We have been following Roxy & Ben, aka So Vegan, for a long time now. Since 2016, they have grown their vegan audience while making delicious plant-based creations accessible to everyone.

Can't miss: The 7 Main Aeolian Islands: The imposing, volcanic presence of Stromboli; the smoky haze surrounding Vulcano...

I met Ceyda in March 2024, when The Vegan Gazette was still just an idea in my mind, on the first floor of Sanki Atölye, during the final days before its closure to make way for new dreams. Sitting at a table facing the street, in the middle of a lively conversation, I got to know her over carrot-smoked salmon canapés—so good they could convince anyone to go vegan.

The earliest records of plant-based diets—people who abstain from eating meat, poultry, and fish but still consume dairy, eggs, and honey—date back to the 500s BCE in Ancient Greece, where the mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras of Samos advocated for dietary restrictions rooted in ritual purity.

A retreat from the everyday, where you can taste Vernaccia di San Gimignano, one of Italy’s finest white wines; enjoy a farm-to-table dining experience; visit the vineyard, olive grove, and veggie garden; and engage in discussions on sustainability. Practice yoga surrounded by 200-year-old olive trees.