Fire Up Your Creativity with Italiana Tours

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Thirteen people gather for an Italian art retreat in Le Marche, spending a week under the Italian sun drawing, painting, and soaking up the beauty of this drop-dead gorgeous, undertouristed region that invites exploration and jump-starts the imagination.

I’ve been invited to sit in for a day at the Italian Sketchbook Retreat, run by Italiana Tours.

Under the direction of Australian artist Rod Moore, I hope to flex my drawing muscles, and maybe even conquer my fear of the blank canvas.

Disclosure: I was hosted by Italiana Tours for two nights of accommodation at Il Parco Ducale in exchange for coverage of the Italian Sketchbook Retreat. As always, all opinions are entirely my own, and I only write about experiences I genuinely value and recommend to arts-focused and independent travelers.

I attended as an observer and participant for a single day, allowing me to experience the retreat as most travelers do and to write about it from an editorial, experience-first perspective.

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Who This Italiana Tour in Le Marche Is For

The Italian Sketchbook Retreat hosted by Italiana Tours is designed for artists, writers, and creatively curious travelers who want to combine skill-building with cultural immersion. It’s ideal for those who enjoy slow travel, expert-led experiences, and meaningful engagement with a location, rather than fast-paced sightseeing.

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Arrival at Il Parco Ducale

I arrive a few hours before the rest of the group and settle in at Il Parco Ducale, the retreat’s base. This beautiful old palazzo boasts brick arches, foot-thick walls, and heavy wooden beams. There’s also a swimming pool, and the town of Urbania, with its charming medieval center, is just a short walk away.

The palazzo is next door to the summer residence of the Duke of Urbino, built in the late 15th century. The magnificent Renaissance palace provides a dramatic backdrop for the art classes, while the surrounding landscape looks as though it’s been lifted straight out of a Renaissance painting. Add a few robed figures in the foreground, and you’d swear that time has stood still.

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What is Italiana Tours?

Italiana Tours was founded about ten years ago by Piero and Katie Pagliardini to offer custom art tours and retreats, primarily in Le Marche and Puglia. Piero, a local expert, grew up in Le Marche, where he developed a passion for nature, hospitality, and art workshops in Italy. Together with the travel coordinator, Alex, they have crafted tours all over Italy.

Each retreat is led by a renowned artist. The retreat I’m sitting in on is led by Rod Moore, the star of two Australian TV programs—Plein Air Painting TV and Yes, You Can Paint—and founder of the online Learn To Paint Academy.

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Our First Evening

By six pm, the group has arrived. Together, we ride into Urbania for a wine-tasting and pizza dinner.

At a cozy trattoria, we gather at one long table. The noise level quickly rises as people swap “Where are you froms?”.

We’re an international mix, with participants from Australia, Belgium, the U.S., India, and me from Canada.

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My Day at the Italian Sketchbook Retreat in Le Marche

The next morning, we assemble in the large breakfast room where tables are arranged in a U-shape. Rod leads us through warm-up exercises to prepare us for sketching en plein air later in the day.

I lose myself in drawing lines, experimenting with cross-hatching and stippling (new to me!), and studying values from dark to light.

Breaking a Scene Into Six Parts

Rod introduces us to the Rule of 6: breaking any scene into six basic shapes to capture the “big picture” before layering in details.

So we can practice breaking scenes into six parts, Rod has provided us with hundreds of reference photos on Dropbox. He also encourages us to use our own photos if we wish.

I flip through my photos and choose a quiet canal scene that I took on a recent trip to Venice to break into six shapes. It’s surprisingly challenging, and I quickly realize why the exercise is a valuable one for developing drawing skills.

The atmosphere is both relaxed and productive. Rod circulates, offering encouragement and practical suggestions. His teaching style is warm and approachable.

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Afternoon Excursion

After lunch, we hop on the bus to Urbania for a visit to the Chiesa dei Morti. Excursions are part of the daily rhythm here. During the week, participants will visit the market in Urbania and Raphael’s childhood home in Urbino, and take a cooking class at a 12th-century mill.

I won’t spoil the surprise of what we found in the crypt of the Chiesa dei Morti, but trust me, it’s unforgettable.

While in Urbania, we stop to admire a view of the palace where the Duke of Urbino stayed when he was in town. Later in the week, the group will go to this location to do some plein air painting.

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The Retreat Participants

Our group is a mix of retirees and mid-career professionals, some returning for their fifth retreat with Italiana Tours. That loyalty says a lot about the value of these retreats.

Some participants are Rod’s students, both in-person or online, while others are newcomers eager to learn. The retreat welcomes both painters and non-painters, with special outings for those not attending the classes. Here are some of the participants I got to know:

• Tim and Carol, from North Carolina, are seasoned travelers. While Tim paints, Carol joins the non-painting excursions.
• Rohit, from New Delhi, is one of Rod’s online students and has come for his first in-person workshop.
• Marie is on her fifth Italiana Tours retreat, having attended in both Le Marche and Puglia.
• Charles, a fellow novelist, is attending his fifth retreat as well, though it’s his first time painting.
• Beeb, from Australia, is attending the retreat after spending five months in Europe, during which she walked the 900-kilometer Camino di Santiago.
• Hans, from Belgium, is attending for the first time, hoping to develop his painting skills as he moves into retirement.

Several more of the participants tell me they’ve come because they know Rod’s work. The group bonds quickly over shared meals, travel stories, and artistic discoveries.

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Plein Air Sketching

In the afternoon, I attempt my first plein air sketch. Nervous at first, I watch as Rod demonstrates, sketching the six “big shapes” of a building at Il Parco Ducale with confident pen strokes, and then filling in details.

When it’s my turn, my first drawing of the ducal palace flops. But with Rod’s good-humored encouragement, I try again, this time choosing a simpler subject.

To my surprise, I love it. The act of sketching outdoors, surrounded by such a timeless landscape, rekindles my long-lost interest in drawing. After just one day, I feel inspired to keep sketching (and maybe even start painting again).

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Looking Ahead: Upcoming Italiana Tours

Piero and his team host approximately ten workshops a year, divided between Le Marche, Puglia, and Sicily. The retreats fill quickly, so if you’re looking for an artsy traveler’s dream week of creativity, food, and exploration, check out the Italiana Tours website.

The Italian Sketchbook Retreat is especially well suited to artists, writers, and creatively curious travelers who want more than a sightseeing holiday.

While structured art instruction is at the heart of the experience, the retreat also offers rich cultural immersion through food, landscape, and daily excursions, making it an ideal choice for anyone who values creativity and slow travel. Non-painting partners are thoughtfully included, with curated outings that reflect the same spirit of discovery.

Takeaway: One day at the Italian Sketchbook Retreat hosted by Italiana Tours was enough to fire up my creativity and demonstrate how well-designed creative travel experiences can leave a lasting impact.

This post reflects the kind of creative, culture-rich travel I feature on Artsy Traveler. Learn more about how I collaborate with cultural travel brands.

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More Creative Activities on Artsy Traveler

Here are more posts about creative travel experiences in Italy to explore while traveling:

• Take a Photography Tour in Rome and Learn with an Expert
• A Visit with Tuscan Artist Silvia Salvadori in Arezzo, Tuscany
• Experiential Travel: How to Connect With Local Artists