The Way of St. Francis: A Contemplative Retreat in Florence
A 7-day immersion in Florence and the Tuscan countryside exploring stillness, presence, and Franciscan simplicity, for anyone ready to slow all the way down.
7 Days/6 Nights
Curated Historic Lodging
Daily Contemplative Practice
8-12 Participants
You’re not broken. You’re just tired.
Tired of the noise, the complexity, and the constant doing. You’ve read the books and tried the frameworks, hoping something would fill the gap. But what you’re looking for isn’t in another teaching or another guru. It’s already in you.
St. Francis understood this 800 years ago. He practiced radical simplicity not as punishment but as freedom. Presence, not productivity, is what brings us home.
This retreat isn’t about religion. It’s about remembering your own wholeness. Through contemplative walking, journaling, and reflection in one of the most spiritually resonant cities in the world, you will notice the sacred in the world around you and within yourself. We also draw on St. Teresa de Ávila’s Interior Castle, using her metaphor of inner rooms to gently notice where presence, distraction, peace, and resistance arise. This is a map for inner awareness, not a prescription. You take what resonates and leave what doesn’t.
Move. Reflect. Remember.
We move beyond the tourist experience and into a contemplative rhythm that allows the nervous system to finally settle. Florence and the surrounding Tuscan hills are not backdrop here. They are the practice itself.
Each day moves through the same unhurried arc. Morning begins in silence, with somatic practice and gentle grounding before the day opens. Midday brings contemplative walks through the city streets and nearby hills, using movement to anchor presence, pausing at sacred sites and quiet corners of Florence not as sightseers but as seekers encountering the holy. The Franciscan lens shapes how we look: practicing seeing the divine in all creation, the trees, the art, and eventually your own reflection. Optional Interior Castle reflection exercises invite you to notice your own inner rooms alongside your external observations. Evening circles gather the group to share what’s arising, held with humor, care, and deep respect for silence when it’s needed.
We walk approximately 5-7km each day. The pace is contemplative and unhurried, designed for noticing rather than arriving.
For those who are still listening.
This is a sanctuary for anyone who wants depth without dogma and presence without performance.
A Note on Faith: My perspective is rooted in queer Christian experience, but this retreat is open and inclusive. You don’t need to share my beliefs. You only need a willingness to encounter what feels sacred in your own life.
If you’re tired of performing “enough”
This retreat offers space to rest from that effort. If your spiritual life has started to feel like another place to get it right, you are welcome here exactly as you are.
If you’re spiritually alive but institutionally done:
If you haven’t lost your sense of the sacred but no longer find it where you were told to look, this retreat was built for that particular kind of homesickness.
If you’re used to holding it together
If you’re often the one others lean on, this is a place where you don’t have to lead, explain, or carry anyone else.
Meet Your Guide
I’m Heather. I’ve spent years rebuilding my own home.
I’m Heather. I’ve spent years rebuilding my own home and my own sense of belonging. As a queer Christian, I’ve learned to navigate what it means to encounter the sacred when traditional institutions don’t always leave a seat at the table.
I bring humor, a sharp eye for nuance, and deep respect for each participant’s journey. I won’t preach. I’ll hold the door open while you explore your own inner landscape.
This retreat is a space to practice dual awareness: noticing both the sacred world around you and the inner chambers of your own presence, guided gently by contemplative frameworks inspired by St. Francis and St. Teresa. A note on faith: my perspective is rooted in queer Christian experience, but this retreat is open and inclusive. You don’t need to share my beliefs. You only need a willingness to encounter what feels sacred in your own life.
The Logistics
What’s included: 7 days and 6 nights in a contemplative villa or retreat center in Florence, all meals, site visits, and daily guided facilitation. Flights, personal expenses, and travel insurance are not included.
I am currently hand-selecting a location that mirrors the spirit of this retreat: a place of historic character, quiet beauty, and proximity to the soul of Florence. Full details will be in the 2026 Retreat Prospectus.
Because this is an intimate, high-proximity experience, participants complete a brief application and call to ensure this container is the right fit for your current season of life. Investment details are shared in the prospectus.