Art Retreat with Marina Buening in the heart of Italy

Dates 2026

May 10 to 17, 2026 

 arrival day ist Sunday

and June 27 to July 4

at the Sant Andrea convent in Collevecchio

(arrival and departure day is Saturday)

Relax and tap into your own creativity on an Art Retreat in one of Italy’s most beautiful landscapes:

Art Retreat for Your Soul

Vacation in Collevecchio – Pearl of the Sabine Mountains

When we arrived here a week ago, I was so eager to finally get back to work. Meeting the friendly people and you immediately gave me a really good feeling.
Perspective was explained really well, but it was also exhausting. However, we were able to put it into practice right away in the village over an aperitivo, and everything was easy.
The atmosphere was so wonderful. We became more and more relaxed, and it became more and more cheerful. Here, you are completely pampered. The food is vegetarian, but delicious. As a group, we grew closer and closer together, which was very liberating. Today, while working, we noticed that everything actually became much more vivid, that we implemented everything much more freely and dynamically and became much more courageous. But it was wonderful to know that your guidance was always there, that we could always ask you questions and that there was help and support available to help us move forward and develop further.

Sieglinde R.

The creative vacation (art retreat) with artist Marina Buening takes place in Collevecchio. This is a small, very lively village of about 900 inhabitants in the Sabine Mountains in Lazio. The village is 70 km from Rome and can be reached by train and bus.

At an altitude of about 250 meters, the village has a beautiful view of the Tiber Valley. The landscape is characterized by olive groves, fields, flocks of sheep, vineyards, and forests. It is a gently rolling hill country reminiscent of Tuscany forty years ago. Collevecchio has Roman roots and was of particular importance in the Middle Ages due to its jurisdiction. The village is very well preserved and intact, with a special charm that is best enjoyed over an aperitif in the piazza.

It was relaxing that the atmosphere was welcoming from the start, without any pressure or expectations to perform. I also really liked the teaching approach: starting with simple things and then moving on to more complicated work helped me to avoid stress and develop my skills quickly. The group was great and a lot of fun, which also helped me feel relaxed and open to everything on offer. The beautiful surroundings, the wonderful landscape and the aperitivo in the piazza in the middle of the village made the course something special.

Irene H.

Learning art – with enjoyment and professional guidance

Start the day relaxed with a homemade breakfast under the pergola. The monastery is surrounded by oak, fruit, and olive trees, as well as its own vineyard, providing inspiration for painting and drawing from nature. In the afternoons, we sometimes cool off in the town swimming pool and make color sketches – a combination of work and play. You will learn new techniques or receive guidance on how to paint more abstractly and freely, developing your own vision and style.

A local chef provides delicious, healthy Mediterranean meals that are organic and mostly vegetarian. There are tasty options for participants with dietary restrictions.

On the creative vacation with Marina Buening, you will discover innovative creative processes and learn to listen to your inner muse. You will also meet like-minded people and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with them.

The art course during your art trip lasts 6 hours per day under the professional guidance of artist and art lecturer Marina Buening: six days in total. The first and last days are arrival and departure days. During the course, we also go on short trips and walks. Here you can draw and get to know the surroundings.

Find your creative flow with the right technique

To find our inspiration, we first need to relax and leave everyday life with all its problems and worries behind us. A wide variety of perception exercises can help with this: e.g., exercises from improvisational dance, contact with nature, and other techniques that strengthen perception.

On this art trip, we will often go out into nature to use it as a source of inspiration and to sharpen our senses in nature. We will also draw a lot from nature, but we will also give our pencils and brushes free rein. Nature can also help us to become a little more modest and thus gain some distance from ourselves. This makes creating easier and more joyful because it is more playful and less serious.

Ideal group size for maximum learning effect

There are very specific exercises, adapted to those present, for our drawing activities. Since the group is relatively small—no more than 12 people—there is plenty of room for personal attention and encouragement. Your needs will be addressed in a very personal way. If you are already advanced, you will be personally accompanied in your process.

“Practice makes perfect, so I can’t help but improve; every drawing you make, every study you paint, is a step forward.” Vincent van Gogh 1853 – 1890.

There is concrete assistance and various exercises to help you stay in the artistic flow and cultivate what you have learned in everyday life. The didactics of the intensive course on this art trip are inspired by Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way and her other books) and Kleon Austin, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eric Maisel (creativity coach), and Ulrich Klieber (university lecturer at Halle Schloss Giebichenstein).

Attention art teachers: In the May course, many of the assignments include tips on how to implement them in everyday school life.

Watch the video in which last year’s course participants report on their experiences.

Accommodation & surroundings of the art trip

„I hope with all my heart there will be painting in heaven.“Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot Corot adored the Sabina countryside)

Inspiring atmosphere of the Sant Andrea monastery

Participants in the art trip stay at the Sant Andrea monastery. The special feature here is the old monks‘ cells, which are spartan but equipped with everything you need. There are some single rooms with shared bathrooms and some with private bathrooms, which incur an additional charge. There are also double rooms with private bathrooms.

The surcharge applies to single rooms with private bathrooms and double rooms for single occupancy.

Fancy a trip to Rome?

It is also possible to spend a few days in Rome before or after the art trip. If you register in good time, we can arrange excellent B&B accommodation. Marina can also give you lots of tips to make your stay in Rome a pleasure and a source of inspiration.

Join the waiting list if you can’t make up your mind yet!

Get in touch