Bella Vita: Italian Health and Wellness Retreat

Casey Carr entered her undergraduate studies with an intentional mission: to study nutrition’s impact on human health. She pursued a pre-medical course load to get her on track for med school and majored in Nutritional Sciences to deeply explore food. Four years later… she graduated discouraged, a bit demoralized and majorly clueless about food beyond the nutrition label.

We all know that feeling of being in the right place at the right time, and that is exactly how the next chapter unfolded as Casey found herself as an Orto (garden) Intern at Spannocchia right after graduation in Fall 2014. She realized at Spannocchia that the farm is where nutrition meets application: freshness, flavor and community. While there were no food labels in sight, she had never felt more nourished. Casey’s Spannocchia experience inspired her to take a prolonged pause from her medical pursuits as she explored: doctor or farmer? As she realized through her internship that both profoundly contribute to human health. Additional farming experiences and medical internships landed her in a middle ground of pursuing a four-year degree in naturopathic medicine, where she was trained as a primary care physician with a curriculum that emphasizes nutrition, whole-person health as well as environmental health.

Dr. Casey, now practicing as a family primary care physician in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is bringing her passions of medicine, nutrition, farming, Italy and food together with a 6-day program at Spannocchia. The goal of the program is a deep dive on food as medicine through weaving together Spannocchia’s food and farming practices, discussing the latest research and Dr. Casey’s clinical insights gained through patient (and farming) experiences. An off-site visit to a frantoio (olive mill) to experience the olive harvest is part of the experience.

We hope you’ll join former intern and Spannocchia-phile Dr. Casey for an incredible week that will leave you with more than just fond memories of a trip to Italy, but will also have a lasting impact on your approach to health and food for your everyday life at home.

Read more details about this program on Casey Carr’s website: https://www.drcaseycarr.com/retreat/.