Painting holiday in Italy

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17th May - 24th May 2025

The magic of Tuscany! The soft light, the rolling hills, iconic Cyprus trees and medieval hilltop villages. Experience Tuscan culture and cuisine at Villa Palagione a 400 year old villa set in spectacular countryside. The villa was built at the time of the Medici dynasty as a country residence for noble families and you can still see the beautifully preserved murals and frescoes from that time. It is located near the charming medieval walled town of Volterra which still has traces of its Etruscan and Roman past.

Villa Palagione is set in beautiful gardens and is surrounded by the stunning Tuscan countryside. There is plenty of inspiration here for painting and sketching: panoramic landscapes, Renaissance style gardens and rustic Tuscan buildings. We will have exclusive use of a large studio or you can seek out a quiet corner of the garden. Enjoy the peaceful location, stroll in the surrounding countryside, relax by the pool or if you're feeling energetic you can climb to the top of nearby Monte Voltraio!

The villa is a centre for cultural study offering courses in Tuscan cooking, Italian language and cultural tours. There will be a couple of groups staying at the villa who will be taking part in other courses, but we will be the only painting group. There will be two full day excursions; one to Volterra and one to San Gimigniano or Siena. Villa Palagione is situated one hours drive from Pisa airport.

"Dear Pam

I have had the most amazing holiday painting in Andalusia with you and a super group of likeminded aspiring artists. I had never done anything like that before so I was very nervous knowing there were some very experienced artists there. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging and we had a lot of laughs too. The Finca el Cerillio was the most wonderful place to stay and the gardens and court yards so beautifully designed, just waiting to be painted. The food was excellent with so much variety of dishes to choose from. The staff were excellent and so helpful. Pam thank you for your demonstrations which were excellent . Thank you for your patience and help with me encouraging me to learn more skills. You helped everybody all the week, it must have been very tiring! I look forward to keeping in touch with members of the group and hopefully meeting up sometime.

Thank you again for the very best holiday I have had in years. I hope to be able to come on another holiday sometime

Best wishes from Rosemary"

Rooms are individually styled with a traditional Tuscan feel. Rooms in the main villa (pink building) have beautiful frescoed ceilings and rooms in the Arcate villa (cream building) have vaulted ceilings and magnificent views across the countryside. All rooms are double rooms for single occupancy and most have an en-suite bathroom. A couple of rooms have a separate private bathroom.

The holiday will include a buffet breakfast, a light lunch when based at the villa and a four course Italian dinner every evening. Fresh seasonal ingredients are used to give you an authentic experience of Tuscan cuisine. Everyone dines together at one great big long table - but don't worry all the painters will sit together! Drinks are not included in the price.