A Step-by-step Process for Creating a Portrait that Feels Alive
with Marco Grassi
🗓️ May 29th to June 5th 2027
🎨 Oil Paint
Language: English
Full Board Accommodation for 7 nights: SOLD OUT - get in touch for wait-list or alternative dates
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Marco's Tuition Fee: €875 (including materials)
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Partners & family may join the trip as non-participating guests without the teaching fee.
Course Description
Tucked in the Chianti hills and surrounded by vineyards, Rignana Estate offers a quiet and inspiring setting for a week that combines relaxation with painting alongside Marco Grassi. The workshop will take place in a deconsecrated Renaissance chapel, an exceptional setting that feels perfectly in tune with the artist's vision. Although many describe his work as hyperrealism, his technique is deeply rooted in the Renaissance tradition of sfumato, with the soft transitions between light and shadows that create very delicate and natural colour passages, reinterpreted for the 21st century.
This will be an accessible introduction to Marco Grassi's technique, suitable for beginners and experienced painters alike. Starting with the materials (brushes, colours, canvas) you will move through both the general principles of painting, such as colour mixing, and the distinctive methods that define Grassi's practice. Since it is by nature a slow and artisanal technique, the focus will be on its foundational steps. Through a series of demonstrations, Marco will also guide you through the later stages of the process, from rendering fine details to achieving luminous, lifelike skin details and hair.
Alongside five days of painting, you will have a day to enjoy the peace and serenity of Rignana Estate and relax by the pool; or plan an excursion out to a local village or further afield if you wish. This retreat is for everyone who wants to leave with something lasting: new skills and memories, and a canvas they made with their own hands.
Course Outline​
Saturday
16:00 - Check in & Estate Tour
18:00 - Welcome aperitivo followed by dinner
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Sunday
08:30 - 9:30 - Italian breakfast
10:00 - 13:00 - Morning session
13:00 - 14:00 - Farm to table lunch at Rignana
14:30 - 16:30 - Afternoon session
18:30 - Aperitivo followed by dinner
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Monday
08:30 - 9:30 - Italian breakfast
10:00 - 13:00 - Morning session
13:00 - 14:00 - Farm to table lunch at Rignana
14:30 - 16:30 - Afternoon session
18:30 - Aperitivo followed by dinner
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Tuesday
08:30 - 9:30 - Italian breakfast
10:00 - 13:00 - Morning session
13:00 - 14:00 - Farm to table lunch at Rignana
14:30 - 16:30 - Afternoon session
18:30 - Aperitivo followed by dinner
Wednesday
08:30 - 9:30 - Italian breakfast
Class Break - enjoy relaxing at Rignana Estate for the day, or plan your own excursion out if you wish
Thursday
08:30 - 9:30 - Italian breakfast
10:00 - 13:00 - Morning session
13:00 - 14:00 - Farm to table lunch at Rignana
14:30 - 16:30 - Afternoon session
18:30 - Aperitivo followed by dinner
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Friday
08:30 - 9:30 - Italian breakfast
10:00 - 13:00 - Morning session
13:00 - 14:00 - Farm to table lunch at Rignana
14:30 - 16:30 - Afternoon session
18:30 - Aperitivo followed by dinner
Saturday
08:30 - 9:30 - Italian breakfast
10:00 -Check out
About Marco
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Born and raised in Italy and surrounded by fine art from an early age, Marco Grassi developed a deep fascination with painting. He chose to study restoration where he immersed himself in the techniques of the Old Masters. Over time, he reinterpreted and built upon these foundations, developing a unique personal style that bridges classical technique and contemporary finish.
Although Grassi is probably best known to the public for the extraordinary detail and realism of his work, he himself is always quick to point out that everything preceding this final stage is equally important. Without the sfumato, without carefully defining lights and shadows, without building up layer upon layer of colour, the final details would look unnatural and out of place.
And that is precisely what this retreat is about. During the workshop you will focus on these fundamental steps: learning to see and render light, to blend colours, and to build the structure that makes a painting feel alive.
Accommodation & Inclusions
Bedroom with shared bathroom: SOLD OUT
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Superior bedroom with ensuite:
SOLD OUT
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Bedroom with ensuite: SOLD OUT
Suite - Master bedroom, Living room, Mezzanine bedroom & Bathroom:
SOLD OUT
What's included
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7 nights accommodation with airconditioning
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Daily breakfast 5 lunches and 6 dinners with wine
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Pizza making experience
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Materials
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Painting Easel
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Arrival & departure transfers
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Infinity pool
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Tennis court
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Wifi
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Laundry facilities
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VAT tax
What's not included​​​
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City tax (€2.50 per person per day to be paid in cash on arrival)
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Optional Add-ons
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Wine Tours
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Massage