Your journey begins with a private group pickup from Reggio Calabria Airport and a scenic drive to our home for the retreat: the Mediterranean Sunset Veranda, a beautiful luxury stay overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily, the Aeolian Islands, and Stromboli.

Once settled in, we'll slow down and begin our time together with a complimentary bottle of wine and a selection of aperitivi on the terrace, watching the sun disappear over the water before enjoying our first dinner together. This evening is about arriving, exhaling, and letting Calabria begin to work its magic.

Approximate airport pickup: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

A gentle introduction to Bagnara and the creative journey ahead. The morning is yours: sleep in, enjoy breakfast at your own pace, take a swim, relax on the terrace, journal, or simply enjoy the spectacular views from our home.

In the afternoon, we'll take a leisurely orientation walk through Bagnara, getting acquainted with the town, its seaside promenade, local shops, cafés, bars, and the everyday rhythms of life in this beautiful coastal community.

We'll also introduce your art kit and materials before settling into our first creative experience: an evening clay workshop on the terrace. With the sea stretching out before us, we'll begin our retreat by working with our hands, slowing down, and allowing creativity to take the lead.

Adventure takes us into the mountains. We'll travel to Gallicianò, one of the remarkable Greek-speaking villages of Calabria, where ancient traditions and dramatic mountain landscapes meet. We'll explore two churches representing different cultural and religious traditions, discovering the visual language of both Christian and Greek Orthodox spaces.

With our sketchbooks in hand, we'll work on location, gathering shapes, colours, architectural details, and impressions to inspire an evening watercolour session back on the terrace. We'll end the day with a complimentary gelato or granita back in Bagnara: a small pleasure after a day of exploration.

Departure from Bagnara: approximately 11:30 a.m. · Return: approximately 7:30 p.m.

Today is intentionally unstructured. We'll take the train a few stops to the enchanting seaside town of Scilla, one of Calabria's most beloved coastal destinations. Spend the day however you choose: explore the historic streets, wander through Chianalea, enjoy a leisurely lunch, sketch by the water, swim, discover the beach, or simply sit somewhere beautiful and watch the world go by.

This is your opportunity to experience Calabria without an agenda. Sometimes the greatest reset comes from having nowhere you need to be.

The morning belongs to you. Begin the day with an optional gentle jog or walk along Bagnara's lungomare, or join a gentle meditation and stretching session by the sea: an approachable introduction to mindfulness for anyone curious about bringing meditation into everyday life.

Later, we'll head south toward Capo Vaticano, where dramatic cliffs, turquoise water, hidden grottoes, and secluded stretches of coastline create one of Calabria's most beautiful seaside landscapes. Explore the grotto, meditate, sketch, kayak, swim, or simply settle into the landscape. We'll stay into the evening to experience the coast at golden hour before returning to Bagnara.

Leave Bagnara by approximately 3:00 p.m. · Return by approximately 9:00 p.m.

One of Calabria's greatest pleasures is the dramatic change in landscape within a remarkably short distance. In approximately 45 minutes, we'll travel from the Mediterranean coast to Gambarie d'Aspromonte, high in the Aspromonte mountains at approximately 1,500 metres above sea level.

We'll spend the day immersed in mountain scenery, with time to walk, explore the town, enjoy local food, and take in the cooler alpine environment. Our artistic practice will follow the landscape, using Conté, chalk, and watercolour to explore texture, atmosphere, light, and the relationship between earth and sky.

Leave Bagnara by approximately 3:00 p.m. · Return by approximately 9:00 p.m.

After several days of exploration, today is deliberately left open. Sleep in. Read. Swim. Sketch. Take yourself for lunch. Explore Bagnara. Spend the day on the terrace. Or, if you'd like a change of scenery, take the opportunity to travel independently to Sicily. There is no workshop and no itinerary to follow.

In the evening, the host will walk the Sentiero di Bagnara, taking in the spectacular sunset views and making a little art along the way. Guests are welcome to join.

This is your reset day: a chance to listen to what you need rather than what the schedule asks of you.

Today we'll travel inland to Cosenza, exploring its atmospheric historic centre, where medieval architecture, contemporary life, artisan workshops, cafés, and public spaces come together. We'll wander through the Centro Storico, browse artisanal shops, discover local foods, and enjoy the character of one of Calabria's most culturally rich cities.

There will be an opportunity for a traditional Calabrese lunch, followed by a visit to the Duomo, time to discover local art studios and the city's beautiful public gardens, and a visit to the National Gallery of Cosenza. Our museum visit includes a brief guided exploration of the collection, followed by creative in-gallery exercises designed to encourage looking, noticing, and responding to art in a more personal way.

Departure from Bagnara: approximately 11:30 a.m. · Return: approximately 8:30 p.m.

We'll take the train south to Reggio Calabria, a lively coastal city and an important cultural centre in southern Italy. Our visit begins at the Archaeological Museum, home to the extraordinary Bronzi di Riace, two of the most celebrated surviving sculptures from ancient Greece.

We'll explore the museum before taking our sketchbooks into the galleries for a creative exercise inspired by ancient pottery, form, pattern, and the human figure. Afterwards, there will be time to wander through the city, shop, explore, or enjoy the waterfront before returning to Bagnara for dinner together.

Today begins our two-day textile experience in Longobucco, a mountain town with a deep tradition of weaving and textile craftsmanship. This is an early start and a full day dedicated to discovering the history and techniques behind Calabria's textile traditions.

We'll visit the textile museum, explore the cultural significance of local weaving, and begin preparing for our own hands-on loom experience. Rather than simply observing traditional craft, we'll use it as inspiration for our own creative work.

Full-day excursion: leave Bagnara by approximately 7:00 a.m. · Return by approximately 9:00 p.m.

We return to Longobucco to continue our textile journey. Building on what we discovered yesterday, we'll work directly with the loom and begin creating our own textile pieces.

This is a day for patience, experimentation, and getting lost in the rhythm of making. The process itself becomes part of the wellness experience: hands busy, mind focused, surrounded by the beauty of the Calabrian mountains.

Full-day excursion: leave Bagnara by approximately 7:00 a.m. · Return by approximately 9:00 p.m.

You earned this one. After two full days of travel, exploration, and hands-on textile work, today is completely yours. Sleep late. Enjoy a slow breakfast. Take advantage of the terrace and jacuzzi. Swim. Read. Journal. Explore Bagnara. Or do absolutely nothing.

There is no expectation to be productive. This is an important part of the retreat: creating enough space for the body and mind to catch up with everything you've experienced.

Today we'll travel toward the Ionian side of Calabria for a very different kind of artistic experience. Our first stop is MUSABA, the extraordinary open-air contemporary art centre in Mammola. Set within the landscape of an ancient monastery complex, MUSABA is a colourful world of monumental mosaics, ceramics, sculpture, architecture, and stained glass created by artists Nik Spatari and Hiske Maas. It is an immersive reminder that art does not have to stay inside a gallery: it can transform an entire landscape.

We'll enjoy a traditional lunch in Mammola before continuing toward the Ionian coast and Locri, where you can explore the town, browse local shops, visit the beach, or simply wander.

Leave Bagnara by approximately 10:00 a.m. · Leave Mammola for Locri at approximately 3:00 p.m. · Return by approximately 8:00 p.m.

After nearly two weeks of exploring Calabria by foot, train, bus, and road, today we experience the coast from an entirely different perspective. We'll take to the water for a relaxing late-afternoon boat ride along the Costa Viola, taking in the dramatic coastline, sea caves, mountains, and villages from the Tyrrhenian Sea.

With the afternoon light beginning to soften, this is a chance to slow down, swim if conditions allow, take photographs, sketch, or simply enjoy being on the water. Our final evening together is an opportunity to celebrate the friendships, artwork, adventures, and memories we've created over the past two weeks.

Our final morning is yours to enjoy slowly. Take one last swim, savour breakfast on the terrace, enjoy the views, or simply sit with a coffee and take in the place that has been our home.

We'll then say our goodbyes and depart Bagnara for Reggio Calabria Airport. Fourteen days of making, exploring, resting, connecting, and experiencing Calabria come to an end, but hopefully the slower rhythm we've discovered here travels home with you.