Italian Art Retreat,
Flamingoes in Puglia, Italy

Arrival & welcome Arrive in Puglia and make your way to the masseria, with group transfers available from the airport. We offer a group transfer from Bari Airport at 1pm and Brindisi Airport at 2pm. These are fixed times, so you may wish to arrive the day before and stay locally if your flight timings don’t align. There are plenty of convenient accommodation options near both airports, and return transfers at the end of the retreat are included. Once settled, we’ll come together for a relaxed welcome dinner, followed by an informal introduction and overview of the week ahead. You’ll also receive your artist welcome gifts, along with studio notes, your lesson plan and a plein air sketchbook kit to use throughout the retreat.

Preliminary painting and preparation After breakfast, we’ll begin with a focused morning studio session, developing your initial ideas and preparing for your first stages of painting. Later in the day, we’ll return to the salt lakes for a second flamingo excursion. This gives you the chance to deepen your observation, refine your reference material and notice more subtle details in movement, colour and light. Back at the masseria, the afternoon studio session will build on this, with Carla guiding you as you begin to translate your references into more developed work. In the evening, we’ll head to Grottaglie — a beautiful historic town known for its long tradition of ceramics. We’ll explore its characterful streets and artisan workshops before enjoying the atmosphere at sunset.

Establishing form For those who wish to, we’ll begin the day with an early sunrise experience, heading out to watch the light emerge and capture the changing atmosphere as the landscape comes to life. It’s a beautiful, quiet time of day and a valuable opportunity to observe colour, tone and mood. We’ll then return for a full day in the studio, focusing on establishing form within your work — developing structure, depth and clarity as your painting begins to take shape. In the evening, we’ll head to Oria, a historic hilltop town known for its winding streets, whitewashed buildings and far-reaching views. We’ll enjoy time to explore before dinner together.

Taking it further After breakfast, we’ll begin the day with a final morning studio session, giving you time to bring your work together and make any last refinements with Carla’s guidance. Following lunch, we’ll prepare your pieces for display, selecting and arranging work to create simple exhibition boards that reflect your progress over the week. In the evening, we’ll gather for a relaxed botanical cocktail evening, where we’ll share an informal exhibition of everyone’s work — a chance to reflect on the week, see how each artist has developed their ideas, and celebrate what you’ve created. We’ll then enjoy a final dinner together at the masseria.

References & Composition After breakfast, we’ll head out for a flamingo excursion to the nearby coastal salt lakes — a unique landscape of shallow water, wide skies and soft, shifting light. This is one of the best places in the region to observe flamingos in their natural habitat, often seen wading, feeding and moving together across the water. It’s an ideal setting to study movement, colour and atmosphere, and to gather strong photographic reference material for your work. We’ll return to the masseria for lunch before moving into an afternoon studio session, where Carla will guide you in developing your initial compositions from the material collected earlier in the day. In the evening, we’ll head to Manduria for dinner — a relaxed and characterful town known for its historic streets, local food and wine. It offers a lovely change of pace and a chance to enjoy the atmosphere of the region beyond the studio.

Full composition study After breakfast, we’ll spend the morning in the studio focusing on developing your composition, building on the work and reference gathered so far. Following lunch at the masseria, the afternoon session continues this process, with Carla guiding you as you strengthen structure, balance and overall impact within your painting. This is a more focused studio day, allowing time to settle into your work and make meaningful progress. In the evening, we’ll enjoy a relaxed dinner together at the masseria.

Mid phase painting & Visit to Lecce After several days of building your work, today offers a chance to step back and explore. There is an optional excursion to Lecce — often referred to as the “Florence of the South” — known for its beautiful Baroque architecture, warm honey-coloured stone and elegant streets. You’ll have time to wander, explore independent shops or simply enjoy the atmosphere of this vibrant and historic city. Alternatively, you may prefer to take time to rest or enjoy the surroundings at the masseria. In the afternoon and evening, we’ll return to the studio to continue developing your paintings, with Carla guiding you through this important mid-phase — refining structure, colour and cohesion within your work. For those staying back, there is also the option to enjoy a relaxed wine tasting in the olive garden.

DEPARTURE ​Final farewell breakfast and departure to the airport. All artist materials created and used during the workshop can be taken home.