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PLEIN AIR PAINTING
Course Dates:
Dates Currently Being Scheduled
Umbria is an enchanting place of great beauty, a region called “The
Green Heart of Italy”. In this course, you will experience this beauty firsthand
while painting plein air. Your instructor will guide you through the basic
techniques of choosing a good painting location, completing quick drawings
to form strong compositions, how to layer and use brush techniques to build
techniques and how to quickly choose the correct color to make clean color
choices. With your instructor, you will investigate light and its effect on the
visual field and learn how to translate this into your painting. After this course,
you will have enhanced confidence and pleasure when painting outdoors.
The class size, which is limited to 14 people, allows great flexibility in
modifying the instruction to meet all skill levels.
During your time at Caifiordi, you will also have an opportunity to
experience “up close and personal” life in a small Italian hill town. You will
meet with local residents, explore local fresh air markets, meet your hosts at
the various restaurants you will visit and enjoy many conversations with
Manuele and Simone at Locanda del Borgo. You will also have the
opportunity on Sunday to paint with the children of Pietralunga, an activity
which has become a tradition at Caifiordi. These experiences will infuse your
art; will help you to portray the true emotion and passion of the Umbrian
people in a way which could not be done without this local contact.
Your time at Caifiordi will, weather permitting, culminate with an art
show in Pietralunga’s main piazza in front of a medieval church. Local
residents will stop to admire, discuss and possibly purchase. Following the
art show, you will be treated to a farewell banquet at Locanda del Borgo,
prepared by chef Paolo, which will feature local cuisine, cheeses, meats and
wines. Your host there will explain the menu and the method of preparation.
COST:
The cost for your trip is $1,850 for the Sept. 7-14 trip and $2,950 for the Sept. 15-25 trip. This cost includes the following items:
- All lodging in both Pietralunga and Florence
- Ground transportation from Rome and to Florence
- Ground transportation to all daily excursions
- Admission to all museums and attractions
- All meals with the exception of lunch and breakfast the day you are in Florence
- All gratuities
- All baggage handling
ENROLLMENT:
To join us for this Easter holiday, all you need to do is pay a non-refundable deposit of $150 before October 1, 2008. This deposit will guarantee you space in this group which will be limited to no more than 14 persons. One-half the balance will be due by January 15 and the remainder by March 15.
More information can be found on our website at www.caifiordi.com or by calling Constance Grayson at 870-636-8082.
Our schedule for this all-inclusive nine day program is:
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DAY 1:
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Depart from your home country
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DAY 2:
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Arrive in Rome, Italy where you will be met by
Caifiordi personnel and your guide. From Rome,
transportation will be provided for you with lunch
along the way. You will be driven to Pietralunga
where you check into Locanda del Borgo, the
charming 16th century country house which has been
beautifully converted into a hotel and restaurant.
There you will be greeted by the father and sons who
operate this charming facility. During your time here,
you will get to know this family who will be prepared
to assist you in every way to make your stay more
enjoyable. Once you are settled into the hotel, we will
meet for a welcome dinner at Il Triangolo in
Pietralunga where you can sample one of the
traditional Italian pizzas which Chef Franco will make
for you in a wood-fired oven.
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DAY 3:
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Following breakfast, and mass should you desire, you
will go to Caifiordi where you will paint the outdoor
vistas abundant there. Lunch will be al fresco at
Caifiordi featuring the local cuisine where we are
often joined by local neighbors. Following lunch,
you will be continue your painting for the remainder
of the afternoon. In the late afternoon, you are
welcome to just us in our weekly outdoor painting
session with the children of Pietralunga. Once again,
Franco will prepare pasta or pizza for you at Il
Triangolo.
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DAY 4:
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On Monday, after breakfast, you will travel the 30
minute drive over the mountain to Gubbio, perhaps
the most beautiful of the hill towns you will visit.
In Gubbio, you will have a picnic lunch at the Roman
ampitheatre ruins where you will paint the ancient
ruins followed by a gellato at the café located there.
When the painting is completed for the day, you will
travel by cable car up the mountainside to the church
of San Ubaldo, the patron saint of Gubbio. Time
permitting you will visit the monument to the 40
martyrs of Gubbio and explore the city sreets and the
Piazzo dei Consuli. You will have dinner in Gubbio
at Il Piccio Verde.
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DAY 5:
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You will spend much of the day painting the local
vistas from Caifiordi. Following lunch at Caifiordi, you
will travel to Citta di Castello to view the museum
there which houses the collection of Alberto Burri,
Umbria’s most well-known 20th century artist. Dinner
will be in Citta di Castello at L’Hosteria.
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DAY 6:
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Today you will paint city scenes in Pietralunga. Lunch
will be at Locanda dei Fiorucci and the afternoon will
be spent painting in the village. Dinner will be served
at Caifiordi so that you will have more time in which to
complete your paintings.
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DAY 7:
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Today is a studio day with ample time for you to
complete your paintings. Following lunch at Caifiordi,
you will go to your hotel to get ready for the late
afternoon art show which will take place, weather
permitting, in the main piazza in Pietralunga. This
show has proven in the past to be a success with the
residents of Pietralunga and will give you the
opportunity to have your work viewed by many. This
evening, there will be a farewell banquet at Locanda
del Borgo where you will be treated to a menu
featuring many of the local meats, cheeses, pastas
and wines. A post-dinner stroll to the pub for a
farewell drink will top off the evening.
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DAY 8:
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The next morning you will be driven to Florence and
checked into your hotel. You will be “on your own” in
Florence for the remainder of the day with time to shop,
photograph and sightsee.
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DAY 9:
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Following breakfast,you will leave Locanda del Borgo and be driven to the village of Civita Castellana. There we will explore the ruins of an ancient Roman road, tour the cathedral and wander through this charming village where we will have lunch. Later in the afternoon you will check into Zia Cathy's, a charming agriturismo located in a beautifully restored 1850s farmhouse. There you can enjoy a swim in the pool or simply sit and sip wine in the garden. Dinner will be served here. For further information, visit their website at www.ziacathys.it.
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DAY 10:
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Early in the morning, you will be driven to the Rome airport to return to the U.S. You will arrive back in the U.S. this same day.
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Photo Credit - Bill Quinnell
Photo Credit - Bill Quinnell
Photo Credit - Bill Quinnell
Photo Credit - Bill Quinnell
Photo Credit - Bill Quinnell
Photo Credit - Bill Quinnell
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