Art & Study Retreats in Italy
Drawing & Pastel in Etruria
Drawing or Pastel Painting
Relais Pian di Vico, Tuscania
TuscaniaCome join us for seven days of drawing and pastel painting and travel in the land of the Etruscans, beautiful Etruria, north of Rome. Explore the Etruscan tombs and museum in Tarquinia, visit the “Papal city” of Viterbo and the magnificent Renaissance gardens at Villa Lante. Spend a week drawing or painting the countryside at Relais Pian di Vico and savor meals made with produce from nearby organic farmland. Take a boat ride on the Lago di Bolsena, and enjoy an afternoon sketching at the lakeside town of Capodimonte.
Relais Pian di VicoMichelangelo spoke of “la man che ubbidisce all’intelletto,” “the hand that obeys the intellect.” Our courses in Etruria offer an opportunity to paint and experience the landscape of Etruria with its luminous Mediterranean light. At Relais Pian di Vico we offer beginning to advanced instruction in the technical skill of drawing and pastel painting, and, through our rich itinerary, the deep and lasting intellectual stimulation people across the ages have experienced in Italy as they gazed on famous works of art and architecture and pondered their history.
Ask Questions
To ask questions or comment, please fill out the form below and click “SUBMIT”
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.
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 Etruria
Tuscania
An Etruscan settlement perched on a hilltop in a rich agricultural area, Tuscania dates from the Iron Age, and preserves not only examples of Etruscan art, but of later periods as well, especially the Christian Middle Ages. On the hill just outside Tuscania stands the beautiful medieval church of San Pietro, built on the acropolis just outside the city walls where the Etruscans and later the Romans built temples to their gods. The landscape here is striking yet peaceful, and conveys a sense of somehow stepping back in time.
Relais Pian di Vico
The Villa is located near Tuscania at the heart of the Pian di Vico estate, which it overlooks, far from the noise and frenzy of everyday life. It is secluded among century-old olive trees and may be glimpsed through pine trees from a long driveway which separates it from neighboring properties. The main part of the Villa dates back to the eighteenth century and during 1900’s it was enlarged when it became the residence of the previous estate owners. Recently, it has been remodeled and all of the rooms offer separate bathrooms, air conditioning, and satellite TV. Great care has been taken with the architectural details and furnishings in every room. The villa also offers reception rooms providing attractive areas for reading and listening to music. There is a large swimming pool on the property.
Itinerary: Drawing & Pastel in Etruria
Tuscania—Day One
Arrive in Rome at Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) airport. We travel by private coach along the coast to the ancient Etruscan town of Tuscania in the heart of Etruria, an area D. H. Lawrence describes with haunting efficacy in his Etruscan Places. The trip up the coast, with the Tyrrhenian Sea on our left, will take about an hour. The afternoon will be free to relax, sketch, and explore the town, to enjoy the beautiful grounds surrounding the Villa Relais Pian di Vico, to sketch, and to swim in the pool. We will have a welcome dinner outside on the grounds of the villa.
Relais Pian di Vico—Days Two through Five
At Relais Pian di Vico artist Martha Wakeman will offer daily pastel and drawing classes classes outdoors, weather permitting, from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. There will be at least one late afternoon class to explore the quality of the landscape under the late afternoon Mediterranean light as the day merges into dusk.
Each class will begin with a brief introductory lecture of about 15 minutes that will include discussion of various techniques through the observation of reproductions and through demonstration. Emphasis will be on the development of a personal style. Basic drawing and pastel techniques will be presented. Instruction will be at all levels, from beginning to advanced. The drawing class will be especially structured for beginners.
During our week at Relais Pian di Vico there will be free time to enjoy the pool at the villa plus afternoon trips to the gardens at the Villa Lante, to the ancient town of Tuscania, and to the Etruscan Museum and tombs in Tarquinia. There will be an optional excursion to the Farnese Palace at Capraola as well as an optional cooking class.
Lago di Bolsena—Last Full Day
This morning, the beginning of our last full day in Etruria, we will travel by coach to the beautiful Lake of Bolsena. There will be a boat ride and an opportunity to sketch at the lakeside town of Capodimonte. We will visit Montefiascone, perched high above the Lago di Bolsena and home of the famous Est-Est-Est wine. We will return to Relais Pian di Vico for an Arrivederci Etruria dinner. Departure will be the next morning.
Summary: Drawing & Painting in Etruria
Drawing and/or Pastel Painting
Day One, morning arrival in Rome
Travel by private coach from Fiumicino airport to the Villa Relais Pian di Vico just outside the ancient town of Tuscania (approx. one hour). Your afternoon is free so you can settle in, relax, sketch or enjoy the pool. Evening brings a welcome dinner at Relais Pian di Vico.
Day Two, morning free to sketch, relax and adjust to the time change; there will be an afternoon drawing/pastel class with a dinner in a restaurant in Tuscania.
Day Three—Day Five, 9:30am. - 12:30pm.
Drawing or Pastel Classes
In the afternoons there will be free time at the Villa as well as late afternoon trips to Viterbo, to the Renaissance gardens at the Villa Lante, and to the Etruscan Museum and tombs in Tarquinia. There will be an optional trip to the Farnese Palace at Capraola and an optional cooking class.
Day Six, morning, departure for Lake Bolsena
Sketching at the Lakeside town of Capodimonte, a boat ride on Lake Bolsena, and a visit to Montefiascone, a beautiful town perched high above Lake Bolsena and home of the famous Est Est Est wine. Arriverderci Etruria dinner at Relais Pian di Vico.
Departure, morning departure from Relais Pian di Vico