A Creative Immersion in Tuscany
Tuscany, Italy · November 5–12, 2026 · From $4,950 · Historic Villa in the Sienese Hills · 12–16 Guests · No experience required
Siena, Italy
Limited to 12–16 guests
From $4,950 USD
payment plans available
November 05-12, 2026
Historic Villa in Tuscany, Siena
Hosted by Catherine Richards and Leah Tinari
A Creative Immersion in Tuscany
Each day explores a different layer of the table:
The garden. The kitchen. The cellar. The craft. The feast.
Through cooking ateliers, wine sessions, still life drawing, olive oil tastings, ceramics, day trips into Siena and the Tuscan countryside, and long shared meals in a medieval villa. Private cooking workshops, food as creative medium, drawing the feast, making objects for the table, and eight days designed around beauty, nourishment, conversation, and the art of living well in Tuscany.
A creative journey through Tuscany exploring food, craft, and the art of the table — with daily workshops, culinary experiences, and the beauty of the Sienese hills.
What's Included?
Every detail is curated so you can arrive, exhale, and
experience Italy creatively.
7 nights at a historic Tuscan villa near Siena
Daily creative workshops & culinary ateliers
Two private cooking classes with the villa chef
Tuscan wine tasting experience
Olive oil tasting and harvest experience
Still life drawing & food illustration sessions
Day trip to Siena and one additional excursion
Group meals, aperitivo & long shared dinners
Art materials, journal & creative kit
Small group of 10–16
*Flight and transportation are not included.
Who This Is For?
For artists, food lovers, writers, designers, curious travelers, and thoughtful individuals seeking inspiration, beauty, slow living, and creative renewal in one of the world's most beautiful places.
"I know this experience is going to change the next chapter of my life.”
- Lisa, 2026
Catherine Richards, M.Arch.
Founder · Creative Director · Art Immersions.
I’m Catherine — a designer, artist, Parsons professor, and founder of Art Immersions. For years, I’ve led creative programs in Italy and around the world centered on art, atmosphere, conversation, and cultural experience. What interests me most is how beauty changes perception — how certain places, meals, objects, music, and conversations reconnect us to creativity, presence, and feeling.
I created Art Immersions to bring people into that experience more deeply: not simply to visit Italy, but to experience it differently. I’ve led creative journeys in Paris, Siena, and Jaipur, and Italy is where Art Immersions began.
I hope to meet you in Tuscany.
“The best part of Art Immersions was being in a truly lovely community with some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.” - Morgan, Siena, Italy, 2019
"My experience with Art Immersions was life-changing. I cannot recommend this enough to all."
- Gail, 2026
“The best part of the experience was meeting artists from around the world. What I took away was the importance of feeding myself creatively, mentally, and culturally.” - Siena, Italy, 2019
Why join this retreat?
To draw, paint, and create with food and wine as your materials
To cook in an ancient Tuscan kitchen and learn from Italian tradition
To slow down and actually taste where you are
To spend eight days with thoughtful, curious, creative people
To return home reconnected to beauty, pleasure, and creativity
This experience is for you if:
You love food and want to explore it as a creative subject
You want more than tourism — something immersive and meaningful
You crave beauty, craft, depth, and real Italian life
You want to meet like-minded, thoughtful people
You're ready for a full reset — creative, culinary, and personal
This experience is designed for the creatively curious: artists, designers, food lovers, writers, and seekers who want to live more artfully — and eat very well while doing it.
Eight Days. Art. Food. The Tuscan Table.
Guests arrive independently to the villa outside Siena. Most fly into Florence and take a train or private driver into Siena — transfers are easy and the journey is part of the arrival.
- Check-in and settle in — find your room, explore the villa and gardens at your own pace.
- Welcome aperitivo — wine, local bites, and the first gathering of the group.
- Celebration dinner — a candlelit Tuscan meal together to mark the beginning of the week.
A morning in the garden and at the tasting table — gathering seasonal ingredients, tasting Tuscan olive oils, and drawing what you find.
- Garden walk and foraging — guided tasting of fresh herbs, vegetables, and seasonal ingredients from the villa grounds.
- Olive oil tasting atelier — tasting Tuscan oils from different estates; drawing the color and texture of oil on paper.
- Still life session — arranging and drawing a composition from the morning's gathered ingredients.
- Group lunch, then free afternoon — sketch in the gardens, rest, or explore the surrounding landscape.
Making pasta by hand is one of the oldest and most meditative art forms in the world. Today, the kitchen is the studio.
- Pasta-making cooking class — hands-on with the villa's kitchen team: the dough, the rolling, the shapes, the sauce.
- Cooking as drawing — a parallel session drawing the tools, flour, shapes, and process.
- We eat what we made — the class ends at the table, sharing the meal together.
- Free afternoon — rest, draw, journal, or take a short excursion into the surrounding hills.
A sensory morning of wine tasting and mark-making — using red wine, olive oil, and coffee as pigments to create still lifes and washes on paper.
- Wine tasting atelier — guided tasting of Tuscan wines focused on color, texture, and aroma as creative vocabulary.
- Painting and drawing with wine — using wine, olive oil, and coffee as pigments for still lifes and abstract studies.
- Color mapping — translating the flavor and feeling of wine into color palettes and mark-making.
- Group lunch, then free afternoon — sketching at leisure; optional walk through the estate.
A full day in Siena — the morning market, the Piazza del Campo, artisan studios, and the slow pleasure of wandering an ancient city with a sketchbook.
- Morning market in Siena — exploring the daily market for ingredients, colors, and textures; sketching in the market.
- The Piazza del Campo — time in one of the world's great public squares; drawing, observing, absorbing the light.
- Optional artisan visit — stained glass studio, ceramics, or silversmithing depending on availability.
- Gelato, espresso, and slow wandering — the afternoon is yours; the city is a studio.
A morning with a local artisan — making a small object for the table, then drawing it as a still life.
- Craft workshop atelier — private session with a local artisan: ceramics, bookbinding, or stained glass (subject to availability).
- Making for the table — each guest creates a small object: a bowl, a handmade book, a small vessel.
- Still life with the day's work — drawing your own object as a still life study.
- Lunch, then free afternoon — thermal springs at Bagni di Petriolo or a walk to the Abbazia di San Galgano.
The final full day: a Tuscan feast cooked together, a still life drawn around the table before the meal, and a closing circle.
- Tuscan feast cooking class — a full Tuscan meal prepared together, from antipasto to dolce.
- Drawing the feast — a guided still life session arranged around the prepared table, before the meal begins.
- Table design — guests create place cards, vegetable sculptures, or floral arrangements for the final dinner.
- The final table — the meal we cooked, at the table we set, in the villa we called home.
- Closing circle — sharing what opened, shifted, or became visible over the eight days.
A slow breakfast. The last espresso. Final sketches. Transfers depart through the morning at your own rhythm.
- Slow breakfast at the villa — the last shared morning table.
- Final journaling or sketching — quiet time before the day begins.
- Farewells and departure — onward to Siena, Florence, Rome, or home.
What Our Guests Have to Say
“Before this trip, I felt deeply disconnected from my creative self. But over the course of the week, I met a need in me I didn’t even realize was there. For the first time in a very long time, I feel more like myself again. I know this experience is going to change the next chapter of my life.” — Lisa, 2026
Join Us in Tuscany
Only 12–16 guests total · Historic Tuscan Villa near Siena · Secure checkout · Payment plans available
- Arrive to our artistic residence in the heart of Paris.
- Gentle Montmartre walk to settle into the city’s rhythm and light.
- Welcome dinner with seasonal cuisine, conversation, and connection.
- Optional visit to the Decorative Arts Museum.
Your Home in Tuscany
Your home for the retreat: A historic medieval villa nestled in the hills above Siena. The 14th-century Carthusian monastery converted into a residential retreat, set in the hills between Siena and Castelnuovo Berardenga. Its cloister gardens, stone corridors, wine cellar, kitchen, and terraces have been receiving guests for centuries.
From the Villa, Siena is ten minutes by car. Florence is ninety minutes. The surrounding hills — olive groves, vineyards, cypress-lined roads, medieval villages — are the landscape that inspired the Renaissance painters who looked at exactly this light, these colors, these fields.
Ready to Join us in Tuscany?
FAQ
I’m thinking of coming alone… is that okay?
Yes — and most guests do. This is an intimate, welcoming group, and many arrive solo and leave with meaningful friendships. The villa has a way of bringing people together around a table that makes connection feel effortless.
What does the trip feel like?
A Living Feast Through Tuscany. Each retreat unfolds as an experience of the Italian table — through cooking, drawing, tasting, crafting, and the long pleasure of shared meals in an ancient cloister.
Mornings begin with workshops at the villa: cooking classes, drawing sessions, wine ateliers, or craft experiences. Afternoons unfold into the Tuscan landscape — day trips into Siena, visits to artisan studios, excursions to thermal springs or medieval abbeys. Evenings gather around the villa table for long dinners, aperitivo, and conversation. Structured enough to feel held. Spacious enough to feel free.
What kind of people join?
Curious creatives seeking depth, beauty, and connection — not perfection.
Those drawn to art, culture, travel, and meaningful experience.
All ages and backgrounds welcome.
This retreat attracts artists, designers, writers, and curious travelers from all walks of life.
No experience is required — only a desire to live more artfully. Whether you’re a practicing creative or simply seeking renewal, you’ll find a circle of kindred spirits who share your love for beauty, conversation, and discovery.
Do I need to be an artist or have experience?
Not at all. There are no expectations of output — only invitations to presence. This experience is designed for all levels, from complete beginners to practicing artists and avid home cooks. The focus is not on technical skill, but on creativity, attention, and pleasure.
What's a typical day like?
A guided workshop or culinary atelier (morning)
The villa, the landscape, or a day trip (afternoon)
Shared meals and long evenings (evening)
The pace is spacious and intentional — a retreat into beauty, nourishment, and presence. Structured, but never rigid. You'll have time to rest, sketch, wander, and be in Italy.
Where will we stay?
A 14th-century former Carthusian monastery converted into a residential hotel and retreat center, set in the olive-covered hills above Siena. The property has a wine cellar stocked with estate wines, kitchen, gardens, a restaurant, bar, a cloister garden, and extraordinary silence. Siena is 10 minutes away.
What is the typical age range?
Guests are typically mid-20s to 60s+. What matters most is not age, but a shared desire for creativity, beauty, and meaningful experience.
How do I reserve my place, and what happens next?
You can reserve your place with a $500 deposit, pay in full, or choose a payment plan. Available payment options are presented at checkout based on your room selection.
Once you’re registered, we’ll guide you through everything you need to prepare for your retreat. You’ll receive:
• Hotel and arrival information
• Packing recommendations
• Flight and transportation guidance
• Your retreat itinerary
• Important contact information
If you reserve with a deposit, you’ll receive a separate email with instructions for completing your remaining balance, with the option to pay in full or choose a payment plan.
We’ll make the planning simple, so you can focus on looking forward to Tuscany.
What meals are included?
Most meals are included throughout the retreat, including our shared meals, cooking experiences, and special dinners.
A few meals are intentionally left open, giving you the opportunity to explore Siena and enjoy local cafés and restaurants on your own.
We’re happy to accommodate dietary restrictions and food allergies, including gluten-free diets and nut allergies. Please let us know about any dietary needs in advance so we can plan accordingly.
How do I get to the villa?
Flights
Please book your own flights to Italy.
We recommend flying into either:
Florence Airport (FLR) — approximately 1 hour from the villa
or
Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) — approximately 3 hours from the villa.
We recommend comparing flights using Skyscanner or Hopper to find the best fares.
Getting to Tuscany
Guests may arrive via either Florence or Rome. Florence is the recommended airport, only an hour away from Siena by car or train. From Siena, you may find a taxi to take you directly to the villa, only ten minutes away.
You may arrange a private driver from Florence to Siena as well - and can share with other guests. This is not booked by Art Immersions, but we can share our driver contacts and prices with you.
Travel Insurance (Required)
Travel insurance is required for all guests. Please choose a policy that includes both medical coverage and trip cancellation.
We recommend Allianz Travel or World Nomads — choose a plan that covers health and trip cancellation. Other options include AXA Schengen, GeoBlue, and SafetyWing.
How long has Art Immersions been hosting creative journeys?
Art Immersions began nearly ten years ago in Italy, hosting creative journeys at agriturismos and bringing together art, culture, and immersive experiences rooted in place.
Since then, we’ve hosted journeys across five countries — Italy, France, India, Spain, and Japan — with Italy and France at the heart of many of our programs.
We select each destination for its connection to culture, history, craft, and the creative traditions of the region. Our relationship with the villa for The Art of the Table dates back to 2019, making this a place we know and are excited to share with our guests.
What You Will Take Home
By the end of eight days, guests typically leave with:
Food as a creative language — a new relationship with ingredients, color, flavor, and the table as a composition
Pasta they made by hand — and the confidence to make it again, anywhere, anytime
A piece they made — a small ceramic bowl, a handbound journal, or an illustrated book of the week
Work they made with wine — drawings and watercolors created with Chianti, olive oil, and other Tuscan materials
A sketchbook full of Tuscany — food still lifes, market drawings, villa studies, and the particular quality of Sienese light
Insider Tuscany — a deeper relationship to the villages, artisans, thermal springs, and cultural spaces most visitors never reach
Meaningful friendships — the group is small and the dinners are long. Most guests arrive solo and leave having shared something real.
But the thing guests talk about most isn't the cooking, or the wine, or the ceramics. It's the feeling of being completely present at a table — tasting, looking, drawing, and laughing — and realizing that this is what creative life actually feels like.
Each day is built around one layer of the table: the garden, the kitchen, the cellar, the craft, and finally the feast — the moment all of it comes together in one long meal. The workshops, the meals, the morning light in the cloister, the afternoon in Siena — they're not separate activities. They're one continuous experience of paying attention to what it means to eat, make, and live beautifully.
Most guests arrive feeling stretched thin, disconnected from pleasure, or out of touch with their own creativity. They leave with full notebooks, new skills, and a clarity about what a beautiful life actually requires.
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