Centro Halwa

On the Thursday of a Halwa retreat in Salento, people arrive at the masseria from 17:00 and are shown to their rooms. There is a presentation at 19:00 and dinner at 20:00. At 21:30 comes the first session, a relaxation led on handpan. By Saturday the programme has moved on to a theory talk on the Wim Hof Method, a breathing round, and from 9:00 to 10:30 contrast therapy, an ice bath followed by sauna. The night closes with a bonfire, a round of pizzica and sharing.

The centre itself is in Rome, at Via Giovanni Miani 53 in Roma Piramide, with activities in other Italian cities. Its site presents it as a holistic wellness centre, and the business is registered as HalwaDuo di Federico Scano. The pages give no founding date. They do show a division of labour: Marta is the contact for yoga, Federico for Wim Hof and handpan. Courses run as afternoon workshops, weekends, or retreats of four or five days, for beginners and experienced practitioners alike. The Wim Hof work is described as breathing, cold exposure and concentration.

The handpan is taught as music, not only as a calming sound. The centre's articles cover the D Kurd scale, the 3-3-2 groove, and how to build a piece from silence through a two-chord loop and development to a return.

The Salento retreat is held at Masseria Torre Luciana in San Pietro in Lama, in the province of Lecce. It ran in two editions in 2026, in April and July. The structure is reserved for the group, with sauna, jacuzzi, cold bath and pool, a bus from Brindisi airport, and Salento cooking in vegan, vegetarian or, on request, omnivore versions. Pizzica is taught with live tambourine, and the page lists three days away from smartphones and social media. The Sicilian retreat is based at Pantalica Ranch. It includes a trek in the UNESCO-listed Anapo Valley, yoga in nature, a fire circle with mantras, and, on that page, four days of digital detox. Alessandro leads meditation and mantra there.

The founders' letter on the Salento page says their approach is practical, open and free of pressure: "here you have nothing to prove." It is signed Federico and Marta.