Plein Air Tuscany at The Watermill

October 4 - 11, 2025

Located in Lunigiana in rural northwestern Tuscany, The Watermill is  a compound of beautifully renovated buildings along the River Rosaro, adjacent to the tiny village of Posara. The Watermill’s location is spectacular. Water still passes through the five-hundred-year old mill where long ago wheat and chestnuts were ground for flour and olives were pressed. Low, wooded hillsides surround the property; beyond is the National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and the Regional Park of the high peak Alpi Apuane, home of the marble mountains of Carrara.

We will be painting the Tuscan landscape with its iconic cypress and olive groves. We’ll visit the nearby village of Fivizzano on market day, a walled town full of elegant Renaissance palazzos with a magnificent view of the valley below. We’ll paint in Verrucola, a medieval village nestled around a thousand-year-old castle. Another subject will be Il Convento dei Carmine, a privately owned monastery with beautiful grounds. Up in the hills, we’ll paint magnificent mountain vistas from Monte del Bianchi. Mid-week we will have the option of traveling to either Lucca or Cinque Terre for sight-seeing and painting.

Watermill owners Lois and Bill Breckon are the most gracious, welcoming, and experienced hosts. They have lovingly restored the 17th c complex into comfortable, modern accommodations and communal spaces with gardens to relax in. They offer high-quality programs in the arts with faculty from all over the world. The Watermill provides us with everything: pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals (including dinner with wine at both the Watermill courtyard dining room and at charming local restaurants), local transportation, even easels! They also offer activities for non-painting partners.

The Watermill is offering the workshop at this year’s price if you book before September 1. Click here for more information.

For a bird’s eye view of The Watermill and the village of Posara click here.