Italy Hilltop Villages Vacation Workshop with Gary Geraths

June 19-23, 2025

(Early bird deposit deadline is January 20, 2025)

You are invited to a group vacation package in the gorgeous hilltop villages in Umbria, Italy featuring 5 art classes taught by California multi-media artist, Gary Geraths. This vacation package is equal parts cultural experience and art workshop. Together our small group of 10-15 participants will discover the food, architecture, culture and traditions of the region as we tour 5 Umbrian hilltop villages by private air-conditioned coach. We are looking forward to making art in good company. Average temperatures for that week in June are highs of 80°F (27°C) and overnight lows of 57°F (14°C)--perfect for a lovely sketching holiday!

Meet Gary Geraths

Gary is a professor of art at Otis College in California. He teaches Drawing, Background Design, Vehicle Design, Portrait & Costume Drawing & Painting, Landscape & Environmental Drawing, Storyboarding, and Figure Drawing & Painting to name a few. He was the Courtroom Sketch Artist at the O.J. Simpson Criminal Trial. He is the author of Five Minute Sketching Animals & Pets and Drawing Animals. Gary has also traveled, sketched and painted throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. This workshop will feature art classes using gouache and colored pencils.

About Umbria, Italy

Bordered by Tuscany, Umbria is a region in central Italy easily accessible from Rome and Florence. It is characterized by hills, mountains, valleys and medieval hilltop towns such as Assisi, Orvieto, Spello, Civita di Bagnoregio and its capital city Perugia. Umbria is the birthplace to the saints-- St. Benedict, St. Valentine, and of course, St Francis making Assisi a pilgrimage destination since the 13th century. But even with all these attributes it is still less touristy than its neighbour Tuscany though no less gorgeous.

When to Arrive?

Tuesday June 17, 2025

Buongiorno and welcome to the hilltop villages of Umbria! Your arrival date is your decision but we suggest you arrive on Tuesday June 17 so that you have time to settle in and possibly to adjust to a new time zone or the vagaries of travel which, as we know, could include a missed or delayed flight. Better to be relaxed at the start of your vacation workshop.

Warm Up Sketch + Welcome Reception

Wednesday June 18, 2025

Workshop participants who arrive early are invited to meet in the hotel lobby at 2:00 for a warm up sketch (optional). Gary will not be teaching at this time. This is your chance to warm up.

Afterwards, all workshop participants and companions are invited to a wine and cheese welcome reception at 6pm in the hotel. Below is our proposed itinerary.

Day 1--Perugia + Workshop #1

Thursday June 19, 2025

In the morning we will enjoy Workshop #1 in gouache and coloured pencils with our wonderful instructor, Gary Geraths.

After lunch we will immerse ourselves in local art with a visit to an art museum.

Day 2--Orvieto + Workshop #2

Friday June 20, 2025

Today all Participants and nonPainter Companions will spend the day in Orvieto travelling by a private air-conditioned coach. Orvieto retains its medieval architectural charm with a warren of narrow streets and an impressive cathedral that soars skywards above the rooftops of Orvieto’s palazzi and medieval buildings. In the morning Participants will enjoy Workshop #2.

After lunch the group will tour the famous Orvieto Cathedral (completed in 1541) with its remarkable Gothic façade of intricate sculptures, bas reliefs, and glittering mosaics.

Day 3--Civita di Bagnoregio + Workshop #3

Saturday June 21, 2025

Today we will enjoy an all-day excursion to Civita di Bagnoregio, an ancient hilltop village accessed by a 300-metre pedestrian-only bridge.

Here Gary will teach Workshop #3.

On our way back to Perugia we will stop in at a nearby vineyard for a wine tasting and tour of a wine museum.

Day 4--Spello + Workshop #4

Sunday June 22, 2025

Today we will travel to Spello, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. This town is literlly overflowing with window boxes and hanging baskets of flowers and hosts the annual Spello Infiorata or Flower Festival, a tradition that dates back to 1602 in which villagers band together in small groups and work through the night to create tapestries depicting birds, animals, stars, the moon, people embracing, and religious scenes made entirely out of flowers.

While we won't be attending this flower festival, we will certainly immerse ourselves in the culture and traditions of Spello and it is here that Gary will teach Workshop #4.

After lunch we will visit a mosaics museum built around an archeological ruin that features mosaics that date back to the Augustan era (27 B.C. to 14 A.D.) bringing home to us the history and culture of Umbria.

Day 5--Assisi + Workshop #5

Monday June 23, 2025

Today we will make our own artistic pilgrimage to Assisi, a world heritage UNESCO site and the birthplace of St. Francis in 1180. Here Gary will teach Workshop #5.

After lunch we will tour the famous Basilica of St. Francesco in which can be found the saint's tomb making it one of the world's most famous pilgrimage destinations since the 1300s. This site played a significant role in the history of Italian art, hosting works by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti.

In the evening we will celebrate a fabulous week of art and culture and new friends with a Farewell Dinner (included).

Departure

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

It's time to say goodbye but you will never forget the friends you made or the skills you learned during this great week! Or extend your stay for a long relaxing holiday!

PLEASE NOTE: THE ORDER OF EVENTS AND SUBJECTS PROPOSED IN THIS ITINERARY MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Recommended Workshop Supply List

Click HERE to view Gary's Workshop Supply List.

FAQs

Q: What will my spouse/travelling buddy do while I'm in my art class?

A: Your art class is your time and your spouse/buddy can take this time to sleep in (on Day 1 only), explore the hilltop villages fully, to shop, hike, take pix or visit venues that you will not have time for. You will meet up again at lunch and will enjoy the cultural activities in the afternoon together.

Click HERE for more FAQs.

For more information about this vacation package contact Brenda Murray Studio56Boutique@gmail.com.

Tour Includes

A welcome reception and Farewell dinner
All art classes
Admission to the museums and sites mentioned
Ground transportation by private coach over 4 days to each of the villages mentioned and return to Perugia

Tour Excludes

Flights to/from the area
Hotel
airport pick-up and drop-off
Meals (except those listed above)
Painting supplies
City taxes payable by guest at check out
Tips and gratuities
Porterage/luggage handling
Travel insurance
Expenses of a personal nature
Items not explicitly specified in the inclusion list

Early Bird Prices in USD

Book now before January 20, 2025 and save $200USD!

$2199.USD Early bird price: $1999.USD Workshop Participant

$1599.USD NonPainter Companion Participant (such as partner or travelling buddy)

NonSketcher Companion tickets include the same attractions and meals as the Workshop Participants with the exception of the art classes.

To reserve your spot in this workshop, a $500USD nonrefundable deposit is required for Workshop Participants and a $300USD nonrefundable deposit is required for nonSketcher Companions 150 days prior to the start of the workshop. The remaining balance is due 120 days prior to the start of the workshop, that is, on Feb 19, 2025.

To make a deposit, please scroll to the bottom and click BOOK NOW.

PLEASE READ OUR REFUND POLICY.

Bring a Friend and Get a $50 Rebate!

Here's how it works. You and your sketching buddy register for a vacation workshop with your deposits. Then alert us with an email. You will each be refunded $50 after the start of the workshop. This rebate can only be applied to 2 Workshop participant tickets if the workshop has sold out with 15 participants.

Accommodation

The official hotel of this vacation workshop is a luxury 5-star hotel with a very reasonable rate. The discounted group room rate: Superior Double rooms for single use at €170 VAT + breakfast included. A 20% non-refundable deposit will be required 60 days prior to arrival. Free cancellation up to 60 days prior to arrival.

How to Make a Hotel Reservation

Before you make any hotel reservations, click the blue BOOK NOW button below to ensure you have a spot in this workshop.

After you have secured your spot in this workshop with your deposit, information about the hotel with instructions for how to book a room will be sent to all participants.

Participants can stay in this hotel or book into another nearby hotel or Airbnb if they prefer.

Travel + Medical Insurance

Last minute cancellations for any reason are nonrefundable therefore protect your investment in this vacation by purchasing trip cancellation insurance. Click HERE for a list of US travel insurance providers. Some credit card companies may also offer travel insurance if you paid for your trip using that credit card.

Pedestrian Friendly?

Visitors to the hilltop villages of Umbria should expect steps and cobble stones as these are ancient medieval towns. Civita is only accessed by a pedestrian-only bridge with an incline. Participants in this workshop must be fully mobile and able to walk for 20 minutes and manage stairs. If you are not able to walk 20 minutes and manage stairs, we recommend you consider a different Studio 56 workshop that is less physically demanding.

Travel Tips

Please check HERE for Studio 56 Travel Tips.

Your Tour Manager

Participants will be accompanied by Studio 56 owner, Brenda Murray. Brenda is a Canadian artist and arts advocate, the founder of Urban Sketchers Waterloo Region and a former Urban Sketchers Board member. A seasoned traveler, Brenda has traveled to Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liechenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea (resident for 4 years), Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, and the USA (35 states). Brenda will be on hand to assist the instructor and to ensure that everything runs smoothly. She has completed the St. John's Ambulance Emergency First Aid - CPR C - AED training. Learn more about Brenda HERE.

For More Information

Email Studio56Boutique@gmail.com or call Brenda Murray at 519-572-1757.

How to Register for this Workshop

To guarantee your spot in this exciting vacation workshop, participants must pay a deposit by clicking the BOOK NOW button below.

Interested but you have questions? Email Brenda at info@Studio56Boutique.com.