determined life, and a new, powerful, and joyful sexuality through lectures, sessions, workshops, and training courses.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank all my loved ones, friends, and mentors, including James Swank, Joseph Kramer, Alexandra Schwarz-Schilling, Kira Kay, Diana and Michael Richardson, Clare Soloway, Nhanga, Sheila, Daniel Odier, Susanne Roursgaard, and Tatjana Alexander. My greatest thanks go to my three daughters, my grandson, and life itself. They were and are my greatest teachers.

Member of the Tantramassage-Verband e.V. – Professional Association for Certified Tantric Bodywork and Sexual Health and the VSSB – Association for Somatic Sexological Education Professions. If you would like to learn more about my work and me, you can find further information here.

I would also be happy to accompany you with my HYPNOBIRTHING courses and during pregnancy and birth.

I will guide you back to your primal feminine power, your wild primal nature. For me, this means trusting the signs of my own body and consciously living my innate beauty and health.

I am convinced of the healing power of wild plants and consciously created spaces for encounter.

This is how I accepted my calling, and now in my eighth year of working with wild primal nature, I will continue to devote myself to the art of holistic healing through retreats, femininity work, and passing on the millennia-old knowledge of wild herbs and medicinal plants.

This grounded feeling of inner peace and community nourishes my soul and gives me the strength to share wholeness, fulfillment, and a big dose of wildness with others.

I am a researcher, teacher, and mentor in the field of somatics and embodiment. In my work, I combine scientific research, body-based practice, and artistic spaces of experience.

For 15 years, I have been working as a movement therapist with the psoas and its diverse connections.

In my doctoral research in New Zealand/Aotearoa, I explored myofascia as living, relational tissue. This led to my work the matter of fascia, which brings together somatic, philosophical, and experiential perspectives (www.fasciamatters.info). Prior to that, I explored creative processes in contact improvisation from the perspective of embodied cognition.

I lead the Embodied Myoreflex Practitioner training program in collaboration with Dr. Kurt Mosetter and ImPulsTanz. Parts of the training take place at Artis Umbria. In my work, I focus on the body as a place of knowledge, relationship, and inner intelligence.

What's included
  • Accommodation for 7 days (6 nights)
  • Sensual feast in the garden under the open sky
  • 3 vegetarian meals daily
  • Meditations, workshops, excursions, la dolce vita & community
  • Time for tranquility, nature, and the summer scent of Italy
  • Surprise excursion (location remains secret)
  • Access to pool and all other amenities of Tenuta di Poggiolame
  • Shuttle to and from train station Fabro-Ficulle
  • Expect a professional retreat trio that will accompany you with dedication, experience, and expertise, opening up new worlds of experience for you.
Pricing and accommodation

Price for the workshop: €1,200 per participant (excluding accommodation and meals) - Early Bird: €980 (valid until April 1, 2026)

Book directly with the organizers Iva Samina and Marissa Cosma Vitelli by email: hello@ivasamina.com

The organizers' cancellation policy applies to the workshop fee.

Accommodation including full board and shuttle:

7 days (6 nights) per person for accommodation, food, shuttle, and excursion from €840 to €1,530 (single or double room, private or shared bathroom).

Upon receipt of a deposit of 400 euro, the retreat is bindingly reserved. Please take note of our cancellation policy.

Number of participants: max. 16

our rooms

Scaleni

28m²
fits 2 people

Scaleni is part of the historic building and sits on the upper floor facing north and east. It features an open fire place and an open beam ceiling. Two beds (a single bed and a 140cm futon bed) furnish the room. Scaleni is directly connected to Axis, of which the guests will have to pass through Scaleni to get to the shared bathroom.

our rooms

Axis

18m²
fits 2 people

Axis is a cute little double room (two single beds) facing east on the upper floor. It features open beams with terracotta tiles. It is connected to the front room (Scaleni), through which one will walk through to get to the hallway and to the bathroom, which is shared with Scaleni.

our rooms

Mana double

16m²
fits 2 people

Mana double room looks out towards the pool. It is part of the Mana apartment which is a bit away from the other rooms. It shares a bathroom with Mana single.

our rooms

Alba

18m²
fits 2 people

Alba is a double room on the upper floor of the original building with open beam ceilings and faces east and south. Its doublebed (160 cm wide) features a canopy. It shares a bathroom with Psoas and Vitus

our rooms

Psoas

16m²
fits 2 people

The Psoas is a double room located on the upper floor of the original building with a historic open beamed ceiling. The windows face south and west. Psoas has a double bed (160 cm) and shares a bathroom with Alba and Vitus

our rooms

Gracilis

18m²
fits 2 people

Gracilis is a double room and looks out the west side towards Montegabbione. It contains a double bed (160 cm wide). It shares a wheelchair accessible bathroom with Soleus, with whom it makes up an apartment

our rooms

Amiata

30m²
fits 2 people

Amiata is a double room apartment with a gallery. Upstairs: double-bed (160 cm) & bathroom. Downstairs there are two single beds and a kitchenette. Private west terrace with a lovely view of our olive orchards and Monte Amiata.

our rooms

Iris

30m²
fits 2 people

Iris is a double room apartment with a gallery. Upstairs: double-bed (160 cm) & bathroom. Downstairs there is a single bed and a kitchenette. Private west terrace with a lovely view of our olive orchards and Montegabbione

our rooms

Soleus

22m²
fits one person

Soleus is a single room and sits at the south west corner of the terrace, with its own furniture on the main terrace. It contains a medium size bed (140 cm wide) and a kitchenette. It shares a bathroom with Gracilis, with whom it makes up an apartment.

our rooms

Vitus

15m²
fits one person

Vitus is a single, east-facing room on the upper floor of the historic building featuring original beams. The bed is 140 cm wide. Vitus has its own terrace and entrance (outdoor staircase). It shares a bathroom with Psoas and Alba.

our rooms

Alba (as single room)

18m²
fits one person

Alba is a double room on the upper floor of the original building with open beam ceilings and faces east and south. Its doublebed (160 cm wide) features a canopy. It shares a bathroom with Psoas and Vitus.

our rooms

Psoas (as single room)

16m²
fits one person

The Psoas is a double room located on the upper floor of the original building with a historic open beamed ceiling. The windows face south and west. Psoas has a double bed (160 cm) and shares a bathroom with Alba and Vitus.

our rooms

Gracilis (as single room)

18m²
fits one person

Gracilis is a double room and looks out the west side towards Montegabbione. It contains a double bed (160 cm wide). It shares a wheelchair accessible bathroom with Soleus, with whom it makes up an apartment.

our rooms

Piriformis

12m²
fits one person

Piriformis is a single room with its own bathroom. Piriformis has a north-facing private terrace, which is pleasantly cool in summer. Piriformis is close to the kitchen and is therefore best suited to guests who like to get up early or who don't mind kitchen noise.

our rooms

Iris (as single room)

30m²
fits one person

Iris is a double room apartment with a gallery. Upstairs: double-bed (160 cm) & bathroom. Downstairs there is a single bed and a kitchenette. Private west terrace with a lovely view of our olive orchards and Montegabbione.

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Summary

Secret Garden ×

22. June - 28. June (6 nights)

Meditations, workshops, excursions, la dolce vita & community

Accommodation

Estimated price. We will confirm availability of your preferred accommodation after receiving your inquiry.

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Thank you for your interest in our retreats! We will come back to you as soon as possible to finalize the details of your booking.

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