painting course / 8 days – 7 nights
PAINTING COURSE WITH
ALLAN MADSEN
IN CALABRIA
Our painting course with the internationally renowned artist Allan Madsen takes place in Calabria, the southernmost region of the Italian peninsula. The course opens in Badolato, a charming medieval village known for its warm welcome and ends in a 15th century Masseria immersed in an enchanting landscape rich in historical and cultural gems. Finding inspiration from the environment around us, we learn to paint and see art through Allan’s expert and refined gaze. At the same time, we discover the untouched and multifaceted landscape of Calabria, enjoy excellent food and fine wines in an atmosphere of authentic hospitality. We close this unforgettable experience with an exhibition of works by Allan Madsen and works made by us during the week spent together in these places of great beauty and ancient charm.
“My painting courses deal with both the technical and the creative process. In the technical part I want to give some knowledge on how colors are mixed, how they are applied on the canvas with the brush or spatula and how the color is mixed with the modeling paste. In the creative part I intend to give indications on how and where to find inspiration and ideas and how these can evolve into a personal style or pictorial language. I don’t teach a specific style of painting as I think that art is always personal and individual. What I want to teach is a method and understanding for painting, to then create your own style. My pictorial language is a mixture of traditional and modern painting” Allan Madsen
Program
Day 1. LAMEZIA TERME – BADOLATO
After landing we leave for Badolato, on the Ionian coast of Calabria. The charming medieval village has a splendid view of the sea and behind it you can admire the green mountainous area of the Serre Regional Park. After settling in our B & Bs in the historic center, we meet in a restaurant to enjoy a dinner full of local specialties.
Day 2. PAINTING COURSE IN BADOLATO
After breakfast we meet Allan to begin the painting course in the typically medieval old town whose narrow alleys, characteristic squares and beautiful views can certainly be of great inspiration. We continue until the afternoon with a short break for a light meal.
Day 3. PAINTING COURSE IN BADOLATO
We continue the painting course with Allan until the afternoon with a break for a light meal. In the evening a tasty dinner awaits us in a typical restaurant in the historic center.
Day 4. BADOLATO – SAN FLORO – GUARDAVALLE
In the morning we leave Badolato to reach San Floro, a small village near Catanzaro, where we spend a day with the founders of a cooperative that produces silk. They take us on an exciting “journey” through the wonderful world of silk, we visit the Silk Museum and the farm where mulberry trees are grown and where silk is produced. The three young founders carry on with great skill and passion the processing methods used since the Middle Ages when Catanzaro was the capital of Europe of fine silk fabrics. They then welcome us to the country cottage with a tasty meal based on organic vegetables from their crops and other local delicacies accompanied by the songs and dances of the ancient Calabrian musical tradition. In the afternoon we leave for Guardavalle where we are welcomed in an authentic Masseria, a 15th century farm, immersed in the green of the landscape. Around us there are olive groves, citrus groves, vineyards and the fragrant Mediterranean scrub and nearby a typical stream descends from the Altopiano delle Serre to the clear waters of the southern Ionian Sea. In the evening we meet for an exquisite dinner with local specialties prepared for us by Mrs. Vittoria.
Day 5. PAINTING COURSE IN THE OLD FARM
We start the painting course surrounded by this wonderful environment and continue until the afternoon with a break for a light meal. Put aside the brushes we have time to enjoy nature and take a walk in the citrus and olive groves. In the evening we meet to enjoy an excellent dinner.
Day 6. PAINTING COURSE IN THE OLD FARM – STILO AND THE CATTOLICA – TYPICAL DINNER
After breakfast we dedicate the day to the painting course, with a break for a light lunch. In the afternoon we go up the Byzantine Stilaro Valley to nearby Stilo, one of the “most beautiful villages in Italy” and birthplace of the monk and philosopher Tommaso Campanella. A nice walk through the town takes us to the Cattolica. The church is located on the side of Monte Consolino, considered a sacred mountain since ancient times, and enjoys a splendid view over the river valley. The cult building, considered a Byzantine jewel of great architectural, artistic and religious value, together with the numerous caves around the mountain, called laure, recalls the extraordinary life of the cultured hermit monks who in the Middle Ages lived in the caves of the mountain in solitude and prayer. We sit in a restaurant in the historic center to enjoy an tasty dinner based on local specialties.
Day 7. PAINTING COURSE – ART EXHIBITION IN THE FARM – TASTING AND TOAST IN THE ANCIENT CITRUS GARDENS
After breakfast, the painting course continues with a break for a light meal. In the evening, in the wonderful setting of the ancient farm called Masseria, the exhibition opens with the works of Allan and the course participants who have the opportunity to exhibit their works. In the ancient orchards and under a deep starry sky, we taste a country aperitif while we listen to the harmonious notes of traditional music and share sensations and impressions of this unforgettable week of art, beauty and conviviality.
Day 8. DEPARTURE
In the morning we leave Calabria to return to our destinations.