Rich Roll - The Plantpower Way: Italia: Delicious Vegan Recipes from the Italian Countryside: A Cookbook

One glorious Italian morning, I set up my yoga mat in the middle of some ancient ruins on one of the highest mountains on the Amalfi coast. It was destined to be the most epic practice. The view from there was mind-blowing and the energy ancient.

Focused on my internal energy with my eyes closed, I flowed through the asanas, feeling the life force reawaken my body with its pranic source. When I opened my eyes momentarily, I saw that a group of local villagers had come down to the park to watch me practice. Here, pausing in downward dog, I surveyed them from my inverted, upside-down view. Then, I considered my options. Either I could stop and slink out, apologizing for my trespass, or I could stay the course and commit mindfully to my practice in spite of the distraction. I chose to stay the yogi courseI closed my eyes and continued on.

Moving with one breath, one movement, I made my way through the postures, finally coming to rest in childs pose. After a few rejuvenating breaths, I rolled up to an easy seated position. Blinking my eyes, I surveyed my surroundings again and noticed that the park had cleared completely except for one single man. He was an elderly huomo, upward of eighty years or so. Sitting on a park bench with both hands resting on his cane, he had been patiently waiting for me to finish. I smiled at the relic beauty of his stonelike chiseled form. He was sporting just the right combination of Italian fashion with his yellow cashmere vest and plaid driving cap. Shyly, I managed a muffled attempt at a greeting in my broken Italian. Que bella, I said, as I gazed out at arguably the most beautiful ocean view on Earth. At first, he didnt reply, but then after a poignant pause, as if to emphasize his actions, he started to rise. He creaked and wobbled himself erect, steadied himself on his cane, and shuffled over to me with steady aim. His wrinkled and weathered palm turned upward and extended toward me like an offering. Unsure of his motives and what was happening, I sheepishly placed my hand in his. He squeezed it firmly as if to say, Pay attention, and stared into my eyes with intense connection. His smile broke open wide, revealing a toothless cave. Bowing his head in devotion to me and in that perfectly charismatic Italian way, he kissed my hand with all the feeling of amore that Italians are famous for. Then he turned and shuffled out of the park.

I never forgot that moment. I considered it a truly defining moment in my lifeone when my course shifted and a new path began to unfold before me. Looking back, it was as though Italy was speaking to me, telling me that a love affair Id never experienced before awaited me there. In the years since, I have indeed fallen in love with Italy: her people, her land, and her food.

For the next eight years, I brought groups to a magnificent borgo called Iesolana, nestled in the heart of the magical countryside of Tuscany. Iesolana sits on two hundred acres of gorgeous landscape located between Siena and Florence and is a family-owned historic villa managed by the proprietary Florentine brothers, Giovanni and Francesco Toscano. Surrounded by rolling hills and lavender fields, when you visit, you feel as if this is the only place on Earth.

Even though there wasnt a lot of structure to the retreats I led in those years, practicing yoga twice a day in the beautiful rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside catalyzed deep connection and joy. Italy is a place pregnant with life and history, and it is a wonderful place for self-discovery. I collected deep friendships during those trips, and the experience kept giving in ways that I could not have seen from the start. Giovanni and Francesco also became like my own brothers, and it felt like a family reunion of the best kind seeing them every year.

With those memories still in my heart, Rich and I saw an opportunity to return to hosting retreats, but this time wed marry them with our work around sustainability and food. We decided to offer plant-based retreats devoted to sharing our passion for health and wellness in exotic places in the world. Our mission is not only to transform and inspire those who wish to join us on the journey but to learn from the region we visit and make an impact too. Culinary collaboration and exchange is our goal, and our hope is to leave each place we go with a new way to approach food.