inspiring,

RELAXING & 
NOURISHING

This is your invitation to a 6-night/7-day creativity retreat in Sardinia, Italy, Sept 12-18, 2026.

We have an extraordinary week planned at this absolute gem of a location on the Mediterranean that you do not want to miss.

Are you drooling, yet, just thinking about slowing down and spending this kind of relaxing, inspiring, nourishing week in Sardinia with us?

creative, funny, warm

& WELCOMING HOSTS

If you've been craving a getaway with creative, funny, warm & welcoming hosts and a lovely group of fun-loving people... in Italy, then put down that biscotto and save your spot before they all book up (because our retreats fill up faster than a Ferrari).

picture yourself

WAKING UP HERE...

for a relaxing, fulfilling and soul nourishing week. 

If our last two retreats in Sardinia are any indication, you'll never want to leave this dreamy setting or this lovely group of people. 

Meditative

WATERCOLOR WORKSHOPS

During the retreat week, mindful watercolor artist Katie White will guide you through a daily art practice that blends breathing with brushstrokes.

Think of it as playing with paint -- not wrestling with your inner critic. You don't need any experience to enjoy these workshops.

This is the digital detox you’ve been craving, the creative pause that takes up little time, but has a big impact on your wellbeing. 

It’s the kind of simple and soulful hobby you’ll want to bring home with you.

Whether you’re a seasoned watercolorist or a total beginner, this retreat is for you to remember what wonder feels like, to settle into the present moment, and to remind yourself of the simple pleasure of making something purely for the joy of the process. 

artsy 

TRAVEL JOURNALING

You can also travel through the paintbox of Sardinia with travel art journaling where the turquoise ocean and pastel sky practically begs for its own hue.

All of our retreats include our signature art kit and our gorgeous workbook with guidance for capturing and elevating the meaningful moments in your travels in a creative way. 

No experience needed. Start wherever you are. This is an artful reminder just for you of how good (and easy) it is to play in the paintbox. 

mindful

PHOTOGRAPHY

In Lizzie's mindful and creative iPhone photography workshops, you'll learn how to be more curious, present, joyful and in awe more often, all life skills that you will definitely want to use long after you return home. And who doesn't want to know how to work all those camera buttons and features on an iphone?

This is the art of capturing everyday moments in the most creative and accessible way.

Get ready to see your everyday life through a new lens. No experience needed (and every workshop is optional). 

perfectionism

CAN TAKE THE WEEK OFF

We’re not here to make you feel like you’re back in art class — fumbling with charcoal or fifteen confusing camera buttons.

There’s no judgment here, and you’re not allowed to judge yourself either (perfectionists and inner critics, consider this your week off).

Let loose, rediscover your creative spark, and dig out that playful, joyful part of you that gets buried under to-do lists.

It’s creativity on your terms — zero judgment, plenty of inspiration, and (fingers crossed) your phone on do not disturb mode. 

the art of slowing

DOWN AND SAVORING...

You'll be fluent in the art of slowing down and savoring by the end of this retreat with plenty of downtime for il dolce far niente (translation: the sweetness of doing absolutely nothing!). Because who wouldn't want to spend plenty of downtime by the water in this setting?

While the relaxation of most vacations rubs off at the airport returning home, at this retreat, you'll learn the creative wellbeing tips to thrive long after you're back to the busyness of daily life. 

sail along

THE SCENIC ISLAND OF SARDINIA

along with daily yoga, an Italian cooking class, wine tasting & more.

Beautiful experiences will be brought right to our door with a flavorful cooking class at the villa with our private chef, wine tasting, daily gentle yoga classes and maybe a few saucy Italian vocabulary lessons just for fun (all included).

While it's tempting to never leave our gorgeous villa, we will enjoy a beautiful boat ride along the rocky cliffs and calm seas of gorgeous Sardinia. The water is bluer than you've ever seen! And, of course, the boat practically comes right to our door too as it picks us up right at the beach where our villa is located.

There is also an optional add on horseback ride overlooking the beach that will be arranged during the week.

There's plenty of time for beach walking, swimming, paddle boarding, hiking or shopping in the nearby swanky beach town. Or skip the extras and just enjoy our favorite Italian activity: il dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) as you lounge by the water. 

Daily Gentle Yoga

IS INCLUDED

Everything is optional, the only requirement is to ENJOY YOURSELF!

Do a little or a lot, enjoy the workshops and activities or let yourself get some rest and relaxation, master that art of doing nothing or don't miss out on a thing.

This retreat is your own masterpiece.

Nothing is mandatory, everything is optional and the only requirement is that you nourish and enjoy yourself (which shouldn't be very difficult in this gorgeous setting).

a private chef,

an Italian wine tasting evening, a delicious wood-fired pizza party on the patio & an Italian cooking class + fantastic chef prepared meals every day. 

Because what would a week in Italy be without the most delicious local flavors? 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included in the retreat along with nightly wines and aperitivi.

buon appetito!

Lunch and dinner are beautifully prepared by our private chef at La Belle Etoile.

There's even cooking class planned for one of our evenings and an outdoor forno brick oven pizza gathering planned (probably not the vacation to cut out carbs!). 

With over 1100 miles of coastline, Sardinia is a stunning island in the Mediterranean Sea, just off of mainland of Italy. 

It has some of the best beaches in the world, but also mountains, quaint villages, interesting archaelogical sites and water sports galore!

September is a GORGEOUS time of year to visit Sardinia, as the weather is great, the water is inviting and the summer crowds won't be there. 

Katie

WHITE

Meditative Watercolor Artist, Creative Guide

Katie White is a fine art watercolor artist whose work has a habit of making people exhale. Before becoming a full-time artist, she spent years as an elementary school art teacher, where some of her wisest mentors were roughly five-10 years old. They reminded her daily to enjoy the process, worry less about the outcome, and celebrate a paint experiment like it’s a major life event. Those tiny humans nudged her back to her own creative instincts long after her art degree had gone dormant opening her up to this mindful process that has taken her down the path of the extraordinary artist she is today.

Katie’s artwork is carried by Pottery Barn, Serena and Lily, Ballard Designs, and the Palm Beach Artist Collective. When she’s not teaching or traveling for retreats, you can find her painting in her sunny Florida studio or showing work in galleries, boutiques and luxury interiors throughout the area. She also teaches meditative watercolor workshops online, in her home studio and to her 100,000 + Instagram community.

Her teaching style is calm-meets-play: gentle, spacious, welcoming. She creates environments where your perfectionism gets escorted out the door and your nervous system finally gets a chance to unclench.

Whether you’re a seasoned painter or someone who hasn’t picked up a brush since your own elementary school days, Katie helps you return to creativity and freshen up your practice in a way that feels grounding, enjoyable, and wonderfully pressure-free.

Through her paintings and her presence, Katie’s mission is simple: to help people notice the quiet beauty in front of them, reconnect with that creative part of themselves they thought they lost, and let art become a small daily act of self-expression and creative self-care.

Lizzie

LAROCK 

Lizzie Larock is a writer, photographer, and positive psychology–based coach who helps people snap out of autopilot and start living like they mean it. She’s worked with everyone from CEOs and lawyers to wild adolescents and skeptical accountants—proving that creativity isn’t just for “artsy” types. (Yes, even you with the spreadsheet.)

Her fine-art photography has been featured in galleries — she shoots almost everything on her iPhone, which is either wildly impressive or mildly infuriating to anyone hauling around a big fancy camera (don’t worry, she has those too). Through her signature Life Feast mashup of curiosity, awe, mindfulness, and photography, Lizzie helps people see the world—and their own lives—through a whole new lens.

On this retreat, you’ll probably catch her photographing doorways, shadows and all kinds of unexpected subjects reminding you that the tiny details of life are often the most extraordinary. Long live the #CeilingSelfie!

As co-founder of Art of Life Creativity Retreats, she’s led over 200 travelers on creative adventures around the globe. This will be her 3rd retreat in Sardinia. 

Lizzie adores Italy, and considers herself a lifelong pizzatarian with a love of homemade pasta being a very close second in her well-fed heart!  

Torre Delle

STELLE HISTORY

In 1963, Edith Pelgrims de Bigard from Belgium discovered a little fishing town. She fell in love with the crystal clear waters and serenity of the bay, and decided to build her new home there. 

She bought the two bays and surrounding land and named the town ‘Torre Delle Stelle’ (‘Tower of the Stars’). She built the roads and put in the electrical and water system that helped shape the area. 

Torre Delle Stelle (Tower of the Stars) has become a charming holiday escape surrounded by 2 sandy beaches. It's nestled between the crystal clear sea and the surrounding hills of Sardinia. The town has a few restaurants and a cute church. It's known as a beautiful, quaint summer village in between the capital city of Cagliari and the vacation town of Villasimius. Its ideal location makes it a respite from the hustle and bustle of busier areas. 

Keeping with the celestial theme, the roads in Torre Delle Stelle are all named after constellations.

In her favorite spot in the bay of Gennemari, Edith decided to build Villa La Belle Etoile (‘The Beautiful Star’ in French).

Villa La

BELLE ETOILE

56 years later, Villa La Belle Etoile is still family owned and managed by Edith's granddaughter whose passion for the island of Sardinia, its culture, arts and people shines through every welcoming detail.

It is a unique villa under many aspects: right in front of a golden sandy beach, with a private infinity edge swimming pool overlooking the turquoise sea, surrounded by a lush and verdant garden and walking distance to restaurants and parks.

The villa, with its suites, alcoves, and creatively themed roomss, is perfectly suited for our Art of Life Creativity Retreat!

We chose the month of May for our retreat to avoid the summer crowds while immersing ourselves in the temperate weather and Villa La Belle Etoile's beautiful May flowers!

it's the perfect villa

for our Art of Life retreat!