Painting holiday in Tuscany, Italy
30th May to 6th June 2026: 1 place available
The magic of Tuscany! The soft light, the rolling hills, iconic Cyprus trees and medieval hilltop villages. Experience Tuscan culture and cuisine at Villa Palagione a 400 year old villa set in spectacular countryside. The villa was built at the time of the Medici dynasty as a country residence for noble families and you can still see the beautifully preserved murals and frescoes from that time. It is located near the charming medieval walled town of Volterra which still has traces of its Etruscan and Roman past.
Villa Palagione is set in beautiful gardens and is surrounded by the stunning Tuscan countryside. There is plenty of inspiration here for painting and sketching: panoramic landscapes, pretty gardens and rustic Tuscan buildings. We will have exclusive use of a large studio or you can seek out a quiet corner of the garden or work on the studio terrace. Enjoy the peaceful location, stroll in the surrounding countryside, relax by the pool or if you're feeling energetic you can climb to the top of nearby Monte Voltraio!
The villa is a centre for cultural study offering courses in Tuscan cooking, Italian language and cultural tours. There will be a couple of groups staying at the villa who will be taking part in other courses, but we will be the only painting group. There will be two day trips; one to Volterra and one to be confirmed. Villa Palagione is situated about one hours drive from Pisa airport.
"The Villa was a magical place to stay and you felt like you were being welcomed into someone’s home whilst taking a step back into an earlier time of beautifully frescoed rooms and period decoration. The gentle Tuscan landscape stretched out in front of us whilst we were surrounded by beautiful gardens.
I enjoyed the trips to Volterra and San Gimignano where there was lots of inspiration for sketching and painting. Two trips were enough as they generated lots of ideas to explore back in the studio.
As a fairly newcomer to watercolour painting it was very helpful to use the inspiration from the villa and the trips to improve my technique. The focused demonstrations by Pam gave a good insight into looking at different ways of interpreting what I’d seen during the week. I found her individual and kind critique of my work very helpful.
The owners were also generous in their hospitality with a guided tour of the Villa, an impromptu concert and with the other guests sharing their experiences of their hikes through local wildlife.
I particularly enjoyed the varied meals and the opportunity to try regional specialties."
(Michelle J)
Rooms are individually styled with a traditional Tuscan feel. Rooms in the main villa (pink building) have beautiful frescoed ceilings and rooms in the Arcate villa (cream building) have vaulted ceilings and magnificent views across the countryside. All rooms are double rooms and most have an en-suite bathroom. A couple of rooms have a separate private bathroom. To find out more about individual rooms click on the button below.
You will have the opportunity to try authentic regional specialities prepared by the local chef and the four course dinner will consist of a starter, a pasta course, followed by meat/fish with vegetables & salad and finished off with dessert. There is a super buffet breakfast of eggs, cheese, cold meats, yogurt, bread, cake, cereals, fruit etc and also a light lunch is included when based at the villa. Tea and coffee breaks are included but all other drinks will need to be purchased from the small bar at the villa. There is a good selection of wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks.
"Just to confirm that the Tuscan painting holiday was wonderful and more than lived up to expectations
The room I was in was great - it was compact but complete. The wardrobe had more than sufficient hangars for clothes. The bed and bed linens were very comfortable and good quality. The bathroom was well supplied with towels and soap.
The food was great and varied in the sauces on the pasta. The wine and drink selection was very good.
The staff were fun and friendly and helpful.
The location was beautiful the only drawback was the access road to the Villa.
The grounds were lovely and inspirational.
The organised outings were great and enjoyable. My preference would be Volterra over San Gimignano but only because it had less tourists out and about.
As ever the instructions and demonstrations were excellent also the advice and assistance."
Roz
Cost of holiday
Single person in BASIC double en-suite room: TOTAL £1447
Single person in COMFORT double en-suite room: TOTAL £1507 (sharing £1270)
Single person in VILLA (ext private bathroom) double room: TOTAL £1527 (sharing £1290pp)
Single person in VILLA double en-suite room: TOTAL £1641 (sharing £1290pp)
Non painting partners receive a further discount of £150 off the sharing cost
What is included
5 days of tuition with Pam Smart
7 nights accommodation in a double/twin room with en suite or private bathroom
7 buffet breakfasts
4 light lunches
7 dinners - a 4 course dinner is served at the Villa & one evening there will be a pizza night at a local restaurant
Tea & coffee breaks when at the villa
Use of the studio
Use of the pool
Tourist tax
2 excursions to include Volterra and one other city/town
Airport Taxi transfer: 1 hour (provided you can make the pick up time)
Not included
Drinks are not included: there is a small bar at the villa
Flights - you must arrange your own flight to Pisa (see information below)
Pool towel hire
2 lunches (on excursion days you will get your own lunch)
Travel Insurance
To confirm your place on the holiday you will need to pay a deposit of £300 each and complete a booking form. Please contact Pam to request a booking form.
Suggested Flights
30th May to 6th June 2026
Please wait until the holiday is confirmed before booking your flight and if you have any questions you can contact me.
Airport pick up will be at Pisa airport on Saturday 30th May to coincide with the Manchester flight at approximately 4.30pm* please note the pick up time may be subject to change if the flight schedule is changed.
Suggested flights to PISA on Saturday 30th May
Jet 2, Manchester to Pisa: departs 12.40 arrives 16.10
Jet 2, Birmingham to Pisa: departs 06.30 arrives 09.50 (several hours to wait for the transfer)
You may want to consider travelling out the day before and meet the group at the airport in time for the pick up.There are flights the day before with Jet 2.
Suggested return flights from PISA
Saturday 6th June
Jet 2, Pisa to Manchester: 1655 (transfer from Villa Palagione at approx 13.30)
Jet 2, Pisa to Birmingham: 10.35 (pay your own taxi transfer)