Painting Tuscany, Inside and Out

Tueday, October 7 through Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Erin Lee Gafill & Tom Birmingham
7 nights – at Spannocchia; one night in Florence

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Program Description | Itinerary | About Spannocchia | Registration Info | Fees
Pay Registration Deposit

• Award-winning, small-group instruction
• Daily Observational & Studio Painting Sessions
• Work in Oils, Acrylic, or Watercolor (instruction in Oil and Watercolor)
• Stay in a fourteenth-century villa on a 1000 acres estate of cultivated and wild lands
• Authentic Farm to Table, Family Style Meals at Spannocchia
• Your choice – Spannocchia Cooking School or Hot Spring Day Spa visit
• Ground transportation to and from the Ambasciatori Hotel, Florence
• One year Membership in the Spannocchia Foundation, all lodging city taxes and fees.
• In Florence, 4-star lodging and fabulous dinner for our last night (Ambasciatori Hotel)
• Start to finish support and service!

Program Description

Join us for a true Tuscan retreat. Together with a small group of like-minded people we will interpret the Tuscan Countryside and the 800-year-old architecture of Spannocchia in line and color.

Each day will include two sessions during which we’ll explore diverse ideas of composition, technique, and observation, using oils, watercolor, pen and ink, and pencil.

Spannocchia is the perfect enviornment for our time together. We’ll share family style, farm-to-table meals in the birthplace of the slow food movement. We’ll have plenty of time each day for quiet time alone, sharing with new friends, exploring the 1100 acre property, and digging in to a creative practice.

You’ll gain new skills, develop new friendships, and have the opportunity to build creative habits that can last a lifetime.

Program Itinerary

About Spannocchia

Lodging at Spannocchia is in a 16th-century villa on a historic Tuscan property that includes cultivated and wild lands and miles of hiking trails.

Rooms The villa has 13 rooms, each with a private or en-suite bathroom. Some rooms have antique fixtures and floral decorations, while others have finishes in yellow Siena marble. 

• Property The Tenuta di Spannocchia is a 1,200-acre working farm and wildlife sanctuary in western Tuscany near Siena. The property includes a 12th-century castle tower, farmhouses, and outlying farmsteads. 
• Activities Guests can experience daily life on the farm, including traditional Italian cooking made with fresh ingredients. The property also offers private roads and trails for walking.
• Location The Tenuta di Spannocchia is located 16 kilometers southwest of Siena and 75 kilometers from Florence.

Registration

What’s Included

• Eight nights lodging (seven at Spannocchia, last night at the Hotel Ambasciatori, Florence)
• All meals beginning light lunch & wine tasting on Tueday, Oct 7 through Breakfast Wednesday, Oct 15
• Ground transportation from the Hotel Ambasciatori to Spannocchia and back (private coach)
• Award-winning daily painting instruction
• Safe and Supportive learning environment
• Your choice – Spannocchia Cooking School or Spa Day
• Evening apertivo at sunset

What’s Not Included

• Airfare to and from Italy
• Painting supplies and equipment
• Travel insurance (highly reccomended)
• Personal and Incidental expenses

Registration Fee

Single Occupancy – $4350 | Double Occupancy – $3850

Deposit – Pay Registration Deposit

Double Occupancy is reserved with a $500 non-refundable deposit. The balance o $3350 is due before July 1, 2025

Single Occupancy is reserved with a $1000 non-refundable deposit. The balance o $3350 is due before July 1, 2025