About the Renaissance Retreat at Casale Alessandri

An acquaintance of mine once said, “to be a good painter, you must be a good cook.”  If this is true, could there be a more perfect Retreat for painting?

Join me for an enchanting eight-day getaway at Casale Alessandri, a Medieval hamlet in the heart of Umbria, to paint still-lifes of eggs, vegetables and cooking ware (think some of the details in the Bodegones by Velázquez or pick a Chardin).  But the kitchen theme doesn’t end there: once you’ve put down your brushes, you’ll put on an apron and learn to cook fine Italian cuisine with Chef Alessandri.  Unlike other Retreats, this Retreat is designed for those passionate about cooking and painting.

Time not painting and cooking is dedicated to special activities enjoyed by all painters/cooks and accompanying family/companions: wine tasting, an excursion to the local town of Todi, a visit to a local winery, swimming in the glorious ‘infinity pool’, and strolling through the surrounding garden and grove of olive trees.

About Chef Alessandri

Chef Federico Alessandri is a qualified chef who has studied under several Michelin Star chefs (at ”A Tavola con Lo Chef” cooking school- 3 Diplomas and 4 master courses) and he has worked in several different restaurants in Rome. This culminated in him becoming a personal chef and having the pleasure to cook for the rich and famous. He has traveled around the world teaching Italian cuisine.

For more about Chef Alessandri, visit his website, Chef in a Day.

Location

Casale Alessandri is located in Umbria, about 45 minutes South of Perugia and about 30 minutes from the spectacular Cascate delle Marmore.

Sign Up for the Next Retreat

The next Renaissance Retreat at Casale Alessandri will be:

Sunday, July 3rd to Sunday, July 10th, 2022

The maximum number of Painting Participants is 8 per retreat.

The maximum number of Cooking Participants is 14 per retreat.

The maximum number total–Painting Participants + Non-Painting Companions–is 22 per retreat.

Register below

Should none of the above dates work for you and your group, Custom Retreats are possible.  Please contact me using the Questions form for details.

For any and all questions that you don’t find an answer to on this web page, please use the Questions form to contact me or send a message via WhatsApp: +39 347 263 1033.

—Timothy Joseph Allen
Your Painting Teacher and Renaissance Retreat Organizer

Video Highlights from Past Retreats at Other Locations

2019 – October
2018 – October

For further details on the rooms at Casale Alessandri, please visit their website.

The 8-Day Renaissance Retreat at Casale Alessandri: Painting & Cooking Program

We strongly recommend that you arrive in Rome at least the day before the scheduled pick-up and transfer from Rome to Casale Alessandri… and schedule your return flight for at least the day after the transfer from Casale Alessandri to Rome.

Day 1


Morning

9:00 am: Meet in Rome.  Exact location TBA.

  • Transfer to Casale Alessandri. Estimated time of arrival: 11:00

Afternoon

13:00 – 14:00: Lunch

14:00 – 16:00: Free time

  • Swim / Relax / Rest

16:00 – 17:30:

  • Orientation: Tour of the Casale
  • Introduction to the Painting Course & Cooking Lessons

Evening

18:00 – 19:30: Activity for all

  • Wine Tasting

20:00 – 21:30: Dinner at the Casale

Day 2


Morning

7:30 – 9:00: Breakfast

9:00 – 12:00: Painting Program

  • Blocking in the Painting

Afternoon

13:00 – 14:00: Lunch

14:00 – 15:30: Free Time

  • Swim / Massage* / Yoga* / Relax / Other

Late Afternoon and Evening

16:00 – 21:00: Cooking Lesson followed by Dinner

  • Eat what you have made during your cooking class

Day 3


Morning

7:30 – 9:00: Breakfast

9:00 – 12:30: Painting Program

  • Building lights and examining textures

Afternoon

13:00 – 14:00: Lunch

14:30 – 17:00: Activity for all

  • Visit to the Cascate delle Marmore waterfalls

Evening

18:00 – 19:30: Aperitivo / Slide Show

  • Technical examination of famous still-life paintings

20:00 – 21:30: Dinner at the Casale

Day 4


Morning

7:30 – 9:00: Breakfast

9:00 – 15:00: Cooking Lesson followed by lunch

  • Eat what you have made during your cooking class

Afternoon

15:00 – 16:30: Free time

  • Swim / Massage* / Yoga* / Relax / Other

16:30 – 19:00: Painting Program

  • Pivoting toward ‘local color’ 

Evening

20:30 – 21:30: Dinner at Casale

  • Live Music Entertainment  

Day 5


Morning

7:30 – 9:00: Breakfast

9:00 –14:00: En-plein-Air Painting & BBQ Lunch (weather permitting)


Afternoon

14:00 – 15:30 Free Time

  • Swim / Massage* / Yoga* / Relax / Other

15:30 – 19:00: Activity for all

  • Visit to the Medieval town of Todi

Evening

20:00 – 21:30: Dinner at the Casale

Day 6


Morning

7:30 – 9:00: Breakfast

9:00 – 15:00: Cooking Lesson followed by lunch

  • Eat what you have made during your cooking class

Afternoon

15:00 – 17:30: Painting Program

  • Glazes and Scumbles

Evening

18:00 –  20:00: Activity for all

  • Montefalco Wine tour

20:00 – 21:30: Dinner

  • Dinner in the village of Montefalco

Day 7


Morning

7:30 – 9:00: Breakfast

9:00 – 12:00: Painting Program

  • Final touches

Afternoon

13:00 – 14:00: Lunch

14:00 – 16:00 Free Time

  • Swim / Massage* / Yoga* / Relax / Other

16:00 – 19:00: Painting critique


Evening

19:00 –  20:00: Aperitivo

20:00 – 21:30: Dinner

  • Medieval Dinner … with surprise!

Day 8


Morning

7:00 – 9:00: Breakfast

9:30: Departure – Transfer to Rome. Estimated time of arrival in Rome: 11:00

Note: activities indicated with an asterisk (*) are extracurricular activities and are not included in the package price of the Retreat.  If you are interested in these activities, please let us know in the Registration Form below.

What Does it Cost?

The total cost of the Retreat varies according to room choice and the number of people in each room.  The list below illustrates a few examples of the cost per person:

  • 1 Painting and Cooking Participant in a single bedroom starts at €3,820
  • 2 Painting and Cooking Participants in a double bedroom starts at €7,090
  • 1 Painting and Cooking Participant and 1 non-painting, non-cooking companion in a double bedroom starts at €5,300

Final cost depends on number of people, room requirements and preferred activities.  Does everyone want to paint and cook?  Do some want only to paint?  Do some want only to cook?

Final costs does not include any extra-curricular activities like yoga or massages that you may request during the retreat nor does it include airfare and/or travel to Rome.

We strongly recommend that you arrive in Rome at least the day before the scheduled pick-up and transfer from Rome to Casale Alessandri… and schedule your return flight for at least the day after the transfer from Casale Alessandri to Rome.

Transfer to and from custom locations is possible at an additional charge.

How Do I Register?

Registration is a 3-step process.  Using the Registration form below, you can:

  1. Indicate the total number of people and the room category.
  2. Provide your Contact Information
  3. Confirm your Registration Information

Very important:

  • Payment is NOT due at the time of Registration.
  • After we have received and reviewed your information, we will send you a Request for Payment for a Deposit of 30% of the total cost per Painting Participant and Non-Painting Companion.
  • Once we have received the Deposit, your reservation and participation is secure.
  • The Deposit is non-refundable.
  • The remaining amount is due 75 days prior to the start of the Retreat.
  • All Terms and Conditions are indicated here.  Please take the time to read them carefully.

Questions Before You Register?

Please send us any questions you may have using the Questions form below and we’ll be happy to reply as soon as possible.

Oil Painting: Creating a Still Life – What Can You Expect to Learn?

Kitchen scenes and food have always been a staple subject in the history of art for centuries—from frescos on the walls in Herculaneum, to Velázquez’s Bodegones, to Chardin’s intimate table arrangements—and the joy found in the creation of something as simple as an egg or an onion might surprise you.

Our focus during the retreat will be on the creation of a ‘kitchen arrangement’ of food and cookery.  Weather permitting we may also spend an afternoon cooking in plein air.

7 days work on a painting isn’t really that long, especially for a workshop intent on leveraging the full scope of oil painting: an oil sketch, underpainting, glazes, scumbles, etc.  However, there are ways to move things along in order to accommodate such a robust and ambitious endeavor, while also making it possible for you to have a sense of what steps could be taken in the future.

Working from a still-life, our primary considerations will be:

  • Composition and working from a one to one scale
  • Drawing and proportional relationships
  • Light and texture –  management of light in connection to the specific subjects vs. management of light and management of the whole (the ‘oxygen’).
  • Glazes and Scumbles – how to use them in oil paint and how each affects volume, space and atmosphere.

Meet the Painter and Co-Organizer, Timothy Joseph Allen

Tim working on a recent portrait in his studio in Rome.

Greetings! My name is Tim.  I’ve been a figurative painter since 1992, I’ve lived in Italy since 1998, I’ve taught at The American University of Rome since 2006, and I have managed and directed my own painting school in Rome–The Painting and Drawing Art Studio of Rome–since 2010.

I’ve been doing the Renaissance Retreats now for over two years.  There is nothing quite like it: the castles, the landscapes, the people, the food, the wine and the painting all combine for an extraordinary experience.

I hope you’ll join me in Umbria!

–Tim

For more about Tim and his paintings, please visit his website.

Register

Testimonials from Previous Retreats

… the Retreat and the renaissance portrait painting course, well… it totally exceeded expectations. The ‘devils in the detail’ they say. Tim went to outstanding lengths to ensure the ‘studio’ was equipped with everything we would need and with every comfort. Each morning two gorgeous life models, Sara and Erika greeted us in the most impressive authentic renaissance costumes and Tim would begin the session with a demonstration and continue with help to each and all.

Regarding Castello di Potentino (and its wonderful and awe-inspiring host Charlotte Horton) it was inspirational… as were the wine tastings, stories, histories, lodgings, meals, lovely-young-volunteers and surrounding vistas. Tim chose exceedingly well with this beautiful place on earth. All the extras were such a treat and yes we all fell in love with the Michelin Chef Roberto Rossi and his 5 star restaurant in Seggiano.
Honestly I could go on and on, I’m afraid I have already, but I cannot thank Tim enough for this life-changing experience

An experience I will never forget and a trip of a lifetime. It was wonderful to be able to take a week out of my busy life to reconnect with nature and my creativity. I learnt so much from Tim in a short time improving my painting skills dramatically. As I never had the opportunity to study art at a university level I feel that after what Tim has taught me I have confidence to produce more professional paintings. I couldn’t think of a more perfect atmosphere to paint in. From painting in a studio room of a medieval Tuscan castle with live models to landscape painting on a warm autumn afternoon in an olive grove looking over vineyards, forests and ancient villages. I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity.

Timothy Allen knows Renaissance art. With intelligence and humour he inspires his students to paint from life, fortified by the fabulous food and wine of the Castello. Under Tim’s guidance I actually produced a portrait, while living in a castle in Tuscany. It’s hard to convince myself that this really happened! But it did and I’ll never forget it.

The Renaissance Retreat was an experience of a lifetime. The castle setting was perfectly conducive to learning the techniques of the Masters under Tim’s excellent instruction and inimitable flair. It was immensely satisfying to see the quality of work achieved in such a short time. Tim put together a programme of intense study more than balanced with unique and memorable extra-curricular activities. I recommend the Renaissance Retreat highly.

Painting in Tuscany, in a Castle, with a live model, what more can be said! I’m still in awe that I had this experience of a life time. If you have the opportunity to take advantage and make it a reality, I can highly recommend it.

The Renaissance Retreat didn’t just meet my expectations, but exceeded them.  Tim went above and beyond to be accommodating, friendly, helpful and a great chauffeur as well.

If you are looking for an intensive and rewarding painting experience set in a storybook landscape, look no further than Art Studio Rome’s Renaissance Retreat.

Tim offers a week of learning to paint from a model and en plein air in a Renaissance style. That is the focus of the week, and it is an intense learning experience. I went to sleep at night thinking about what I would do next with my painting, and woke to thumb through photos of paintings by the Italian masters. Tim is a great instructor, and led us through the process of slowly building a painting. We had an excellent, lovely model and a beautiful setting for the backdrop to our developing portraits. Staying at the castle was like finding a little piece of heaven, and the food, wine and conversation were of the highest quality. Our restaurant outings were top notch. It was a week I will never forget.

The Renaissance Retreat was one of the highlights of my life, especially for two of my passions: painting and food. The castle and the landscape were beautiful. The food and wine plentiful and delicious. Tim provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn and apply renaissance oil painting techniques with inspiring subjects (live, costumed model and beautiful Tuscan landscapes). The opportunity to learn from a Michelin chef and from artisan local cheese-makers added so much to the experience. Thank you Tim!

I highly recommend this amazing trip to Potentino, with delicious food, divine wine and inspirational art classes!
Tim is an excellent and passionate art teacher who gently encourages his students to push forward! We received all the art supplies we needed, worked with a beautiful and professional model and painted plein air too! The time I spent at the castle with him and the amazing group of friends I made there, inspired me grew as an artist and also got me motivated to carry on with all of what I’ve learned.
I will never forget this magical experience. Thank you!

This painting retreat exceeded my expectations. There was an intense focus on painting and Tim was patient and instructive and always willing to answer questions and demonstrate techniques. The castle was the perfect setting … beautiful and inspirational…enhanced by its hostess, Charlotte, who created unbelievable meals with an emphasis on fresh, local products. All meals were shared at large community tables that provided an opportunity for us to meet other guests and a charming group of young volunteers.