By Tasia Hawkins

After a 6 month break from travel, I was ready to go somewhere, anywhere that I could feel liberated and free with sunlight, water and good food. I’ve been on a journey of self care and self love over the past year or so, and travel is one of the ways I recenter and regroup before diving back into the crazy of life. Between work, taking care of a new puppy, and the general hecticness of New York City I really needed a break. 

Of course, there’s nothing like a break in a beautiful destination with time to lay in the sun and finally think clearly. So when I started thinking about what I needed for my next trip, I knew it was a wellness retreat. I always love to be around my people so a search for “black women wellness retreats” led me to an Essence article and the Whole Experience. And when Tuscany came up as a location option, it was an immediate resounding YES, and my trip was booked less than 24 hours later. 

I’d say I’m fairly well traveled (I’m heading to my 25th country this December!), but I’ve never taken the time to go slowly and enjoy a place without the pressure of fitting everything in. This was my second time in Italy, and my first was a jam packed 3 days of quickly hopping between sites ⁠with friends from my study abroad program— The Vatican, The Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, The Roman Forum, plus a late night party bus and a food tour that left us barely able to walk. 

In addition to relaxing, my favorite part of traveling slowly was letting go of expectations and taking what came with grace. We explored the smaller Tuscan towns of Montepulciano and Anghiari where you can feel the vibe of the Italian lifestyle, including the fact that shops and restaurants seem to be closed at random times. It might seem annoying at first, but when did society make it more important to stay open during slow hours instead of taking that time to have a home cooked meal or spend time with loved ones? I always appreciate bits of foreign culture that challenge the way I live in the US.

The biggest lesson I took away from my trip is that wellness and taking time for yourself isn’t just about escaping everything and going on a fancy trip. What made this experience magical for me was taking the time to truly listen to myself. By slowing down, I had the space to spend an hour journaling every day. We had a silent lunch where we ate slowly for 45 minutes and were mindful about how our bodies responded to each bite. I actually kept up my goal of daily meditation for the first time in months and gave up coffee. 

None of those things would have been possible for me in my regular daily life, where it’s so easy to get lost in a hectic lifestyle and forget the intentions I set for myself. What I gained from my experience in Italy is attainable anywhere, but it was a chance to begin again and reconnect with the parts of me that get ignored and lost after too many days in a row of squeezing onto New York City trains and seeing garbage everywhere. 

There’s something about a beautiful destination that I highly recommend to anyone, but my hope is that we all find a little piece of our own Tuscan countryside anywhere we go to remind ourselves to slow down and take it all in. For now, I’m still sticking with meditation, tea instead of coffee, and hoping that my Italian glow doesn’t fade too quickly. 

— Tasia Hawkins