Art & Study Retreats in Italy
Drawing & Pastel in Tuscany
Drawing or Pastel Painting
Pensione Bencistà Fiesole
Pensione Bencistá (click image to enlarge)
Sunset at the Pensione Bencistá
(click image to enlarge)
Fee Payment: Drawing & Pastels in Tuscany 2014
You can pay your deposit, your balance due, or make a full workshop payment using your credit card or PayPal account via the secure PayPal payment system OR you can pay by check. Checks should be made out to “Art and Study Retreats in Italy” and mailed to:
Art Retreat
Martha Wakeman
105 Oneco Avenue
New London, CT 06320-4120
Drawing or Pastel Workshop in Fiesole, Pensione Bencista, Italy
To guarantee your reservation a deposit of $250.00 is due by January 31, 2014.
The balance due (if any) must be received by March 31, 2014.
Seven Days
(May 17 to May 24, 2014 )
The price includes breakfast and seven dinners and seven nights at the Pensione Bencista; six three-hour classes (except for companions); private coach to and from Florence for one afternoon of guided museum visits; three evening lectures on Renaissance Florence; and upon arrival, private coach from the Florence airport to the Pensione Bencista.
You will receive a receipt from PayPal for your payment; charges will appear on your credit card as “Martha Wakeman.”
A course syllabus and a list of art supplies to bring and suggestions for exploring Florence and Fiesole in the afternoons will be mailed to you by April 15, 2014.
Artist: single occupancy, $2,205.00
DEPOSIT: Artist, Single Occupancy, $250.00
BALANCE DUE: Artist, Single Occupancy, $1,955.00
PAY IN FULL: Artist, Single Occupancy, $2,205.00
Artist: double occupancy, $2,160.00
DEPOSIT: Artist, Double Occupancy, $250.00
BALANCE DUE: Artist, Double Occupancy, $1,910.00
PAY IN FULL: Artist, Double Occupancy, $2,160.00
Accompanying Companion: $1,935.00
DEPOSIT: Companion, $250.00
BALANCE DUE: Companion, $1,685.00
PAY IN FULL: Companion, $1,935.00
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Testimonials From Past Retreat Participants
From Danielle Murstein:
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Italy and the Casa Ciotti stay. The activities were a nice balance of art classes in the morning, and optional siteseeing trips in the afternoon. The landscapes were gorgeous, and the supportive teaching environment unique. Casa Ciotti was warm, welcoming, and fun. The food is great, and Josephina’s hospitality also. I feel that I got a chance to see more of “real” Italy without being in the usual tourist track, and appreciated the tremendous amount of thought and planning that went into the choice and scheduling of events.
From Tom Proulx:
I signed up for a class and I got an experience of a lifetime. Marty’s informal, yet structured, approach to teaching helped me to advance quickly from a beginner to an intermediate level pastel student—giving me a sense of accomplishment much greater than I ever thought possible in a ten-day period. The camaraderie of the group and the rich experiences we shared spurred many of us to create works that were not only highly personal expressions, but served also as a collective visual testament to the depth and quality of this remarkable class, its vibrant and stimulating setting(s) and the special gifts of its extraordinary teacher. I want to push the rewind button and replay the whole trip over and over and over again.
From Barbara Kleutsch:
Beyond the pure delight of touring Italy on a thoroughly-researched, carefully-chosen and smoothly-executed itinerary, we came away truly enriched by the insights and inspiration with which Bob Proctor and Martha Wakeman infused each day. Their passion for the country’s arts and culture is infectious—Italy glows vividly in their company, and in our memory.
Contact Us
For more information:
call Martha Wakeman at 860.442.6146
send her an email at
write to her at
Martha Wakeman
105 Oneco Avenue
New London, CT 06320-4120
or fill out and submit the contact/reservation form.
Martha will respond to your inquiry as quickly as she can.
Fees: Drawing & Pastel Workshop in Tuscany 2014
Seven Days
(arrival Saturday May 17; departure Saturday May 24)
Artist: single occupancy (includes breakfast and seven dinners) $2,205.00
Artist: double occupancy (includes breakfast and seven dinners) $2,160.00
Accompanying companion (includes breakfast and seven dinners) $1,935.00
The price includes breakfast and seven dinners and seven nights at the Pensione Bencista; six three-hour art classes; private coach to Florence for one afternoon of guided museum visits; three evening lectures on Renaissance Florence; and upon arrival, private coach from the Florence airport to the Bencista.
To guarantee your reservation, a deposit of $250.00 is due by January 31, 2014. Payment in full must be received by March 31, 2014. You can pay your deposit and fees online via credit card or your PayPal account: Fee Payment
A course syllabus, a list of art supplies to bring and suggestions for exploring Florence and Fiesole in the afternoons will be mailed to you by April 15, 2014.
If you would like more information, please call Martha Wakeman at 860.442.6146, send her an email at , or fill out the contact form.
Faculty: Martha Wakeman
Journey, the memories, the dreams and reflections along the road one travels, has been a constant theme in my painting. I sometimes see reality as a series of dreams, of encounters, of momentary, fleeting, fragile yet often beautiful experiences. Italy where I spent ten years and where we still return yearly, has been and continues to be a strong source of inspiration. Memories of people and of the Italian landscape with its extraordinary light have influenced my painting.
Martha Wakeman
[click image to enlarge]Martha Wakeman grew up in Darien, Connecticut. She graduated from Skidmore College in 1970 with a B.S. in Art Education, having spent one semester of her junior year at Tyler School of Art in Rome. She returned to Florence, Italy in the fall of 1970 to begin graduate work at Villa Schifanoia, Rosary College Graduate School of Fine Art. Thus began a ten-year period of life alone in a small rustic apartment in the hills outside of Florence. During this time she earned an MA and an MFA in painting, taught drawing and painting for Gonzaga University in Florence, and had numerous one-woman exhibits of her painting in Florence and Milan. 1979 brought her the opportunity to exhibit in New York.
In 1980, she came back to Connecticut and married Robert E. Proctor, professor of Italian language and literature at Connecticut College. Over the past 23 years, they have continued to return to Florence and Venice during the summer. These trips have provided a wealth of inspiration for Martha’s paintings. In Fall 2000, Martha and Robert traveled to Rome where Robert is creating an undergraduate program for Connecticut College on The Roman Origins of the Liberal Arts Tradition. They took Connecticut College students back to Rome again in the spring of 2002. The idea for a pastel course at Casa Ciotti was born when they first took their undergraduate students to Etruria under Mary Jane Cryan’s guidance.
Her life and many trips to Italy have provided a wealth of inspiration for Martha’s paintings. For many years she has been working on pastel landscapes inspired by Tuscany. She has now completed a series of cityscapes inspired by her recent stay in the charming Trastevere district of Rome.
Martha has exhibited in solo and group shows in Connecticut. Since 1984, she has taught drawing, painting, and pastel courses to Return to College Students at Connecticut College. During the summers of 2002 and 2003, she taught painting and pastel at The Umbra Institute in Perugia to college students from across the United States. Her work is in many private collections, in Europe, the United States, and Canada.
Faculty: Marlene McLoughlin
Marlene McLoughlin grew up in Santa Monica and Palo Alto, California, and has a degree in Art History from Barnard College and a degree in Fine Art, with High Distinction, from California College of Arts and Crafts. She has illustrated over 25 books, published internationally. Her first book project, an illustrated manuscript of “Beauty and the Beast,” was purchased by the University of Texas at Austin. While living in California her works varied in scale from wall paintings to miniatures. Among her books are “Across the Aegean,” “Rome for All Seasons,” and “The Passionate Observer.” Her most recent project has been the “Savoring” series of books for Williams-Sonoma. Her award-winning work is in a number of private collections. She has lived in Rome since 1995 and is currently working on a book of watercolors of her adopted city. During the summer of 2003, Marlene and Martha taught a Watercolor and Pastel course at the Umbra Institute in Perugia. Her website: http://www.marlene-art.com
Faculty: Mary Jane Cryan
Mary Jane Cryan is a writer, educator, and researcher who now lives in Vetralla, a delightful hill town in the heart of Etruria just 40 minutes north of Rome. Originally from Massachusetts, Mary Jane has lived in Italy for more than 35 years teaching in Rome’s international schools and in other educational programs, including Elderhostel. She has helped design and set up semester abroad programs for American colleges and universities, including School Year Abroad’s Italian School in Viterbo and St. Thomas More College’s program in Rome. For more than 20 years, her weekly columns on antiques, life style, and travel appeared in Italy’s English language press. She has been a staff writer for Villa Casali and has contributed to the best selling Eyewitness Guide to Rome and to Foder’s Italy Update. Her two recent books about the Vetralla area, Affreschi – Exploring Vetralla and Vetralla – The English Connection, along with a monthly newsletter (http://www.elegantetruria.com) have garnered her prestigious awards, including the Premio Cardarelli 2001, the City of Capranica Prize for Historical Research 2000, and the Ettore Petrolini Prize – City of Ronciglione 2002.
Faculty: Robert E. Proctor
Robert E. Proctor is Joanne Toor Cummings ‘50 Professor of Italian at Connecticut College, where he has also served as Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and as Founding Director of the Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, Old Lyme, Connecticut, and was Visiting Professor in 1999 - 2000, and fall 2001 with the goal of helping to integrate the humanities and fine arts curricula. He is also a member of the board of the Williams School, an independent 7 - 12 day school in New London, Connecticut.
Robert Proctor and Martha Wakeman
[click image to enlarge]Robert E. Proctor grew up in Los Angeles, California, and is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and of The Johns Hopkins University. He has been a fellow of Villa I Tatti, the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies in Florence, Italy, and of The National Humanities Institute at Yale University. He is the author of Education’s Great Amnesia: Reconsidering the Humanities from Petrarch to Freud, with a Curriculum for Today’s Students (Indiana University Press, 1988), for which he won the Association of American Colleges’ Frederic W. Ness Book Award in 1990, given annually to the author of the book that contributes most to the understanding of liberal learning. A second paperback edition of the book appeared in 1998 with the new title Defining the Humanities: How Rediscovering a Tradition Can Improve Our Schools. He is now writing a book on the Roman origins of the liberal arts tradition.
Martha Wakeman and Robert Proctor live in New London, Connecticut. They have two children, Rebecca and Andrew, ages 20 and 17.
Venues: Drawing & Pastels in Tuscany
Fiesole
An Etruscan settlement perched on a hilltop above the city of Florence, Fiesole held an important position during the Roman era. There are the remains of an ancient Roman amphitheater, and Roman baths. Fiesole has as well a beautiful medieval cathedral dedicated to St. Romulus, according to legend the first bishop of Fiesole.
Pensione Bencista
The pensione is a villa located in Fiesole, in the hills above Florence.
During the first half of the 14th century, this villa belonged to a famous Florentine named Bartolomeo di Niccolò. It was later owned by Bartolomeo di Filippo Valori, who was closely connected to the Medici family. In the 1500s it was owned by Bishop Raffaello Minerbetti. It was given the name Bencistà. In the following century it came into the possession of the Ficiati family. In 1759 it belonged to the Sisters of St. Anne of the Fields and was used as a convent for about 150 years. In 1925, Pietro Simoni and his wife bought it from the son of the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin.
At present, Pensione Bencistà is managed by Simone and Carla Simoni, together with their youngest daughter, Beatrice with the help of her husband Daniele; and her elder sister, Chiara, when her role as a doctor permits her to dedicate some time do so.
Itinerary: Drawing & Pastel in Tuscany
Fiesole—Day One
Pensione Bencistà—May 18 - May 23
Summary: Drawing & Painting in Tuscany
Drawing and/or Pastel Painting
Day One, May 17, morning arrival in Florence
Travel by private coach from the Florence airport to the villa Pensione Bencistà in Fiesole in the hills above Florence (approx. one hour). Your afternoon is free so you can settle in, relax, and enjoy the view of Florence from the terrace. Evening brings a welcome dinner at Pensione Bencistà.
May 18, morning free to sketch and relax and adjust to the time change. There will be an afternoon drawing/pastel class.
May 19-23, 9:30-12:30 p.m., Drawing or Pastel Classes. In the afternoons there will be free time at the Pensione Bencistà or you may choose to take a twenty-minute bus ride into Florence to explore the city. On the afternoon of May 21 there will be guided visits to the Church of Santa Croce to see art by Giotto and Cimabue among others and the Pazzi Chapel. We will also visit the Carmine Church to see the beautiful Massacio frescoes. After supper on Monday evening, May 19th, Tuesday May 20th, and Thursday May 22nd, Professor Robert Proctor will present short lectures on Dante and on the Renaissance in Florence.
Saturday, May 24, morning departure from the Pensione Bencistà.