Florence’ Amerigo Vespucci airport and Pisa’s Toscana airport and are both in easy reach of Florence.  Public transport links from both airports to Florence Central Railway station.

Florence’ Amerigo Vespucci Airport is just 4 km from the city centre. Easy to reach by bus, taxi or train.
A taxi direct to the venue is a convenient option. Otherwise take public transport to Florence Central Railway station. It is then a 15-20 mins walk or short taxi-ride to our venue.
Public transport from Florence airport: The shuttle bus, named ‘Volainbus’ takes you to Firenze Central Railway Station. Cost € 6.00 (one way) or € 10 (return ticket). Tickets can be bought on board or in advance from newspaper stands. Departs every half hour.
The new railway line T2 Vespucci connects the Central Train Station to the Vespucci airport. Cost €1,50. Tickets from the automatic vending machines at every stop and must be validated on the train.

We say – the best of all three and a real blend. Similar in nature to ‘cultural holidays’ offered elsewhere, where lectures by specialist experts combine with the ‘holiday’ element of immersion in the local culture, sights, sounds and places of special interest relevant to the theme in hand.

We welcome participants of all faiths and none.  Dante’s Divine Comedy sits within a Christian framework, yet with pre-Christian influences including classical literature, mythology, astrology and more.  The Enneagram similarly offers a spiritual pathway and attracts people of different faiths, yet without alignment to any one.

No problem!  Past participants have found the week a wonderful first encounter.

We’ve had several advanced students of Dante in the past, who absolutely loved the week and the fresh insights it brought.

A traditional Italian building, formerly a convent, with elegant proportions and frescoes in a number of rooms, from our lecture theatre space to the bedrooms.

Spend your early morning in the Casa’s elegant courtyard garden. Join a gentle and meditative pre-breakfast Tai Chi/Qi Gong session if you wish.  After breakfast, come to the spacious group room, perhaps for an arrival meditation, followed by a lecture-style presentation, poetry readings and more.  Take part in a small group discussion to explore how the material touches you and your own life experience.  Break for refreshments in an adjacent, elegantly proportioned room overlooking the Plaza. After continuing the morning in the group room, take a stroll, find a sandwich or join a friend in a local café for lunch.  Each day there’s something scheduled in the beautiful Florentine surroundings. Early in the week, for example, a visit to Dante’s house for example.  Return for a late afternoon session 4-6pm.  Evenings are free for you to spend as you wish, opting in to a small group restaurant bookings if you’d like to.  Each day is structured slightly differently, so this is just a flavour.

There is a lift in the Casa enabling level access to bedrooms and group lecture room.  But doorways and equally ancient uneven cobbled streets mean wheelchair access is limited.  To take part in guided walks you need to be able to walk and remain standing for a couple of hours: you may choose to do just part of the one longer tour.

The Casa breakfast team are used to catering for a wide range of dietary requirements provided you keep them well informed.  We will also ensure the group meal later in the week is suited to your needs.

Good public transport links with Florence Central Railway station.  From there, it’s a 15-20 mins walk or short taxi-ride to our venue.
Bus and train options exist.  Buses are very frequent and once on board, the journey takes around one hour.
Excellent information on public transport links here: http://www.pisa-airport.com/en/the-passengers/transport/bus.html

In previous years 25-30 people. Venue size is the key factor and we limit numbers in order to keep the group small enough to be informal and friendly.

All over the world! In the past, Italy, France, Greece, UK, New Zealand, Australia, US East & West Coasts, Korea and beyond.

English is used throughout, with some spoken Italian to help us appreciate Dante’s poetry in the mother tongue. You need a reasonably good understanding of English to get the most from the week.

We move through the three chapters of the Divine Comedy, beginning in the ‘dark wood’ and (1) entering the Inferno and descending its depths, (2) experiencing Purgatory and finally (3) rising through Paradise.   You can follow the story as a member of the audience, watching it unfold.  Or if you prefer, you can engage more fully, with a depth of experience to match the poetic and spiritual potential at hand. We encourage you to follow your own heart and preference, while supporting the level of work that feels right for you.

A basic level of Enneagram knowledge will enhance your experience of the trip.  Consider visiting www.enneagramworldwide.com or asking us for advice on reading/audio materials.
We will offer an Enneagram introduction on the afternoon of Monday 1 June, if there are a number of newcomers booking.

Experienced Enneagram advocates have found it fascinating week. This includes a number of highly regarded teachers on the international Enneagram circuit.

Most are newly modernized.  Generally far more spacious than you’d normally find.  Where bathrooms are not en suite they are adjacent and for your sole use. People who wouldn’t choose normally this arrangement have been pleasantly surprised at how well it works.

Each day there is an hour or so for lunch and an afternoon break at some point.  You can take time out of the programme to rest and restore if need be: we ask only that tell us.

Many people have taken part without knowing any one else before they arrived: all have said how much they enjoyed it.  Sharing a table and good conversation with others is very much part of the Italian experience! There’s no pressure to stay in the group for evening meals, but no one is left to eat alone unless they choose to.

It can add to your enjoyment if you read The Divine Comedy in advance, although far from essential. We’ve enjoyed the recent Clive James edition (2015).
The BBC audible download ‘Divine Comedy’ is a dramatization well worth listening to (and much quicker than the read!).