Tuscany Immersion Experience Conference

Everyone talks about how beautiful Tuscany is, and frankly it is! But the real beauty of Tuscany can be found in many of the small villages found throughout the region. Walk the small streets of a medieval village, listen to the sounds of the locals and the church bells, experience authentic Tuscan cooking. And most importantly, slow everything down. Immerse yourself in the true Tuscany you hear so much about. And relax. The smile in your soul awaits! 

This Fall 2025 meeting will be held in Castiglion Fiorentino, in the heart of Tuscany.  Many of you probably have not heard of Castiglion Fiorentino, which plays into why we are having the meeting there.  It is a small, medieval hilltop walled village that is completely self-contained.  Everything you could possibly want, or need can be found inside the town walls.  Yet the town is easily accessible by car or train. Click on the link below to see a 3-minute YouTube video that captures the essence of Castiglion Fiorentino.

You may have heard of Cortona, which is where the movie Under The Tuscan Sun was filmed. Cortona is about 6 miles from the Conference Location of Castiglion Fiorentino. It is a beautiful town with fantastic views, but honestly, it is full of tourists. Cortona is a great place to visit for a day, and the bus from Castiglion Fiorentino is 3 Euros from town center to town center, but to get the true Tuscan experience, Castiglion Fiorentino is the place to be! 

Just north of Castiglion Fiorentino lies the city of Arezzo, a larger Tuscan town that is a great mix of medieval streets and the 21st century. Antiques and jewelry are the top products of Arezzo. The train ride from Castiglion Fiorentino to Arezzo? Just 5 minutes and about 4 Euros. Bravo!

Our conference hotel will be Residence Le Santucce which is inside of the medieval walls of the town. Le Santucce is a converted convent with absolutely beautiful rooms in authentic Tuscan form. Many of the rooms have kitchens and views of the Val di Chiana, the fertile grape growing region of Tuscany. As a special offering to the CE in Italy participants, please note that if you decide to stay for a full week at Le Santucce, there are several packages that are available to you that can make your stay even more memorable. 

Please note that Castiglion Fiorentino is a jumping off point to explore Tuscany, and having these tours and excursions as part of your stay will make your planning that much easier.  

Additional information about these tours and excursions can be found here: 

⭐A welcome reception will be held on the evening of September 7, 2025 at 6 pm overlooking the Tuscan countryside on the terrace garden. 

Continuing education will be held from 7:30 am to 11:30 am on the mornings of September 8, 9 and 10 for a total of 12 hours of COPE accredited CE. This will allow for open time in the afternoon and evening to explore the area with colleagues, family and friends.  

Take time to explore all that Tuscany has to offer and immerse yourself in any number of available excursions, like winery tours, cooking classes, cheese making, hiking, biking, behind the scenes DaVinci and Medici or a Tuscan Spa Day. These excursions will be available at a separate cost and these details will be posted about 6 months prior to the start of the conference. 

All of our CME is COPE accredited, co-sponsored by the Illinois College of Optometry and approved for Florida re-licensure by CE Broker. 

Residence Le Santucce will fill during the times of our meetings, and if this is the case, that is not a problem. There are several bed and breakfast facilities in Castiglion Fiorentino that we can locate for you.  As an overflow place to stay, I would suggest the bed and breakfast only a 3-minute walk to Le Santucce called Viziottavo, run by Federico Vanucci.  This quaint B&B has uniquely decorated rooms that are modern and nicely appointed, with a fantastic breakfast assortment.  Here is the link to their website: http://www.viziottavo.com/pages/   You can make your reservations with them by emailing: info@viziottavo.com    The town is small enough so that even if you were staying on 'the other side of town', you would still only have a few minutes' walk to Le Santucce.  Contact Luisella and the kind folks at Le Santucce for your room reservations; but should the facility be filled, Luisella and I will work with you finding another close location.