Habitat for movement
and ease

Sustainability

We are an organic farm currently being certified. Our olive oil, olive leaf tea, cherries, walnuts, eggs, produce are sustainably farmed through ecological cycles similar to permaculture methods. Soil health has become extremely important. Good rich soil is also one of the best carbon sequesters – a hugely overlooked potential in the climate crisis.

Water comes from our springs and a well. It is purified and very good. Hot water is powered by the sun. Waste water is treated on site. We are currently installing a photovoltaic system. We avoid chemicals for cleaning wherever possible and use unharmful substances instead. We renovated the tenuta with ecological materials such as chalk paint wherever possible.

Movement

Our bodies shape how we think, feel and act. This is true for other animals, not just for humans. By modifying qualities of movement, we are able to modify aspects of how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. As in all phenomenology, the question is “how?” – how can we do that? This is the area of expertise of somatics (methods that work with embodiment questions). There are some formalized somatic methods, such as for example the Feldenkrais method, Alexander Technique or Body-Mind Centering, as well as some trauma therapies, and there are many other ways how to work somatically which are not formalized.

At Artis Umbria we host retreats which offer a variety of kinds of embodiment, from dance to yoga to myoreflex to qi gung and others. The common denominator of all our movement classes is that they are designed to increase your options – first on a physical base, but in turn also modifying your mental and emotional state.

The World Around Us

The Tenuta di Poggiolame was built 450 years ago. It sits below a neolithic stone circle more than 2000 years old. We are in Etruscan heart land, an egalitarian people worth exploring for any visitor. We are on a hill looking from Monte Peglia to the Val di Chiana inmidst oaks, pastures, springs. Endless hiking options through oak forests and along historic ruins, mountain biking, swimming, and nature observation are recommended.