DIGITAL DETOX RETREATS
Digital devices are the primary innovation of our age. If under this label we put computers, smartphones, and all the technology behind them, including internet and AI, it’s easy to see that the IT wave is gaining momentum by the hour, swiping away an entire way of life and many things we took for granted just a few years back.
On surface, the main change affects the way we communicate. But beneath this layer stands the very way we define ourselves, our values and emotions, needs and dramas.
Weather you see this global transition as positive or negative, weather you wish to alleviate stress or explore new life arrangements, taking a DD holiday with us will allow you to distance yourself from technology and all it involves, gaining perspective and developing tools to better manage your relationship with devices even when you can’t help using them.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
In our DD retreats you will be asked to hand us you mobile phone on arrival and put it in a common box. There it will stay locked for the entire duration of your stay. A landline is available at the premise, allowing you to reach and be reached by your relations in this limited way. Basically, that’s what mankind did until the mid-90s, and it didn’t use to scare us, did it?
ACCOMODATION
For all spring and summer 2024 Digital Detox retreats, our chosen location will be Casa Santicchio.
The Casa Santicchio Refuge is located within the Casentine Forests National Park, in the municipality of Chiusi della Verna, in the Arezzo province of Tuscany.
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![Casa Santicchio Refuge]()
We are on the slopes of Mount Penna, on the Via Romea di Stade, traveled in past centuries by countless pilgrims who, on their way to Rome, followed the paths from the Camaldoli Hermitage to the sanctuary of Chiusi della Verna, where Saint Francis lived for a long time and, according to Christian belief, received the stigmata.
The refuge lies in the midst of a broad network of ancient trails running along rivers, creeks, stone walls across a rich and varied vegetation.
Entering the Casentine forests is a unique, unforgettable experience. And on return from your journeys you’ll enjoy the pleasure of a simple and warm hospitality. Healthy, fresh, local food and wine, plus a Finnish wellness treatment including hot sauna and two larchwood bathtubs with hot/cold spring water.
WHAT DO WE DO ALL DAY?
I’d expect this question to be crossing your mind more than any other. That’s why I believe it requires a somewhat extensive answer, larger than the scope of this page. You may want to read about it in the dedicated article linked here.
For now, here’s a list of stuff that might happen in a typical RewildMe DD day.
Bare in mind that the following guidelines may vary at each single retreat depending on weather, number of participants and their individual needs, and the conductor’s insight about the general group ‘feeling’. This flexible attitude is consistent with our philosophy of finding ‘seriousness in playfulness’, that is always prioritizing fun to work, by creating a no-pressure environment where everyone feels free to let go. This is, in our belief, the only way really interesting things can happen.
Also remember that you’ll always be free to join any single activity or not, depending on your disposition, and you’ll be even encouraged to spend at least one day by yourself. Managing your lone time without devices is a crucial part of the detoxing process.
Don’t worry though, our main goal and reason to be here is to have A HELL OF A GOOD TIME!
WHAT TO BRING
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR LOG-OFF
The biggest issue for people taking a DD is dealing with their temporary vanishing from the digital sphere. It’s mostly a feeling, an imaginary fear some major event may take place while we’re away, and we’ll be cut off from it. Or somebody might search us and get insanely worried about us as we don’t instantly reply….. Get yourself together! Ultimately, you’ll only be away for a week: chances are no-one will even notice you’re missing…..;)
There are, though, a few practicalities to consider. You NEED to inform th people you’re responsible for in your family and at work about what you’re doing, so that you can put that thought aside and relax in your log off. The details of this task may vary widely, dependingo on individual lifestyle and commitments, so we may give you better support once you’ve enrolled.
On surface, the main change affects the way we communicate. But beneath this layer stands the very way we define ourselves, our values and emotions, needs and dramas.
Weather you see this global transition as positive or negative, weather you wish to alleviate stress or explore new life arrangements, taking a DD holiday with us will allow you to distance yourself from technology and all it involves, gaining perspective and developing tools to better manage your relationship with devices even when you can’t help using them.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
In our DD retreats you will be asked to hand us you mobile phone on arrival and put it in a common box. There it will stay locked for the entire duration of your stay. A landline is available at the premise, allowing you to reach and be reached by your relations in this limited way. Basically, that’s what mankind did until the mid-90s, and it didn’t use to scare us, did it?ACCOMODATION
For all spring and summer 2024 Digital Detox retreats, our chosen location will be Casa Santicchio.The Casa Santicchio Refuge is located within the Casentine Forests National Park, in the municipality of Chiusi della Verna, in the Arezzo province of Tuscany.
We are on the slopes of Mount Penna, on the Via Romea di Stade, traveled in past centuries by countless pilgrims who, on their way to Rome, followed the paths from the Camaldoli Hermitage to the sanctuary of Chiusi della Verna, where Saint Francis lived for a long time and, according to Christian belief, received the stigmata.
The refuge lies in the midst of a broad network of ancient trails running along rivers, creeks, stone walls across a rich and varied vegetation.
Entering the Casentine forests is a unique, unforgettable experience. And on return from your journeys you’ll enjoy the pleasure of a simple and warm hospitality. Healthy, fresh, local food and wine, plus a Finnish wellness treatment including hot sauna and two larchwood bathtubs with hot/cold spring water.
WHAT DO WE DO ALL DAY?
I’d expect this question to be crossing your mind more than any other. That’s why I believe it requires a somewhat extensive answer, larger than the scope of this page. You may want to read about it in the dedicated article linked here.For now, here’s a list of stuff that might happen in a typical RewildMe DD day.
Bare in mind that the following guidelines may vary at each single retreat depending on weather, number of participants and their individual needs, and the conductor’s insight about the general group ‘feeling’. This flexible attitude is consistent with our philosophy of finding ‘seriousness in playfulness’, that is always prioritizing fun to work, by creating a no-pressure environment where everyone feels free to let go. This is, in our belief, the only way really interesting things can happen.
Also remember that you’ll always be free to join any single activity or not, depending on your disposition, and you’ll be even encouraged to spend at least one day by yourself. Managing your lone time without devices is a crucial part of the detoxing process.
Don’t worry though, our main goal and reason to be here is to have A HELL OF A GOOD TIME!
- Wake up any time you want, but try to finish breakfast before 9 if you want to join the half-hour yoga practice at the pagoda. This will open your lungs and energize your body for the day, making it all come to life, like magic ;)
- Around 10:00 we leave the house for a walk in the woods. Every day we’ll explore a different path.
- By 12:30ish we’ll stop to have lunch in nature with the food we brought with us, rest, and by 14:00 we’ll start our return journey so that we’re back around 16:00. Consider these won’t be difficult hikes, as we’re crossing hills rather than mountains. Plus we won’t be walking all the time. On both journeys we’ll stop several times either to meditate in the woods, observe plants and wild animals, or gather material to make natural artwork in the late afternoon.
- After chilling out for an hour, around 17:00 we’ll engage in some group playtime. The proposed activities will draw from all analog arts - the theatrical, narrative, physical, visual... - in order to elicit and share feelings about what we’re experiencing together. These sessions may be either dynamic or static. For instance you’ll be invited to write a daily diary, that you may want to share (at your will) with the rest of us in the evening.
- Dinner will be served around 20:00, and the rest of the night will either be dedicated to free socialization, playing music, or more structured sessions of group discussion and sharing, artwork, soft massage, star gazing. If the weather is good as it usually is in summer, we may do all these things outdoors, and return to our beds around midnight or later.
WHAT TO BRING
- Comfortable, lightweight clothes for morning yoga practice.
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Comfortable, warmer clothes for evening meditation sessions in case it chills out.
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Comfortable hiking clothes, including long and short trousers.
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Hiking boots.
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River shoes if you have them (five fingers are ideal, but other models will do).
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Small backpack for hikes.
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Wide and thick blanket for pick-nick and other practices in nature.
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Pocket knife and shears for nature work.
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Water flask.
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Torchlight (headlamp).
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A pair of tough gloves.
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Sunscreen
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Insect repellent
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Biodegradable wet wipes
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Sun hat/cap
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Bathing custom
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Any kind of medication you are prescribed or believe may be good to have handy.
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A blank diary.
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Your favorite writing and drawing tools.
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1-3 books of your choice.
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Feel free to bring any analog item you may have carried with you for a holiday in nature back in the ’80 ;) - Alarm clock, camera (with film), radio, binocular, compass… (no digital equipment will be allowed)
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR LOG-OFF
The biggest issue for people taking a DD is dealing with their temporary vanishing from the digital sphere. It’s mostly a feeling, an imaginary fear some major event may take place while we’re away, and we’ll be cut off from it. Or somebody might search us and get insanely worried about us as we don’t instantly reply….. Get yourself together! Ultimately, you’ll only be away for a week: chances are no-one will even notice you’re missing…..;)There are, though, a few practicalities to consider. You NEED to inform th people you’re responsible for in your family and at work about what you’re doing, so that you can put that thought aside and relax in your log off. The details of this task may vary widely, dependingo on individual lifestyle and commitments, so we may give you better support once you’ve enrolled.