DETAILS
Dates: 30 April - 6 May 2025
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Price: From €1985 - €2750
Includes: 22% VAT, 5 days tuition, 6 nights accommodation, all meals & drinks (including wine), evening events, transfers, easels & solvents
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Non-Participaing Partner: €790
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Location: Antico Borgo La Torre
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Medium: Oil Painting
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Class size: 18
Painting Experience: All levels welcome
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Languages: English & Italian
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Workshop Description
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Join us for a week-long retreat in the Italian countryside, painting the landscape with Daniela Astone. During this art retreat, artists of all levels are welcome to join, learning from Daniela's many years of experience as an artist and art instructor. Students will learn how to conceptualize the colors of the land and sky, with focus on capturing atmospheric perspective, understanding how to successfully approach and convey distance in their paintings. Surrounded by nature, you'll have the opportunity to paint various scenes, including the lake, vineyards, woodland, and olive groves, at different times of the day, including a sunset painting session. Daniela will provide demonstrations and individual feedback throughout the week, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your art and the Italian landscape, gaining new and valuable information.
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During this all-inclusive art retreat, meals will be home-cooked by our wonderful Tuscan chef, and eaten together in our large dining room, or outside on the terrace with a view of the vineyards. After class you will have free use of the grounds to explore, including the swimming pool, woodland, lake and olive groves. Join us for evenings around the fire, or for our after-class events, such as a night of live music, pizza night using the outdoor pizza oven, and tasting the wine produced here at the venue. If you need to unwind after class we have a volleyball/badminton net, football field, and a games room with table tennis and table football. Otherwise feel free to continue practicing your art, sketching by the lake, or contine painting in our studio, which is always open.
This is a chance to focus on you and your art, you'll be living and working together, and alongside Daniela, with the opportunity to dive deep into eachother's knowledge and experience, building relationships, whilst making the most of the surrounding nature in this beautiful Tuscan setting.
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The Venue
This workshop will take place at a converted farmhouse and winery located in Chianti, 25km from Florence.
Originally a medieval tower, the structure dates back to the middle ages. Now an agriturismo, the venue produces it's own wine and olive oil. It is made up of 32 hectars of land, which include olive groves, vineyards, woodland, orchards, walnut trees, and a swimming pool.
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See photos and more details about the venue here
What's included?
22% VAT - 5 days tuition - 6 nights accommodation - Arrival & departure transfers - Breakfasts, lunches, dinners & snacks - Tea, coffee & soft drinks - Alcohol (wine grown & produced at the venue) - Wine tour & tasting - Evening Events - Laundry - Swimming Pool - Wifi - Easels & Solvents for painting
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Prices
€1985 Shared Twin Bedroom with private bathroom (shared with one other participant of the same gender)
€2490 Private Bedroom with a double bed and private bathroom
€2750 Private Apartment with a double bedroom, bathroom and private living room/kitchen
€790 Non-Participating Partner to share a private bedroom or private apartment with you
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The Food
All meals will be made up up of delicious, home-cooked Tuscan cuisine, and will take place in our beautiful dining hall or outside whenever the weather is nice. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available, please let us know in advance if you have any dietary requirements (dietary needs rather than preferences).
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Materials list, itinerary & more information
At least 3 months before the retreat we will send you an information pack with the full materials list and more details about the retreat. See airport and transfer information on our FAQ's page here
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Bring a partner or friend - €790 all-inclusive rate
If you book a private bedroom or apartment then you are very welcome to bring along a partner or friend with you who will not be participating in the workshop. Partners will be very welcome to join all of our meals and activities, and become a part of our group. Whilst participants are in the class, partners have this beautiful Tuscan venue all to themselves.
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We are happy assist in planning activities during the days for your partner, such as bike tours, trips to local towns, and walks around the surrounding countryside. Equally, your partner is very welcome to relax by the pool and enjoy the beautiful countryside. We recommend bringing a car so that you can travel around freely, however, we can also drive you to the local train station if they would like to explore the nearby towns of Florence or Arezzo.
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The price for non-participating partners includes: 22% VAT - 6 nights accommodation - Arrival & Departure Transfers - Breakfasts, lunches, dinners & snacks - Tea, coffee & soft drinks - Alcohol (wine grown at the venue) - Wine tour & tasting and other evening activities - Laundry - Swimming Pool - Wifi.
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Participating Partner - €1480 all-inclusive
Bring a partner or friend who will attend the workshop with you. If you book a private bedroom or apartment you are welcome to bring along a a travel companion who will participate in the workshop with you and share a bedroom with you.
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Booking information
To book a place on this retreat click Book Now below and you'll be taken to a separate page where you can choose your bedroom option, register and pay. To confirm your place on this retreat you will need to pay a €750 deposit. You can choose to pay the deposit via credit card or bank transfer, the full reamining balance must be paid by bank transfer. When paying by bank transfer choose 'offline payment' when you check out, and from there you will be given our bank details. If you require a different payment plan email us for details.
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Review our terms & conditions of booking here
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Questions? See our FAQ's page here
Daniela Astone
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Daniela Astone (b.1980 Pisa) grew up in the sea-town of PortoSanto Stefano, Italy. At the age of 21 she began studying at The Florence Academy of Art, after graduating she continued to work here as a principal instructor, and later became Director of the Intermediate painting program.​
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Daniela's work has exhibited internationally and is part of the permanent collection of MACS ,the Contemporary Art Museum in Sicily.​
In 2019 together with Gaia Grazioli she curated the Show “Corpo a Corpo” in the Museum of Villa Bardini in Florence. And in 2022, having had many years of teaching experience, she left her position of Director at the Florence Academy to dedicate her full time to her studio production.
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In 2020 at the start of Italy's 2nd lockdown daniela began her project 'Painting 365 Sunrises' for a year every morning she rose at dawn to capture the start of each new day.
"The ritual of getting up before dawn to honor life awakened in me the curiosity and desire to question what were, up until that moment, only affirmations. After a year without a social life, I rediscovered the power of imagination. Every important change begins with knowing how to imagine it."
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You can see more of Daniela's work here:
Website: daniela-astone.com​​
