Join me for an enchanting seven-day getaway at the Castello di Potentino, a Medieval castle in the heart of Tuscany, to paint from life with the goal of creating an oil portrait in a landscape as exemplified in many Renaissance portraits.
Most of the time with the model will be spent inside the castle’s chapel–transformed for the occasion into our painting studio–while some of the time will be spent sketching the model in the countryside.
If you are enthusiastic about portraiture and landscape as a subject, and are a beginner or advanced painter in pursuit of adventure and community, this is THE workshop for you!
Time not painting is dedicated to special activities enjoyed by all painters and accompanying family/companions: learning to make pasta, learning to make cheese, tasting nationally and internationally-awarded wines, swimming in the glorious outdoor pool, exploring the mysteries of the castle, strolling through the vineyards and gardens and discovering the secrets of the surrounding valley, including the nearby river, the Torrente Vivo.
The maximum number of Painting Participants is 7 per retreat.
The maximum number total–Painting Participants + Non-Painting Companions–is 16 per retreat.
Upcoming Retreats
- Sunday, May 24th to Sunday, May 31st, 2020 – Castello di Potentino
- Sunday, October 11th to Sunday, October 18th, 2020 – Castello di Potentino
- Sunday, October 18th to Sunday, October 25th, 2020 – Location: TBA
- Sunday, May 6th to Sunday, June 6th, 2021 – Location: TBA
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
- October 6th to October 13th, 2019
- May 26th to June 2nd, 2019
- September 16th to September 23rd, 2018
- May 20th to May 27th, 2018
Video Highlights from the September 2018 Retreat
The Food & Wine – Farm to Table
Castello di Potentino prides itself on growing most of its own produce. Wines are made in the castle’s centuries old cellars, and olive oil pressed from the millennial olive groves in the surrounding valley. Potentino also grows the majority of the fruit and vegetables served at the castle in its own vegetable garden down the valley. They also work with the local shepherds to produce cheese as well as with the local butcher for meat.
Cook with a Michelin Star Chef
Michelin-starred Chef Roberto Rossi of il Silene with take you through an in-depth display of pasta making before cooking you a delicious meal of recipes from Monte Amiata.
Learn to Make Pecorino and Ricotta Cheese
Lorenzo and Francesca of Caseificio Murceti will show you how easy it is to make cheese. They will bring a pail of milk from their sheep milked that morning and show you the different techniques used to make real pecorino and ricotta as well as describing to you the local traditions of cheesemaking and their history in Tuscany.
Discover Wines with the Winemakers
Charlotte Horton and Alexander Greene, owners of Castello di Potentino, will take you on a tour of the castle’s wines. It is a rare opportunity to talk directly with a winemaker about her creations and have the possibility to discuss the wines in-depth and hopefully awaken your pallate and deepen your understanding of the castle itself.