A Restored Monastery in Umbria, Italy — The Setting

Set in the mountains of Umbria, this restored monastery is a place where centuries of history meet the simplicity and comfort of everyday life.

I bought the property over a decade ago. She had no roof, just a great hole open to the sky. The building had been altered in the 1970s and subsequently left to deteriorate.

The restoration took 18 months. The roof and substantial parts of the structure were rebuilt. Modern comforts were introduced, including bathrooms and a kitchen, while preserving the original architectural features and character of the building.

This was never designed to be a retreat venue. It is a home, carefully restored and lived in, which now provides the setting for Healing Trauma Retreats.

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Watch a short walk through San Flaviano (2:53)

The monastery looks out across the Sibillini mountains — one of the most striking landscapes in Italy.

The white marble portico leading to the steps into the gard.en at San Flaviano

Frescos inside the yoga space at San Flaviano

San Flaviano mezzanine bathroom with hand made wooden bathtub.

Fully furnhed bathroom with stone walls, hight beamed ceiling is inside the church at the monastery.

A Place with History

The oldest part of the monastery dates back to the 8th or 9th century. What is now the sitting room, with its open fireplace and original baptismal font, was once the entire church.

In the 15th century, a larger church was built alongside it, and its original frescoes can still be seen today.

That church itself stands on the site of a much older temple, dating back to around 750 BC. The stonework remains visible.

For over a thousand years, people have gathered here — for births, marriages, funerals, and ordinary life.

Local historians record that both St Benedict and St Francis of Assisi retreated at San Flaviano, drawn to this landscape for solitude and contemplation.

A quiet place where small groups of women come for deep therapeutic work, rest, and careful support.

Sun flowers blooming in the fileds around San Flaviano

Sibillini Mountains overlooked by san Flaviano

Welcome drinks at Healing Trauma retreat

9C baptism font San Flaviano sitting room

The Land

The ancient Umbrian monastery sits at 850 metres sits at 850 metres, within 10 acres of private land in a protected woodland of 150,000 acres.

It looks out across the Sibillini mountains — one of the most striking landscapes in Italy.

There is no noise pollution. No light pollution.
The water comes from a natural spring beneath the house.

The oldest part of the building dates back to the 8th or 9th century.
What is now the sitting room — with its open fire and original baptismal font — was once the entire church.

In the 15th century, a larger church was built beside it, still holding its original frescoes.

That church itself stands on the site of a much older temple, dating back to around 750 BC. The stonework remains visible.

For over a thousand years, people have gathered here — for births, marriages, funerals, and ordinary life.

Local historians record that both St Benedict and St Francis of Assisi retreated at San Flaviano, drawn to this landscape for solitude and contemplation.

Viktoria teaching yoga inside San Flaviano monastery Umbria Italy

Eszterb giving a somatic therapy workshop inside the church of San Flaviano during Trauma retreat for woamen, Italy

Tess Hunneybell relaxing on a chaise on teh alter of San Flaviano during trauma retreat for women, Italy.

Tess teaching boundaries at trauma retreat for women, Italy

Eszter giving refelxology to guest in the gardens of San Flaviano during trauma retreat for women, Italy

Lunch time fun with Tess at trauma retreat for women, Italy

Viki giving holistic aromatherapy massage on the portico of San Flaviano during trauma retreat for women

Yoga session during trauma retreat for woman inside San Flaviano.

Dinner under the stars at San Flaviano during trauma retreat for woman Italy

The Atmosphere

There is a quality to the place that is difficult to describe but immediately felt.

People settle quickly.
They feel safe here.

A Lived Place

This is my home. It is not a hotel, and it is not a styled or curated retreat venue.

This house has been used as a place of retreat for centuries, and that continuity still shapes how it is lived in now.

The atmosphere is simple and unforced. There is no expectation to perform, dress up, or be anything other than as you are. The rooms are private, quiet, and designed for rest.

Over the course of the week, people begin to use the house naturally. The kitchen is open. You can make tea, sit by the fire, or take time alone in the garden. Some wrap themselves in blankets and sit outside at night, watching the sky over the mountains.

Everything in the house is chosen for how it feels to live with — natural materials, practical objects, things that are used rather than displayed.

What people often notice is the ease of being here. There is very little effort required. The space does not ask anything of you.

San Flaviano Umbria Italy has been a place of gathering for over a thousand years. That continuity is still felt.

Your Stay

This is my home, and it is lived in as one.

Everything you might need is here — not as a hotel would provide, but as a home does. Towels, books, and the small practical things you reach for without thinking.

You are invited to use the space as it is — to settle, to rest, and to be here fully.

Many women return because something about this place stays with them.