A Life Devoted to Beauty, Connection, and Belonging:12 years of Vita Bella Retreats

This spring season I'm sitting in the goodness of what I created 12 years ago. Being present with thousands of memories, the hundreds who have journeyed with us and the evolution of my hearts calling. 

I’ve always been someone who wants to make things beautiful. Not in a superficial way, but in a way that feels alive, nourishing, and deeply human. It’s probably the Libra in me, but more than that, it feels like a calling that has quietly guided my life.

At the heart of everything I do is a simple desire. I want people to remember themselves. I want them to reconnect to a sense of self love, to their dreams, to the part of them that feels inspired and lit from within.

All my life, I’ve noticed that I am happiest when I’m creating spaces for others to feel cared for, seen, and connected. It shows up in the smallest moments. Cooking a beautiful meal for people I love. Arranging flowers in my home. Setting a table that invites people to linger. And it shows up in the larger expressions too: designing environments, curating experiences, and bringing people together in meaningful ways.

Long ago, I was a clothing designer in Minneapolis. That chapter of my life was vibrant and creatively fulfilling. I fell in love with textiles. The feel of fabric in my hands. The interplay of shapes and color. The endless possibility of creating something from nothing. There was something magical about designing pieces that made women feel confident, expressive, and alive in their bodies.

That thread, helping people feel good in their own skin, carried me into my next chapter as a yoga teacher.

For over twenty years, I taught thousands of classes, and what moved me most was not just the practice itself, but what it opened up in people. I witnessed women and men soften, become more present, more accepting, more connected to themselves. There is something incredibly powerful about being in a space where you feel seen without needing to perform.

During that time, I also took on one of my most beloved creative projects. Transforming a run down space into a light filled yoga studio. It had tall ceilings, beautiful natural light, and a peaceful, almost sacred energy. It became a gathering place. Not just for movement, but for connection and transformation.

To this day, I still receive notes from former students telling me how much that space meant to them. That it changed something in their lives. That it stayed with them.

Those messages mean everything to me.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what I’ve always been creating. Not just beautiful things, but meaningful experiences that linger.

My dream of leading retreats in Italy began quietly in 2009, like a whisper I couldn’t ignore. There was something about Italy, the light, the art, the rhythm of life, the way beauty is woven into the everyday, that spoke directly to my soul.

In 2014, I hosted my first retreat at an ancient castle, and something clicked into place. It felt like all the threads of my life, design, yoga, hospitality, beauty, connection, came together in one seamless expression.

Since then, I’ve continued to design my retreats using the same guiding principles that have shaped everything I create.

Beautiful, natural environments that allow people to exhale

Soulful, delicious food that nourishes and brings joy

A sense of embodied presence, slowing down and tuning in

Laughter, lightness, and ease

Spaces where people feel seen, included, and cared for

The quiet magic of flora and fauna, of place and season

Connection to self, to others, to something deeper

And above all, a feeling of joy

These are not just retreats. They are magical gatherings. They are experiences of being held in beauty.

It is my deep calling to create these kinds of spaces in Italy. To bring people into environments where something softens, opens, and remembers.

And truly, it is an honor every single time.

I’m so glad you’re here.

And I would love to meet you there.

Ciao for now,

Jane ✨