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Plein Air Painting and Instruction

Throughout our time together, we will construct a travel journey that captures the beauty of Puglia. We’ll provide all the supplies you’ll need including easels, paper, watercolors, brushes, and inspiration. Our painting will take us all around the villa and surrounding countryside, to seaside towns, and to UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the Walled City of Old Bari and famous Trulli Houses of Alberobello. All along the way, Mary Spears will provide personalized instruction, ensuring you come home with a beautiful portfolio of unique water color paintings to remember our trip.

Our Private Luxury Villa

Nestled just 5km from the Adriatic Sea, the Masseria Salamina is a fully renovated 17th century castle-style villa set among acres of olive groves and farmland. The villa has 20 luxury hotel rooms, a private pool, highly rated restaurant, and common areas restored to their 17th century charm. The villa and adjacent farm are still owned by the descendants of the Salamina family who are committed to sharing their legacy with the world through the Masseria Salamina. Our painting courses will take us all around the property and the region beyond.

Italy’s Finest Olive Oil Farm

The Puglia Region is known for its olive oil, oriecchette pasta, focaccia, and mozzarella. Masseria Salamina’s farm produces some of the best organic olive oil and pasta in the region. The working farm adjacent to Masseria Salamina holds 400 year-old olive trees and vineyards which consistently produce award-winning organic olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and primitivo wine. Their durum wheat produces excellent orecchiette, which we will make in a cooking class, and their biodiverse garden provides many of the locally-sourced ingredients for the hotel’s restaurant.

Itinerary

OCTOBER 12 » ARRIVE IN BARI

Upon your afternoon or evening arrival into Bari (BRI) or Brindisi (BDS) airport, be met with a private car transfer and check-in to the Masseria Salamina villa. For those who arrive early enough in the day, we’ll have a welcome dinner at the villa and time to rest from the long flight.

OCTOBER 13 » PAINTING AT THE VILLA

After breakfast at the villa, we’ll begin the day with a plein air painting session in the gardens surrounding the villa. At lunch, we’ll experience an olive oil, foccocia, and wine tasting with the De Miccolis Angelini family who help produce and certify the highest quality olive oils in Italy. In the afternoon, we’ll resume painting in the gardens with time to rest from the jetlag if needed. Just before dinner, we’ll meet the famous Nunzia Caputo who will offer a cooking class on how to make the best Orriechette pasta before eating dinner. Overnight Masseria Salamina.

OCTOBER 14 » TRULLIS AND ALBEROBELLO

This morning after breakfast we’ll depart for the countryside to tour and paint the famously steep-capped Trulli homes of UNESCO World Heritage Site Alberobello and the surrounding area (pictured above). We’ll have a private lunch in the countryside among the trulli. In the late afternoon, we’ll transfer to nearby Alberobello for dinner and shopping before returning to the villa. Overnight Masseria Salamina.

OCTOBER 15 » POLIGNANO A MARE

After breakfast, we’ll depart for the breathtaking town of Polignano a Mare to paint and explore. Perched on a cliff above the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic, the old town combines charming, white-washed streets with beautiful churches all overlooking dramatic cliffs down to the seaside. We’ll spend the day in town with seaside painting instruction interspersed with time to explore the town, lunch, and dinner. After dinner, we’ll head back to overnight at the Masseria Salamina.

OCTOBER 16 CATCHING UP AT THE VILLA

Today we’ll spend time at the villa to catch up on painting from the past few days. We’ll enjoy painting instruction at the Masseria Salamina in the morning and afternoon with lunch on the property. At lunch, we’ll experience a cheese- making demonstration, along with a wine and cheese tasting. Dinner and overnight at Masseria Salamina.

OCTOBER 17 » BARI VECCHIA

After breakfast we’ll depart to paint and experience Bari Vecchia. The medieval walled section of Puglia’s capital city is home to a maze of cobbled streets full of cafes, homes, and famous foccacia bakeries. We’ll spend the morning painting in the old town with aperitifs and wine before having a typical Bari lunch nearby. After lunch we’ll have time to explore Bari Vecchia for final souvenirs before our final farewell dinner together. Transfer and overnight Masseria Salamina.

OCTOBER 18 » DEPART FOR USA

Private airport transfers will take you to the Bari or Brindisi airport for your return home.

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