South of France Indigo Retreat
LA BELLE ECO is a charming manor 15 minutes from Carcassonne and 1 hour from Toulouse France, nestled amidst the serene beauty ancient woodland and operating as a 10 acres nature reserve and luxury house hotel. The property features 11 beautifully decorated bedrooms and bathrooms, a natural swimming pool and wood fired hot tub, an organic garden, a food forest, a fairy prairie, an in-house chef and staff members.
In history, there are only two sources for a permanent natural blue dye, and there is only one molecule that gives that color, INDIGO, and it is sourced from the Indigoferas species and Woad. Woad robed kings in royal blue throughout the Renaissance! Known since Antiquity for its medicinal virtues and the dyeing properties of its leaf, this small plant (Isatis Tinctoria) called "dyers' pastel" or more commonly "woad" put Occitanie on the map (and made it a fortune) from the 14th to the 17th century. This tiny little plant shaped the fate of whole towns and the countryside in this region of Southern France, especially Toulouse. But the advance of Indian Indigo and its ease of use eventually brought the downfall of woad. Denise Lambert and her late husband re-discovered this historical color “Dyer’s Woad – Isatis tinctoria” in 1993 and now with her adopted daughter incorporate it in modern industry, creating a link between history and futur. She will give us a great presentation in english. A must see!
Come enjoy a few days in my corner of the world. I will teach you some about woad with my good friend Denise Lambert (a renowned woad dyer in the South of France and a lot about indigo (my expertise). At the same time, you will experience living on an old french property, in an old manor, eating fabulous french food grown right there and have loads of fun. If you are traveling with your husband or a male friend, rest assure, David Harper (my husband) will be there too and will keep those men busy with nature walks and good conversations.
This retreat includes:
- all meals (but 1 dinner in Carcassonne) and a banquet for your arrival
- natural dye, indigo hands-on workshops and a woad demonstration with Denise Lambert
- excursion to Carcassonne (a walled medieval city), a wine tasting, and more..
All sorts of local wines will be available at lunch and dinner for purchase. Choose your room in the main house (deluxe room) or in the guest house (basic room) or a cabin near the natural pool.
PRICES
Contact us for prices. Payment is due at time of booking.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday 18: Arrival and Welcome dinner - banquet in the main dining room
You can fly to Toulouse (major airport) or Carcassonne (smaller airport) and get a rental car. There is no airport transfer included in your package.
Wednesday 19: Indigo workshop - lunch - free afternoon ((swim, massage (extra $30) or just relax)) - dinner and soirée cinema
Thursday 20: Woad demo/ workshop - lunch - indigo workshop - wine tasting and pizza party in the garden
Friday 21: Free morning - lunch - afternoon visit Cité de Carcassonne - dinner and fête de la musique in Carcassonne
Saturday 22: Departure after breakfast
NOT INCLUDED
Airfare, transportation, alcoholic beverages, travel insurance
PAYMENT & POLICY
Payment is due at reservation and will be non-refundable after April 18th.