10 to 16 May
Piedmont, Italy
The Heart of OPUNTIA
4 Ways to Gather
Every ŌPUNTIA gathering shares the same restorative foundation. What changes is the way each gathering invites you to learn, make, experience or inquire.
01
Knowledge Gatherings
Understand a subject from the inside.
A Knowledge Gathering centres on deep, expert-led learning. Someone who has spent years inside a subject shares what they know through teaching, observation, conversation and, where useful, hands-on practice. You stay with one focused area long enough for knowledge to become usable, something you can apply independently, continue at home and pass on.
Explore Knowledge Gatherings02
Practical Gatherings
Learn through making.
A Practical Gathering shifts the emphasis from listening to doing. An expert demonstrates a craft or process, then you learn through your hands: making, adjusting, repeating and understanding why each step matters. You leave with something you have created, but more importantly with a technique you can reproduce, refine and share long after the gathering.
Explore Practical Gatherings03
Sensorial Gatherings
Let the body lead.
A Sensorial Gathering uses direct experience as the way in. Through water, warmth, food, scent, touch, movement, sound, silence, darkness and the natural elements, you explore what helps you slow down, become present and feel more deeply in your body. Guided experiences help you discover practices you can return to in ordinary life, without needing the retreat around you.
Explore Sensorial Gatherings04
Deeper Questions Gatherings
Make room for what has no easy answer.
A Deeper Questions Gathering gives rare subjects the time and seriousness they seldom receive in everyday life. You learn from someone with deep experience, study or practice in one particular field, surrounded by others who share a genuine curiosity about it. Questions are welcome, but the centre of gravity is transmission rather than debate: listening closely, going further and gaining access to knowledge that may otherwise be difficult to encounter.
Explore Deeper Questions Gatherings01
Knowledge Gatherings
Understand a subject from the inside.
A Knowledge Gathering centres on deep, expert-led learning. Someone who has spent years inside a subject shares what they know through teaching, observation, conversation and, where useful, hands-on practice. You stay with one focused area long enough for knowledge to become usable, something you can apply independently, continue at home and pass on.
Explore Knowledge Gatherings→03
Sensorial Gatherings
Let the body lead.
A Sensorial Gathering uses direct experience as the way in. Through water, warmth, food, scent, touch, movement, sound, silence, darkness and the natural elements, you explore what helps you slow down, become present and feel more deeply in your body. Guided experiences help you discover practices you can return to in ordinary life, without needing the retreat around you.
Explore Sensorial Gatherings→02
Practical Gatherings
Learn through making.
A Practical Gathering shifts the emphasis from listening to doing. An expert demonstrates a craft or process, then you learn through your hands: making, adjusting, repeating and understanding why each step matters. You leave with something you have created, but more importantly with a technique you can reproduce, refine and share long after the gathering.
Explore Practical Gatherings→04
Deeper Questions Gatherings
Make room for what has no easy answer.
A Deeper Questions Gathering gives rare subjects the time and seriousness they seldom receive in everyday life. You learn from someone with deep experience, study or practice in one particular field, surrounded by others who share a genuine curiosity about it. Questions are welcome, but the centre of gravity is transmission rather than debate: listening closely, going further and gaining access to knowledge that may otherwise be difficult to encounter.
Explore Deeper Questions Gatherings→The Founding Collection
4 gatherings taking shape for 2027
4 gatherings are currently taking shape. Each has a defined theme, place and intended dates, while the programme, venue partnerships and final details continue to be carefully developed.
Founding Gathering · 01
Knowledge
Taking Shape
Vegetable Fermentation
Spring 2027
8 to 12 guests
Learn to turn seasonal vegetables into a pantry that lasts far beyond the harvest. Understand the principles of fermentation, preserve food with confidence, and fill your shelves with flavourful, nourishing staples made by your own hands - food you understand, trust and can share with the people you love.
More From The Founding Collection
Sensorial
Taking Shape
Silence & Water
Lombardy, Italy
14 to 20 June 2027
8 to 12 guests
No talking. No screens. Six days shaped by water, warmth, taste, touch, movement and stillness - a quiet sensory journey back into the body and the present moment. Guided practices help you discover what brings you into steadiness, safety and deep presence, so you leave not only restored, but with ways of returning there again on your own.
Practical
Taking Shape
Botanical Beauty: Skin, Hair & Scent
South of France
12 to 18 July 2027
8 to 12 guests
Turn plant oils, waxes, herbs and aromatic extracts into skincare, hair care, soap, body oils and scent that are entirely your own. Learn what each ingredient does, and how to create products that feel exquisite, luxurious, perform beautifully, and contain only what you choose to put in them. Leave with more than what you make during the week: a lifelong skill that turns beauty products from something you simply buy, into something you know how to create, refine and share.
Knowledge
Taking Shape
Medicinal Mushrooms: Nature’s Apothecary
Aosta Valley, Italy
20 to 26 September 2027
8 to 12 guests
Enter the world of medicinal mushrooms beyond the powders, tinctures and capsules on a shelf. Discover how different species have been used across centuries of traditional medicine, what modern research is beginning to reveal about their compounds and properties, and how they can become thoughtful allies for long-term health and everyday wellbeing. Learn how to distinguish between species and how to use them with intention and confidence to meaningfully support your vitality, energy, resilience and overall quality of life.
Sensorial
Taking Shape
Silence & Water
Lombardy, Italy
14 to 20 June 2027
8 to 12 guests
No talking. No screens. Six days shaped by water, warmth, taste, touch, movement and stillness - a quiet sensory journey back into the body and the present moment. Guided practices help you discover what brings you into steadiness, safety and deep presence, so you leave not only restored, but with ways of returning there again on your own.
Join the Priority List →Practical
Taking Shape
Botanical Beauty: Skin, Hair & Scent
South of France
12 to 18 July 2027
8 to 12 guests
Turn plant oils, waxes, herbs and aromatic extracts into skincare, hair care, soap, body oils and scent that are entirely your own. Learn what each ingredient does, and how to create products that feel exquisite, luxurious, perform beautifully, and contain only what you choose to put in them. Leave with more than what you make during the week: a lifelong skill that turns beauty products from something you simply buy, into something you know how to create, refine and share.
Join the Priority List →Knowledge
Taking Shape
Medicinal Mushrooms: Nature’s Apothecary
Aosta Valley, Italy
20 to 26 September 2027
8 to 12 guests
Enter the world of medicinal mushrooms beyond the powders, tinctures and capsules on a shelf. Discover how different species have been used across centuries of traditional medicine, what modern research is beginning to reveal about their compounds and properties, and how they can become thoughtful allies for long-term health and everyday wellbeing. Learn how to distinguish between species and how to use them with intention and confidence to meaningfully support your vitality, energy, resilience and overall quality of life.
Join the Priority List →Help Shape What Comes Next
Don't see your gathering yet?
Share the themes, places and seasons that interest you. Your preferences help shape which gatherings ŌPUNTIA develops next.
Shape a Future Gathering