Spritz and Satire

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Spritz and Satire

Join us in our enchanting Umbrian villa. Create prints with our artist-in-residence or journal in a quiet frescoed salon.

Sample wine, sketch, pick olives, plant the seeds of new friendships, rebalance, dream. Grandiose yet intimate & utterly unique. I moved to the Tuscan/Umbrian border to raise children nearly two decades ago and now invite you to unwind and tap into the simplicity of Italian life and reignite your artistic passions and joy on a printmaking retreat in an 18th c villa. You'll enjoy small, daily class

es with our artist-in-residence, luxurious surrounds, and home-cooked 0km meals. Events around the art will be seasonal and just what the locals do ~ eating cinghiale pasta at a local sagra, or enjoying a concert during Trasimeno Blues in the fortress. Meandering neighboring hilltop towns, assisting in the olive harvest, or sampling regional wines. Enjoy sunset, prosecco in hand, in the villa limonaia or gardens. Go back in time on the islands of Lago Trasimeno, or spend a day at the Arezzo antique market, or a day-trip to Etruscan Cortona or Chiusi. Whether your idea of paradise is whiling away the hours in a quiet corner of the villa, book in one hand, local red in the other, or exploring the wonders of central Italy's most famous towns - Assisi, Siena, Montepulciano or Perugia -we design escapes to reconnect people to the earth and to themselves, gifting you the creation of your very own print as a memory of Umbria and this moment in time, ensuring that your experience of Italy is as unique as you are.

02/07/2025

Imagine this...

You arrive in Umbria.

The sun is warm, the table is set, and for the first time in a long time—you exhale.

✨ Under the vines, laughter bubbles over espresso and fresh figs.

✨ Inside, hand-painted ceilings and centuries-old tiles remind you that beauty doesn’t rush.

✨ Outside, golden sunflowers sway like they’re applauding your decision to be here.

✨ The pizza is hot, the wine is flowing, and no one’s checking their phone.

✨ Olive trees frame your morning walk. You’re not lost—you’re arriving.

This isn’t just a retreat.

It’s a soft return to yourself.

A place where you can rest, reconnect, and create—without performing.

🍷 Come join us.

Come sit at the table.

Come find what you didn’t know you needed.

01/07/2025

☀️ Autumn in Italy is a love story.

It’s waking up to sunlit hills and falling asleep with the scent of jasmine in the air.

It’s pizza that ruins all other pizza.

Espresso that tastes like poetry.

Long lunches that turn into golden evenings.

It’s vineyards, villas, and views that stop you mid-sentence.

And it’s history. Living, breathing, and woven into every detail.

If you’ve been craving beauty, connection, and that wide-open countryside magic… this is your sign.

🇮🇹 Italy is calling.

&Paper

29/06/2025

Why does Italy inspire artists so deeply?

It’s not just the landscape—it’s the light.

In regions like Umbria, golden afternoon sun paints everything in a soft, luminous wash. It touches terracotta, bounces off plaster, filters through fig trees. The textures become amplified. Shadows grow soft. Edges glow.

This kind of light invites presence. It slows the eye.

When artists work in natural light, especially in a place so rich in texture, they begin to see differently:

✧ Noticing colour shifts that wouldn’t appear under artificial light
✧ Feeling into shapes, not just seeing them
✧ Responding to emotional mood, not just visual detail

The interaction between light and surface becomes a conversation—one that opens creative flow, quiets the inner critic, and reawakens wonder.

Take a moment to observe how light touches your space. Let it slow you. Let it lead you back to your senses. That’s where creativity begins.

23/06/2025

“How Making Art Calms the Chaos” isn’t just a phrase—it’s a way of life.

Sometimes, art isn’t paint on canvas. Sometimes it’s the quiet rhythm of arranging eucalyptus on a dinner table, the glint of sunlight through wine glasses, the soft hum of preparation.

In a world that rushes, these moments ask us to slow down.

Whether it’s printmaking in Umbria or simply folding napkins mindfully in your own kitchen—hands-on creativity is a way back to yourself.

You don’t need to be an “artist.” You just need to begin.

✨ Why do you think creating—even in small ways—feels so grounding?

20/06/2025

Terracotta and sage. Blush stone and emerald shutters.

These aren’t just the colours of our villa—they’re the palette of our everyday life here in Umbria.

When we first stood on this gravel path, surrounded by olive trees and birdsong, we knew: this place wasn’t just beautiful. It was alive.

Every chipped tile and sun-warmed shutter carries history.

Every sunrise over these hills reminds us that life can be slower, deeper, more intentional.

We didn’t come here to escape.

We came to build something—something that felt more true.

A life that values beauty.

A business that celebrates connection.

A home that always has room at the table.

This villa isn’t just where we host retreats.

It’s where we live, press prints, cook slow meals, write new chapters.

These colours?

They’re a love letter to the life we’ve chosen—and an open invitation to anyone dreaming of doing the same.

18/06/2025

Why do people return to this place again and again?

Because something shifts here.

✍️ They come for the quiet corners—to journal what they’re finally ready to say out loud.

🍷 They come for long tables under olive trees, where the food is slow and the conversation slower.

🌿 They come for golden hills and cypress shadows, and that feeling of walking with no agenda.

🌅 And they come because they need a reset. A breath. A moment to remember who they are.

No pressure. No performance. Just presence.

Come stay with us in Umbria. And leave with something you didn’t know you’d been missing.

16/06/2025

Do I need to be “artistic” to start printmaking❓

Absolutely not. In fact, one of the most beautiful things about printmaking—especially gelli plate printing—is how wildly freeing it is.

There’s no perfect technique. No “right” outcome. Just layers, textures, color, and curiosity.

It’s a process that invites play, not pressure.
You don’t need to be an artist.
You just need to be willing to explore.

✋ Ever tried gelli plate printing? Or is it totally new to you? Let’s talk creative play in the comments ⤵

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Our Story

Casa Paterna, on the Tuscan Umbrian border, is our private home, opened to you to unwind, relax and recharge as you share in Italian life. Join us for cinghiale pasta at a local sagra, or a concert during Trasimeno Blues or Umbrian Jazz weeks. Meander neighboring hilltop towns, assist in the olive harvest, or partake in a day of wine tasting (usually followed by a slow day in the thermal hot springs!) Enjoy sunset while climbing the Castigliione del Lago fortress, or, proseco in hand, on your quiet balcony. Go back in time on the islands of Lago Trasimeno, spend a day at the Arezzo antique market, or day-tripping to Florence or Rome. Whether your idea of paradise is whiling away the hours on a portico daybed, book in one hand, local red in the other, or exploring the wonders of Italy's most famous towns - Assisi, Siena, Montepulciano, Cortona, Chiusi, Perugia, Montacino, & Montefalco -we will design an escape to suit your whims and ensure that your experience of Italy is as unique as you are.