Behind Lucca's Walls

We’ll head into charming Lucca, a small city that feels like a secret gem tucked into northern Tuscany. Still encircled by its broad Renaissance walls, the town is known for its cobblestone lanes, leafy promenades, and a skyline dotted with medieval towers. We’ll step into the Palazzo Mansi, a Baroque palace where frescoed halls and historic textiles tell stories of Lucca’s past as a wealthy silk center. Afterwards, we’ll pause for lunch in town, savoring the easy rhythm of Tuscan life. The afternoon will be ours to enjoy—whether strolling along the tree-lined walls, browsing artisan shops, or simply people-watching in a lively piazza over an espresso. In the evening, we’ll return to our Villa before heading out for an “apericena” - a relaxed Tuscan tradition somewhere between aperitivo and dinner, with wine, small plates, and good conversation. If the Luccan scheduling gods are with us, we may be able to attend a Puccini concert, a moving tribute to the composer who was born here in Lucca.

Fabrics Old and New

After breakfast, we’ll set out for Prato, long celebrated as the textile heart of Italy. At the Textile Museum, we’ll trace the story of cloth through centuries—medieval silks, Renaissance brocades, and the innovations that fueled the city’s prosperity. We’ll discover how Prato is shaping the future with recycled yarns and sustainable production, an inspiring glimpse of tradition meeting renewal. Before we leave, we’ll gather the threads of our own story by creating a personalized kit—with yarns spun especially for us and paired with an original design to take home. Back at the villa, we’ll have time to admire our treasures and perhaps even cast on our first stitches in the shaded courtyard, or cozy sitting rooms.

Workshop and Woodcraft

The morning will be devoted to a knitting workshop led by Hailey at the villa, where bright rooms and garden terraces will hum with quiet creativity. After a home-cooked lunch, and if scheduling allows, we’ll meet a skilled olive-wood artisan who transforms this humble local resource into polished treasures. If not, instead we’ll enjoy an olive oil tasting, another way of savoring the fruits of the Tuscan land. By evening, we’ll return to the villa for time to wander the gardens, or simply settle in with stitches and stories.

Marble and Meadows

We’ll journey north to the Carrara quarries, where dazzling white marble has been extracted since Roman times and carved into masterpieces by the likes of Michelangelo. The scale of the quarries, carved deep into the mountains, will remind us how profoundly Tuscany’s landscape has shaped its art. After a pause by the Ligurian coast, we’ll head inland to a sheep farm, where we’ll meet the flock and learn how wool is tended with care for both animals and pasture. As dusk falls, we’ll return to the villa one last time, enjoying its familiar comforts before we move on to the next chapter of our journey.

Goats, Cashmere & Florence by Night

We’ll bid farewell to the villa and wind into the Chianti hills, where gentle slopes are dotted with vineyards and olive groves. Here we’ll meet the goats that provide Tuscany’s rarest fiber—cashmere—and learn how careful stewardship of land and animals makes it possible. A rustic farm lunch will give us time to savor the scenery before we travel on to Florence. After settling into our city-center hotel, we’ll join local knitters for an evening stitch gathering in a restored cloister, where contemporary Tuscan yarns will be on display with a sustainable twist.

Leather, Landmarks and Farewell Toasts

Our morning will begin in a Florentine workshop, where we’ll try our hand at leather crafting—a tradition that has thrived here since the Renaissance. After a countryside lunch, we’ll return to Florence for an afternoon walking tour, uncovering both the famous landmarks and the hidden corners that bring the city to life. As evening falls, we’ll raise a glass together at a cozy wine bar before sharing a farewell dinner in a traditional osteria—toasting not only Tuscany, but the green threads that connect its past and future.

Arrivederci!

We’ll say our goodbyes and depart at leisure. Some of us will linger in Florence for one last museum visit or shopping stop, while others will head straight to the airport. Whatever our path, we’ll carry home the stitches of friendship, craft, and the memory of days spent at the villa in Tuscany’s heart.

Hailey, a professor of studio art, specializes in painting, printmaking, drawing, knitting, and crochet, and is currently based in Florence, Italy. From childhood, her artistic journey has been intertwined with the tactile allure of yarn crafts, working with yarn since she was 7 years old. Her true passion lies in transforming intricate designs into wearable pieces of art, crafted with simplicity and ease. She grew up in the United States, but has found her home in Tuscany. She is fluent in English and Italian, and she loves to share the rich and historic Italian culture around yarn and fabrics with others. When she’s not working or knitting/crocheting, she enjoys being in the outdoors, and exploring Italy in an attempt to try all of the different local cuisines. 

Sydney is a knitter, spinner, crocheter, dyer, and felter. She loves to explore how different local cultures work with fiber.  At one time Sydney managed Quail Hill Farm including sheep for fiber and meat as well as pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, too many cats and dogs, plus various types of poultry. She took her sheep wool from shearing to dying, using her own dye plants, to spinning to knitted garments.  Sydney grew up in NYC and Switzerland and is fluent in French, Italian, and German. She worked for many years as a French teacher and mentor in Waldorf Schools. Before that she worked as a financier on Wall Street and she now uses those skills for strategic planning at Rowan Tree.