Italy yoga retreat: countryside + culture
September 12-19, 2026
with Dede Schreiner, RYT 200 & Mellisa Scaccia, RYT 200
$5595 per person, double occupancy
*Please note that this retreat is currently only available to returning students. We will open additional registrations if space allows.
About the Instructors
Dede Schreiner, RYT 200
Dede began teaching in 2009, and in 2016, founded I AM Yoga (now, MSC Yoga), inviting all to embrace their sacred worth, while being committed to soul care, body, mind, and heart. Dede believes in a practice-based, fully present lifestyle. Compassionately, she companions her students on a journey of living well and loving well through movement, contemplation, action, stillness, and community.
Dede has led five yoga retreats with Belize Yoga, in Belize and the Azores; four, co-lead with good friend, Mellisa Scaccia. She is especially excited about this new adventure in beautiful Italy! After a near-death experience in 2021, Dede’s passion for travel and cultural immersion are all the more inspired by her mantra, “Life is Now. Don’t Postpone Joy.”
Mellisa Scaccia, RYT 200
Mellisa’s yoga journey began nearly 11 years ago, and from the moment she stepped into her first studio, she felt an undeniable connection to the practice. It wasn’t just about the asanas—it was the sense of community, the friendships she formed, and the safe space she discovered on her mat. In 2016, an opportunity arose to attend a transformative Yoga Retreat in Belize, where Mellisa took on a leadership role, assisting in organizing activities and helping bring the yoga community together with her mentor and co-lead of 10 years, Dede Schreiner. At a personal crossroads, she took a sabbatical from her corporate HR career to seek a new path, realizing that yoga had far more to offer her—and she, in turn, had so much to offer yoga.
This experience ignited her passion to deepen her practice and share it with others. She completed her Yoga Teacher Training at Urban Breath in Maplewood, MO, in 2017, and has since embraced teaching with an open heart, a listening ear, and a nurturing approach. She currently offers open-level, restorative-yin, and gentle yoga classes, while also exploring event-based teaching opportunities. Mellisa is especially excited to return for a 5th time co-leading this Belize Yoga Retreat in Italy in 2026, blending her love for yoga and travel.
Outside of her teaching, Mellisa is an avid traveler, a curious foodie who loves experimenting with new recipes, and a proud fur-mom to two beloved pets. When she’s not teaching, you can find her enjoying quality time with family and friends, always embracing the journey with gratitude and enthusiasm.
