Sunflower Retreats Holidays was founded in 1998 by Lucy Bremner and Alan Scheda. Alan is from Casperia, a beautiful medieval hilltop village in central Italy's Sabina area, one hour north of Rome and Lucy, born in London, a holistic practioner since 1984 and Yoga teacher, met in the UK in 1994 while Alan was studying in university. The couple travelled together to Alan's home in Casperia regularly, before deciding to move to Italy and create Sunflower Retreats in 1998. The couple had a love for yoga, for nature and for Italy. Combining Casperia's beautiful unspoilt natural and historic surroundings with Yoga and the holistic, seemed a perfect combination, so Sunflower Retreats was born and has been running now for nearly 8 years.
Sunflower Retreats, the first yoga holiday company of its kind in Italy, is based around health and relaxation, good food, Italian culture, eco-tourism and nature. Through the different activities that are organised such as the morning daily yoga class, excursions to sulphur baths and wild hot springs, a wide range of holistic treatments from aromatherapy to La Stone, guided walks in the Sabina mountains and horseriding they offer each guest a historic cultural experience while staying in an Italian medieval village alongside local people, as well as offering a journey into the self through yoga, relaxation and wellbeing treatments.
The company also has a strong eco-tourism policy. Using local houses for their accommodations, they work with the villagers and employ local people in order to enhance the local economy and integrate the concept of eco-tourism into the culture of Sabina. Alan and Lucy say Sunflower Retreats has, in some ways, brought the village alive again. "By bringing our visitors, locals now realise that it is a place worth looking after. Around 7 years ago local people did not take an interest in the village. Young people were leaving. Over the last 7 years the local council and community have began to invest in the village , restoring properties and keeping the village clean, this is largely to do with all of the international visitors Sunflower reatreats have brought."
Alan designed walking routes in the countryside around Casperia and presented them to the local council and they have now been created by international students from ONLOS, an international volunteers association providing work force for the enviroment and social need. "With all this we helped the council of Casperia to be awarded with the Bandiera Arancione which is a recognised award from the Touring Club Italia. This is only given to places which have preserved the nature and announced the historical side and have a eco tourism structure. By Sunflower Retreats working in towards eco tourism or responsible tourism we are able to guide local people towards responsible tourism development."
Sunflower's aim is for its visitors to enjoy an authentic Italian village lifestyle and benefit from a truly holistic and spiritual experience, as well as working with the community of Casperia to preserve the natural beauty of the area. Sunflower's new venture, a Lounge Café offering traditional local food and wine, will enable them to go further in bringing the local people and visitors from abroad together. Here foreigners and locals alike can sit, listen to music, play cards and enjoy the traditional local food specialities and wine.