Do I need to bring my own equipment or will it be supplied?

We provide each guest with nicely bound sketchbook & basic drawing/painting materials for use during duration of course. Cushions and chairs will also be provided when necessary for use during the program. If you would like to bring your own materials, you are more than welcome to and we will provide you with a list of what you will be most likely use during the week.
Guests should plan on doing a fair amount of walking, and therefore comfortable and supportive walking shoes are needed. Another pair of shoes that are sturdy in rain are also recommended as a second option if weather makes city streets or outdoors areas wet. Guests should bring a comfortable backpack or shoulder bag to hold minimal art supplies and personal items for outings with overall dimensions that will allow paper of 10x12 inches to fit. We also suggest that guests consider bringing sunscreen, a sun hat, and sunglasses.

Come empty-handed and leave with several finished paintings in watercolor or egg tempera, working sketches as well as finished drawings, a sketchbook full of tips, tricks, and your personal reflections, and numerous new skills and inspiration that are the lifelong souvenirs of an unforgettable experience.

If I have a friend or my partner that would like to join me on this trip but doesn't want to do the art classes is that okay?

That is absolutely no problem as everyone is welcome. We offer other programs that may be of more interest to him/her/them which are the Biking, Trekking or Culinary programs. If they would like to just relax whilst you are participating in the art courses then they are most welcome to do that and then they can join you for the dinners, wine tours and any other 'non art class' activity that we offer during the week. They would then attend as a 'non participant'. Of course you can also choose to share a room/accommodation.

Is there a best time of year to come?

All year round in Tuscany is great! Every season has a different charm. Some prefer the cooler weather of the Tuscan winter days with the smoking chimneys and brisk air they prefer to the hotter summer months. Others prefers the autumn colours or the spring air. It's really up to you. Just enquire with us as to when we have availability as we do need minimum numbers to hold the Art & Culture Program, normally at least 2 guests.

Does the Art & Culture program always go from Saturday to Saturday?

We try to stick to this as a general rule as it makes our logistics and coordination much easier if everyone, no matter what program they are participating in, arrives and leaves on the same day. In saying that though, providing it's possible to arrange, we can offer some flexibility and have you arrive /leave on different days.

What if it rains? Does the art class that day get cancelled?

No, most certainly not, as many activities in Florence and the grounds of the Villa Pandolfini itself offer many covered areas to enjoy.

What is included in the program fee?

Included in the 7 Day Art & Cultural Program Fee are 7 nights accommodation at the Villa Pandolfini estate in one of our self-catering accommodations, the welcome dinner and final going away dinner with music, all of the art course tuition and lectures, almost all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, entrance to all museums and gardens visited on the course itinerary, transportation every day to and from the estate to your destination, wine tasting and any extra activities as per your program, and a lovely welcome basket filled with fruits, coffee, tea, milk, the Villa's own estate wine, etc. Taxes are also included.

What is NOT included in the program fee?

Airport Transfer Fees and a couple of the lunches / dinners as per your program outline. Tips and gratuities are not included and of course any extra shopping that you choose to do is your responsibility! Come with half empty suitcases and to NOT go shopping is not humanly possible in Florence!!!

What is the best airport to fly into ?

Florence is the best, though Pisa, Bologna and Rome are also fine. The train connections are good from all of these three and it will take around an hour and a half from Rome or Bologna to Florence and around an hour from Pisa. To fly into Florence, you normally need to come into a major European city first like Munich, Madrid, London, Paris, or Berlin and then get a shorter flight into Florence. From New York, Delta now offers a direct flight into Pisa and Eurofly/Meridian offers a direct flight into Bologna.

Do you have singles travel for the Art & Culture program?

Yes most definately!! We have many, many singles come along to join our tours. Everything is taken care of for you, you just need to organize your flights to Italy and let us know when you are arriving! We are always around to take care of whatever you need and the groups we always find bond very well as they all have the common interest of food, wine, culture and a general love for Italy in common. The programs are a nice mix of classes whether it be painting, cooking, walking or biking, then cultural activities such as wine tasting, olive oil mill visits, cheese tastings and then the social part or the week spent with us. We share lots of dinners, traditional italian music and free time to relax by the pool, sleep or do some extra touring and /or shopping.

We offer the single room suppliment if you prefer to not share a room with someone, if you dont mind sharing then we will always pair you up with the same sex.

Can you tell me more about your art teacher?

Our teacher Andi is an internationally-exhibited teaching artist who received her Masters in Fine Art from Stanford University on a Fine Arts Scholarship while completing large-scale indoor and outdoor drawing and painting installations and performance art work. She received a New Langton Arts emerging artist's grant and completed a site-specific gallery drawing installation before coming to Florence for a year-long sabbatical where she completed studio work and studied the creative process and fell permanently in love with the colors, art, architecture, and hillsides embracing Florence. Andi returned to California and taught with the San Jose Museum of Art where she took part in a group show and exhibited in the Wendall Gallery, and spent the last year as artist-in-residence at the Marin School of Arts and Technology. Now back in the city with the Madonnas she loves gazing from every street corner, she's been teaching university-level studio art with Firenze Arti Visive and the New Renaissance Film School and working on a drawing, painting, and sculpture installation involving both large, expressive childlike drawings as well as small, intricately detailed, photographically-correct egg tempera botanical paintings.

As an instructor, Andi combines this love for detail and passionate seeing opened up by her classical art training with her adoration and respect for the unexpected and imaginative qualities she finds in children's art, medieval art, and her favorite contemporary artists. It's this rich background and breadth of skill she offers to her students to help them find their own unique artistic voice while gaining confidence and enjoying their natural creativity, which she believes is innate to every human being. While studying with her, you can expect to gain expert technical training and a solid skills you can build on combined with an amazing sensitivity to your individual interests and creative process, and an enthusiasm that her students find both inspiring and contagious.