Friends of Spannocchia

Focus on traditional painting methods and their contemporary application including encaustic used in the Fayum region of ancient Egypt, egg tempera from early Renaissance Siena and oil painting from Renaissance Venice. Prepare small wood panels with traditional gesso ground. Produce paint by combining dry pigments with beeswax, egg, milk glue or oil. Using exercises from An Artist’s Handbook, technical proficiency is encouraged through copying techniques employed in master paintings, while gaining an understanding of color theory, composition and construction of…

Susan Conley and Lily King will be leading their second summer writing workshop at the beautiful Spannochia from July 5thth to July 12thst, 2019. Writers of all stages are welcome! Lily and Susan have been leading workshops together and separately for years in places like China, France, Ireland, Boston, and Maine. They welcome fiction and non-fiction  writers. The blueprint is a writing workshop from 9-12, followed by lunch cooked for us on the farm. We’ll write new work and expand on older work every day, and we’ll try various innovative prompts to…

You have never really seen something until you have tried to draw or paint it. We invite you to join fellow artists for a week long visual exploration to “really see” the splendid Tuscan region of Italy based at the medieval castle and organic agricultural estate of Spannocchia. In addition to your own exploration you will have the opportunity to learn various drawing and painting techniques from professional artist Jerrod Partridge. The beautiful and luscious spaces of the estate will…

Music Adventure Chamber Music for Young Artists  Music Adventure  is an intensive chamber music program for motivated high school students set in the heart of Tuscany, birthplace of the Renaissance. In residence at  Tenuta di Spannocchia, nurtured and nourished by the caring faculty and Spannocchia staff, students are introduced to the culture, history and cuisine of the region. Intensive chamber music sessions, individual practice, private lessons, string orchestra, master classes and concerts are mixed with travel, sightseeing, hikes, Italian and T’ai Chi…

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW: our workshop takes place on the grounds of the tenuta di Spannocchia outside of Rosia, Italy. We hold workshops by day and craft talks by night. Throughout the week we enjoy the entirely estate-raised/grown/produced food and wine Spannocchia has to offer. As far as our classes go, we divide our conference participants (usually 16-18) into two 50-page MSS workshop groups. 2015's workshop leaders were the excellent Laura Lippman and Helen Schulman. We also hold a full length (~300…

Located on a nature reserve in the hills of Tuscany, Spannocchia's 1,100-acres is a paradise for foodies, nature-lovers, and those who dream of "la dolce vita." The organic farm, education center, multi-national community of staff and guests, centuries-old architecture, bountiful gardens, secret hiking paths, and beautiful vistas all work in magical harmony to provide the optimal setting to relax and immerse yourself in Italian farm-to-table food culture through tastings, cooking classes, and tours. This is more than a vacation; you’ll…

Come join me for a painting adventure in beautiful Tuscany! We will work on location, learning the fundamentals of watercolor and capturing the many moods of Spannocchia. This is a ‘destination vacation’ where you will soak up the culture, the food, the historic surroundings as you work on your skill development with painting in watercolor! Tours of vineyards, wine making, cooking Tuscan style, heritage gardens, heritage line of pigs and the famous proscuitto….all at your fingertips. Look up on line…