Meone Vecchio · Alta Valle del Tevere · Umbria
Labarotta · Art Retreats · Umbria, Italy

I've painted these hills
for years. Now I want to
show them to you.

Small-group art and slow-travel retreats in Umbria, Italy. Hosted by artist Zakia Khan. Six nights of painting, food, wine, nature and conversation in a family-run farmhouse overlooking the Umbrian hills.

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Art & Culture

Painting in the open air, urban sketching in medieval towns, visits to galleries and frescoes that most tourists never find. Zax paints alongside you — teaching when you want it, leaving you alone when you need to be.

Nature & Hiking

The hills around Monte Santa Maria Tiberina are ancient, wild and extraordinarily beautiful. We walk through chestnut forests and along ridgelines with views to Tuscany. There is also a pool, mountain bikes, and the possibility of horse riding.

Food & Wine

Patrizia's cooking changes everything. Every meal is made from produce grown on or near the farm. Dinner is three courses at a long table where the conversation goes on longer than the food. Wine tasting, truffle hunting and cooking classes on request.

Location
Northern Umbria
Duration
6 Nights
Group Style
Small Groups
Price
From €900
Suitable for complete beginners, experienced artists, solo travellers and couples
2026 dates now open  ·  September and October retreats  ·  Small groups  ·  From €900
Why Guests Choose Labarotta

Small groups.
Long conversations.
Personal attention.

This is not a resort or a package holiday. It is something smaller, slower and more personal — a week in the hills of Umbria with a host who knows this landscape deeply and cares about whether you leave changed.

  • ✓Hosted by an artist who has painted Umbria for years
  • ✓Stay in a family-run farmhouse, not a resort
  • ✓Intimate groups — plenty of personal attention
  • ✓Suitable for complete beginners — no experience needed
  • ✓Home-cooked meals and local wine included
  • ✓Station transfers included — door to door
  • ✓Ideal for solo travellers, friends and couples
Questions

Frequently asked
questions

Do I need painting experience?+

No. Complete beginners are warmly welcomed on both retreats. Zax will guide you from the very beginning. You just need to be willing to look at things slowly.

Can I come alone?+

Absolutely. Solo travellers are warmly welcomed and well suited to both retreats. Groups are kept small and hosted around one shared table — you will not feel out of place arriving on your own.

Can couples attend?+

Yes. Both retreats welcome couples. Dolce far Niente in October is especially well suited — relaxed, unstructured, and beautiful to experience together.

What is included in the price?+

Six nights accommodation, all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), local wine, station transfers to and from Castiglion Fiorentino, all activities and excursions listed in the itinerary. Art as Poetry also includes professional-grade art supplies.

How do I get there?+

Fly to Rome, take the Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, then a direct train to Castiglion Fiorentino. We collect you from the station — the transfer is included in your retreat price. Full travel instructions are below.

Are art materials included?+

Yes, for Art as Poetry — professional-grade watercolour paper, paints, brushes, charcoal and sketching pads are all provided. You are also welcome to bring your own. For Dolce far Niente, basic materials are available if you would like to try painting.

Is the retreat suitable for guests with limited mobility?+

The farmhouse is on uneven rural terrain and some areas involve steps. Dolce far Niente is the more relaxed option and we do our best to accommodate guests with limited mobility. Please get in touch before booking and we will give you honest, detailed information about the property.

How many guests attend?+

Groups are intentionally kept small to create a personal, relaxed atmosphere. You will be hosted around one shared table, never in a crowd. This is one of the things guests most frequently mention when they leave.

2026 Retreats

Two retreats.
Umbria.

Hosted around one shared table  ·  Never crowded  ·  Plenty of personal attention
Red poppies in the Umbrian hills — Dolce far Niente retreat
Places available

Dolce far Niente

4–10 October 2026 · 6 nights · Meone Vecchio, Umbria

The sweetness of doing nothing. No fixed programme, no schedule, no itinerary that requires anything of you. A terrace with a view that goes on forever, Patrizia's cooking, a pool in the afternoon heat, and the particular pleasure of being somewhere that is not a to-do list.

Particularly well suited to couples — relaxed, unstructured, and beautiful together. Also ideal for solo travellers.

€900
per person shared room
€1 050 single room
All meals included
Pool · Bikes · Hiking
Small group
Request to Book → View Itinerary
Deposit: €300 · Registration deadline: 4 September 2026 · Balance due 30 days before arrival
Ancient chapel and cypress trees in Umbria — Art as Poetry retreat
Limited places

Art as Poetry

6–12 September 2026 · 6 nights · Meone Vecchio, Umbria

A retreat for painters and urban sketchers. Five days of painting in the open air — in olive groves, medieval piazzas, on hillside terraces with views to Tuscany. Zax paints alongside you. No experience required. You just need to be willing to look at things slowly.

Professional art supplies included. Introduction to watercolour available for complete beginners.

€950
per person shared room
€1 050 single room
All meals + wine
Art supplies incl.
Small group
Request to Book → View Itinerary
Deposit: €300 · Fully refundable until 6 August 2026 · Balance due 30 days before arrival
Future Retreats
Interested in future destinations? Join the mailing list for announcements.
Join the mailing list →
Dolce far Niente · 4–10 October 2026

The sweetness
of doing nothing

The Italians have a phrase for the particular art of doing nothing well. Dolce far niente. It sounds simple. It is surprisingly difficult to do if you have forgotten how. This retreat is an invitation to remember.

There is no fixed programme here. There is a terrace with a view that goes on forever. There is Patrizia's cooking. There is a pool when the sun is at its height. There are hills to walk if you feel like walking, and a good chair in the shade if you don't. What Dolce far Niente offers is permission.

You can do as much or as little as you like. The Umbrian hills are very patient. They have been here for a long time and they are in no hurry.

What's included

  • 6 nights in a single or shared room at Agriturismo Meone Vecchio
  • All meals: Patrizia's breakfasts, picnic lunches, three-course dinners with local wine, sunset aperitivo
  • Swimming pool, mountain bikes and walking tracks from the property
  • Optional excursions to nearby hill towns — Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, Città di Castello
  • Introduction to watercolour painting — bring your phone and we'll find a view worth painting
  • Transfer to and from Castiglion Fiorentino station on arrival and departure day
  • Optional extras: wine tasting, truffle hunting, cooking class
Request to Book →
Registration deadline: 4 September 2026 · Deposit €300 · Balance due 30 days before arrival
Dolce far Niente · Is It For You?

A week of nothing.
Is it your week?

Probably yes, if you

  • ✓Are a couple wanting real, unhurried time together — also well suited to solo travellers
  • ✓Want zero fixed programme — nothing to opt into, nothing to feel behind on
  • ✓Are happy with a slow rhythm — the pool, the terrace, a walk if you feel like it, a chair in the shade if you don't
  • ✓Want a gentler pace physically — the more accommodating of the two retreats, though do get in touch beforehand about the property itself
  • ✓Like the idea of trying painting, with no pressure to actually do it

Probably not, if you

  • –Need a structured programme to feel like the trip was "worth it" — there isn't one here, deliberately
  • –Want daily excursions and sightseeing built in — Art as Poetry is the better fit for that
  • –Know that unstructured time makes you restless rather than relaxed — worth being honest with yourself about that beforehand
Art as Poetry · 6–12 September 2026

Paint the light.
September in Umbria.

Medieval archway in an Umbrian hill town

There is a particular quality of light in Umbria in September. The summer heat has softened, the landscape has turned gold and amber, and the hills — ancient, unhurried — seem to invite you to sit down and look properly for the first time in months.

This is a retreat for people who paint, or who have always wanted to. For urban sketchers who fill notebooks on lunch breaks. For watercolourists who paint on kitchen tables and dream of painting somewhere extraordinary. For anyone who looks at the world and wishes they could capture it — not perfectly, but honestly.

Over five days you will paint in the open air, in medieval hill towns, in olive groves and on terraces with views that reach all the way to Tuscany. Zax will paint alongside you, teach when you want teaching, and leave you alone when you need to be. In the evenings, Patrizia will cook.

You don't need to be a painter to come. You just need to be willing to look at things slowly.

What's included

  • 6 nights in a single or shared room at Agriturismo Meone Vecchio
  • All meals: Patrizia's breakfasts, picnic lunches with Umbrian specialities, three-course dinners with local wine, sunset aperitivo
  • Professional-grade art supplies: artists' quality watercolour paper, paints, brushes, charcoal and sketching pads — or bring your own
  • Daily painting sessions with personal guidance from Zax — all levels including complete beginners
  • Guided excursions to painting locations: hill towns, valleys, markets and viewpoints off the tourist trail
  • Transfer to and from Castiglion Fiorentino station on arrival and departure day
  • Pool, mountain bikes, access to the surrounding hills
  • Optional extras: wine tasting, truffle hunting, cookery class, visits to Città di Castello and Arezzo

A typical day

Morning
Breakfast on the terrace. Coffee, bread, Patrizia's jam. Then paint — outdoors, almost always. A hillside, an olive grove, the view from the terrace.
Afternoon
An excursion most days — a nearby town, a market, a church with a fresco inside that will stop you. Or: stay at Meone, paint by the pool, sleep in the shade of an olive tree.
Evening
Aperitivo at sunset. Dinner together. Wine. Conversation that goes on longer than the food. The particular pleasure of having made something with your hands that day.
Request to Book →
Deposit €300 · Fully refundable until 6 August 2026 · Balance due 30 days before arrival
Art as Poetry · Is It For You?

A week of looking.
Is it your week?

Probably yes, if you

  • ✓Paint or sketch already, or have always meant to try — no experience required, genuinely
  • ✓Are coming alone and want good company without having to perform socially
  • ✓Want to spend most of the day outdoors — olive groves, medieval piazzas, hillside terraces
  • ✓Like a day with some shape to it — painting time, an excursion — but not over-planned
  • ✓Don't mind being on your feet for parts of the day, walking to painting spots and around hill towns

Probably not, if you

  • –Want a packed sightseeing itinerary with a new landmark every day — this is slower than that, on purpose
  • –Find the idea of painting stressful rather than restful — it should feel like permission, not homework
  • –Are looking for technical instruction toward mastery, rather than gentle guidance and good company
  • –Need flat, easy terrain throughout — it's a working hillside farmhouse. Worth a message beforehand if mobility is a concern.
Your Host
Zakia Khan — Zax

The economist
who paints.

Zax is a watercolourist who has been painting the Umbrian hills for years — in solitude, in her garden, in the mountains above Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, in all weathers and in all lights. She grew up in the United Kingdom with Norwegian and Indian parents, moved to Sweden in the 1980s, and has spent much of her life since letting curiosity take her — to Asia, to Central America, across Europe, and eventually back, always, to Umbria.

Her paintings rarely aim for accuracy. She is more interested in feeling — the weight of a bird sitting in a hand, the texture of an elephant's trunk, the mood of a hillside at dusk when the light turns and the colours become impossible. She paints the same images again and again, testing colour and texture in different directions each time.

She will take you to her favourite viewpoint, introduce you to Patrizia's cooking, and make sure you leave with at least one painting you are proud of — whether you have painted before or not.

You can see her paintings — watercolours — at artbyzax.com.

When she isn't painting, Zax is a feminist organiser, an economist, and a bookkeeper for artists who hate admin. She leads retreats in Umbria because she believes that a week in the right place, with the right people, good food and wine, can shift something in you permanently.

Meet Your Host
Zax
Zax
Artist · Host · Guide

Watercolourist, economist and feminist organiser. Has painted in Asia, Europe and Central America. Spends much of the year in her garden in Umbria. Will find you the best espresso in Città di Castello.

Future retreats may occasionally be co-hosted by Ofelia — Umbria expert, culture guide and film subtitle translator who knows every restaurant within 50km — and Miriam, writer and performing artist with roots in Sweden and Gambia.

Where You Will Stay
Meone Vecchio farmhouse · Umbria
Stone path at Meone Vecchio · Umbria
Umbrian landscape from Meone Vecchio · Alta Valle del Tevere
Meone Vecchio
Near Monte Santa Maria Tiberina · Northern Umbria

A working farmhouse run by Tiziano and Patrizia, whose family has farmed this land for generations. It is remote — beautifully, deliberately remote — in the hills above Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, a medieval village that has barely changed in centuries.

The views from the terrace reach across the Alta Valle del Tevere into Tuscany. Patrizia's cooking is what people talk about most when they leave — every ingredient has travelled less than a few kilometres to get there.

  • Five bedrooms — maximum 5 single guests or 4 couples
  • Swimming pool — perfect in the September heat
  • Patrizia's home cooking — breakfast, lunch and dinner from local produce
  • Mountain bikes and walking tracks from the property
  • 10 minutes from Monte Santa Maria Tiberina · 20 minutes from Città di Castello
  • Remote and quiet — the only sound at night is the hills
  • 4x4 transfer from Castiglion Fiorentino train station included
Getting Here

From Stockholm
to Umbria in a day

The recommended route from Sweden. We meet you at Castiglion Fiorentino.

1
Fly to Rome

Norwegian DY1781 from Stockholm Arlanda departs 07:00, arrives Rome Fiumicino 10:10. Book early for best fares.

ARN 07:00 → FCO 10:10
2
Leonardo Express

Take the Leonardo Express train directly from the airport to Roma Termini. Departs every 15 minutes, journey 32 minutes.

~€14 · every 15 min
3
Train to Castiglion

Take a direct Trenitalia train from Roma Termini to Castiglion Fiorentino. Approx. 2h 30min. Book in advance at trenitalia.com.

from €12 · book ahead
4
We collect you

We meet you at Castiglion Fiorentino station and drive you to Meone Vecchio — 35 minutes through beautiful Umbrian landscape.

Included in retreat price

Total journey from landing: approximately 4 hours. Guests with cars are welcome to drive — note that Meone Vecchio is remote and a 4x4 or SUV is recommended for the final track. Flights from other cities and countries welcome — contact us and we will advise on the best connections.

Booking & Terms

How to book

  • Send a booking request using the form below — we will confirm availability and send details
  • A €300 deposit secures your place
  • Pay by SumUp (card), bank transfer, PayPal or Swish — details confirmed on booking
  • Deposit fully refundable until 30 days before the retreat starts
  • From 30 days before, €120 of the deposit is refundable
  • Balance due 30 days before arrival
  • If the retreat is cancelled for any reason, all payments refunded in full

Good to know

  • Flights and travel insurance not included — guests arrange their own
  • Please tell us about any dietary requirements or allergies when booking
  • Guests aged 13–18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult
  • Retreats not open to children under 13
  • We do our best to accommodate guests with limited mobility
  • The location is remote — a 4x4 or SUV recommended for guests driving
Request to Book

Reserve your
place in Umbria

Send us a message and we will confirm availability, answer any questions, and send you payment details. A €300 deposit secures your place.

Art as Poetry — 6–12 September 2026
Dolce far Niente — 4–10 October 2026 · Registration deadline: 4 September 2026

We respond to all enquiries within 48 hours. Your details are never shared.

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to Umbria

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Questions? Email us directly:
info@labarotta.se

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