Testimonials · Salento, Puglia
Testimonials · Salento, Puglia
People come here carrying something heavy — burnout, uncertainty, a version of themselves they've lost touch with. What follows is not marketing copy. It's what they told me, in their own words, once they were home.
A guest's story
I had a very beautiful time with Nikita. From the beginning something inside me started to transform, which I experienced as something very special. Nikita is a special spiritual woman who creates a space where you quickly feel at home and where you can truly be yourself. She is very kind and caring, and during our time together I felt a lot of love.
Cornelis, in the caves along the Salento coast
Before he left, Cornelis wrote this down and gave it to Nikita by hand.
"Dear Nikita, I've had such a beautiful time here with you. In the beginning, some things got transformed, which I loved. I also found that you were very kind and caring. I've now also received confirmation of the reason for our connection with each other. You are a special, beautiful energy that I am so grateful for."
From the Il Sentiero guestbook · Translated from Dutch
Cornelis, resting on the path to Ponte del Ciolo, Salento
A guest's story
I'm not much of a review writer, but I wanted to put my experience into words.
After a long stretch of uncertainty and tension, I finally decided to look for help. I'd been following Nikita for a while, reading her stories on the site — and that's how my journey to a retreat in Italy began.
I arrived full of nerves and doubt. But the moment Nikita picked me up at the airport, that tension was gone within the hour. Her warmth put me at ease straight away.
Robert, on the path to Grotte Cipolliane
By the first evening, she'd already named what I was carrying — and the false stories I'd attached to it. There's no fixed programme, no pressure. She takes you into the Italian countryside, combines it with rest, and by evening you've already understood things about yourself you hadn't seen before.
She gave me the tools and the way of thinking I needed to function better in daily life. A handful of genuinely useful days, in a beautiful place, with nature close at hand.
Robert and Nikita, on the way to Grotte Cipolliane
Inside the cave along the way to Grotte Cipolliane, Robert was guided into his very first meditation. He found a stillness within himself — reached not by shutting the world out, but by listening closely to the sound and frequency held there.
After every retreat, Nikita writes each guest a letter — something tangible to hold onto for the integration afterward. This was Robert's reply.
"Thank you so much for the beautiful, kind letter you wrote me. It really is a good guide and confirmation that I took the right step in reaching out to you in this area. I also find it wonderful to be able to talk with you, and I dare to open my heart to you more than to anyone else in my life right now. I appreciate your dedication enormously, and it feels really good that there's someone who cares about me at all. Lots of love, Robert 😘"
Robert's reply, translated from Dutch
A guest's story
Romy stayed for a week at Il Sentiero — the same week as the photo at the top of this page.
Just back from staying here for a week, and what a beautiful place! The house looks directly out over the sea, so when you open your curtains, you already see the sea. It also has a beautiful terrace to relax on. The surrounding area is wonderfully quiet, right in nature, but if you're looking for a cozy little village, Tricase Porto is within walking distance.
Romy, on the coast in Salento
On top of that, the host, Nikita, is a very warm and open person — I felt at home right away. She has a lot of knowledge, partly from her studies but also from a great deal of practical experience, and she senses exactly what you need, and gets you thinking about the themes that matter to you. She's also a wonderful cook, thanks to her Italian-Dutch roots — in short, highly recommended if you really want to come to rest and learn more about yourself.
A guest's story
Simon has been in online sessions with Nikita for several months, working through a period that started in real crisis.
I've been speaking to Nikita for a few months now, and it's already made a real difference. I started in a real moment of crisis for me and from the very first session, I felt genuinely heard and understood — there's no sense of judgment, just a warm and safe space to work through things at your own pace.
What I appreciate most is the balance between that emotional support and practical, concrete tools I can actually use in daily life. Sessions never feel abstract; I always leave with something tangible to work with and some (sometimes difficult) truths to consider.
She's also taken the time to understand how I actually work — I tend to process things intellectually, through reading and frameworks, and I find it genuinely hard to slow down and sit with my emotions. Rather than pushing against that, she works with it, while gently helping me develop that side too.
It's an ongoing process, but that's kind of the point — and for the first time, I've felt comfortable enough to actually keep going. If you're looking for a therapist who makes you feel at ease while also helping you make real progress, I'd wholeheartedly recommend her.
A guest's story
Nikol has been working with Nikita in online therapy sessions, processing emotions and anxiety along the way.
I absolutely adore our therapy sessions! My journey to therapy began quite spontaneous, though I was thinking about it for a long time. I think Nikita is a therapist that is quite opposite and at the same time similar to myself, and I never knew how good it would be to have such a soothing, spiritual and emotional experience with her.
She is very attentive, sometimes assertive, and a deeply caring and intelligent person. I love our therapy sessions and I always look forward to them. She helps a lot to process my emotions and anxiety, and I am very grateful for that.
Salento, Puglia
A different kind of story
Jeanette and Nikita met on a day when a group of fellow practitioners came together to practice — bodywork, somatic work, energy work. This is her account of that meeting, and of what came after.
There she sat! A beautiful young woman. Completely calm and watchful, while everyone around her was busy practicing. If I'd really looked, I would have recognized her straight away. She wasn't trying to belong or to be the best. Being herself was simply enough. So much stillness, wisdom and nerve in someone so young — what a gem!
She gave me a session that was so complete, so clear, it threw me off balance. That kind of depth, that kind of insight — you don't expect it from someone who looks so young. She laughed and said: what did you think, that I'd come back as some old woman? Look at me — young, with wise, kind eyes.
That meeting stayed with me. And the lesson I took from it might be the most important one: don't look at age, look at who someone really is.
Not long after, Jeanette began organizing group sessions of her own — and asked Nikita to assist her. She'd seen something in her worth building on.
More voices
★★★★★
"She listens deeply and senses exactly what you need — sometimes something you didn't expect yourself, but that she sees clearly. She delivers outstanding tailor-made work. Just go there. Her guidance is unique."
Jasper, 37
★★★★★
"As someone who usually finds it difficult to open up to strangers, working with Nikita has been a wonderful experience. She creates a safe and supportive space where I can share openly without fear of judgment. I always leave feeling supported and with more clarity."
Khansa, 22
Salento, Puglia · Southern Italy
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