Retreat with Julie Avisar

PUGLIA, ITALY

24th to 30th November 2027

Join me for a vibrant art retreat designed to awaken your sense of play and colour! Inspired by the famous cut outs of Henri Matisse, we will leave behind pencils, strict proportions, and rigid outlines to dive into the joyful world of drawing with scissors.

Throughout our time together, we will gather inspiration both from Matisse’s iconic masterpieces and from our local surroundings, soaking in the shapes, textures, and light of the landscape around us. We will begin by painting our own custom papers with bold, expressive washes to build a vivid palette of materials. Using both Matisse's work and our natural surroundings as creative launching pads, we will cut directly into colour, drawing inspiration from famous artworks and translating everyday life into dynamic compositions.

Collage is wonderfully fluid and forgiving, since nothing is permanent until you glue it down. This retreat is a completely open playground to focus on intuition, mood, and spontaneous play over perfection.

You will leave with a portfolio of original collage work, a refreshed visual perspective, and a whole new set of playful techniques to take home. No previous drawing experience is needed. Just bring your curiosity and a love of colour!

ABOUT Julie

I am a multidisciplinary visual artist, art workshop facilitator, and Master of Fine Arts candidate. My studio practice draws deep inspiration from nature and the local landscape, exploring questions of identity, memory, and belonging through mark-making and drawing. Grounded in a love for tactile creation and working directly with my hands, I build rich compositions using various media. I bring this same thoughtful, exploratory energy into my workshops, guiding others to slow down, connect with their materials, and discover their own unique creative voice.

Julie’s Website

Julie’s Instagram

PUGLIA, THE RETREAT LOCATION

Puglia or Apulia, is the southernmost eastern region of Italy. Its coastline, the Adriatic in the east, the Ionian south and west, is one of the most beautiful in all of Italy, with silvery olive orchards stretching all the way to the long sandy beaches touched by the one of the clearest and cleanest seas in the Mediterranean. It is an ancient land, and one which was invaded many times in its history. One can still see towers built to ward off invaders centuries ago.

MASSERIA SPECULA - THE VENUE

Carved into a gentle hill, our Masseria is surrounded by 20 hectares of exclusive private land, offering a tranquil retreat just 1km away from the enchanting shores of the Ionian Sea.

Masseria Specula is an exclusive retreat venue in Puglia, Italy, set within a beautifully restored 17th-century farmhouse dating back to 1611.

Website:

masseriaspecula.com

Instagram:

@masseriaspecula

THE ROOMS

Private bathrooms | Wi-Fi | AC & Heating | Double beds or single beds

Traditional Apulian stone bedroom at Masseria Specula retreat venue in Puglia, Italy
Spacious double bedroom at retreat venue in Puglia designed for yoga and wellness guests
Private ensuite bedroom at Masseria Specula with rustic charm and countryside views in southern Italy
Peaceful bedroom overlooking gardens at yoga retreat venue in Puglia, Italy

THE FOOD

Our kitchen staff is made of grandmas from Puglia who cook authentic local recipes that their mothers taught them. We use seasonal ingredients grown in the neighbouring fields.

THE PROGRAM

  • A white building with multiple stories and small windows, illuminated by sunlight, located near a stone wall and arched in the foreground, under a clear blue sky.

    DAY 1: ARRIVALS

    Arrivals

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    Welcome dinner

  • A calm body of water with a few birds floating on it, bordered by green bushes and trees, with a distant hilly shoreline under a cloudy sky.

    Day 2: Retraining the Eye & The Puglia Palette

    Breakfast

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    Workshop:

    We begin by setting down our pencils and learning to see the world not in rigid outlines, but as bold shapes of light, shadow, and colour. After a quick, eye-opening practice in value, we will brew our own custom collection of painted and textured papers inspired by the sun-baked stone, olive groves, and Mediterranean light of the Masseria.

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    Lunch

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    Free time to walk to the beach, hike or relax

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    Dinner

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    Bonfire with the group

  • A corner of a room with a black wooden table, a small wooden chair, a basket, and a framed picture on the table. There's a bottled water and an upside-down glass on a tray on the table. The wall is white with textured stone details, and sunlight creates shadows on the floor and table.

    Day 3: The Botanical Tapestry

    Breakfast

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    Trip to Lecce

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    Lunch out in Lecce

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    Return to Masseria Specula

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    Workshop:

    As the afternoon light softens, we turn our attention to the lush flora surrounding us. Inspired by Matisse’s Tahitian cut-outs, we will gather leaves and botanical shapes from the garden, simplifying them into rhythmic motifs to construct an all-over, decorative tapestry of paper and colour.

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    Dinner

  • Historical stone church with round clock and dome, surrounded by colorful flowers and a courtyard.

    Day 4: Collioure & The Viewfinder

    Breakfast

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    Workshop:

    Stepping into the brilliant world of Fauvist light, we explore how bold colour relationships can replace traditional shading. Using hand-held viewfinders, we will venture around the grounds to crop the arches, doorways, and horizons into unexpected compositions, translating the surrounding landscape into vibrant, emotional colour zones.

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    Lunch

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    Free time to walk to the beach, hike or relax

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    Dinner

  • Watercolor painting of a forest scene with trees, birds, a fox, and a sitting figure, created on a sketchbook page, surrounded by art supplies on a wooden table.

    Day 5: Colour Does the Talking

    Breakfast

    -

    Workshop:

    In this energetic session, we leave representation behind entirely and let pure colour and shape speak for themselves. Guided by a curated musical soundscape, we will cut directly into paper in response to rhythm and cadence, exploring the dynamic tension between organic curves, geometric edges, and pure abstract harmony.

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    Lunch

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    Hike to a Mediterranean wood

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    Dinner

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    Bonfire with the group

  • Scenic view of white cliffs with caves along a turquoise harbor, ocean with boats, and clear water revealing rocks beneath.

    Day 6: The Memory of Place

    Breakfast

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    Workshop:

    Our final morning is a celebratory synthesis of the entire retreat. We will distill our sensory memories of Masseria Specula into personal visual emblems, bringing together every technique learned - value, light, pattern, and musical rhythm - to assemble a monumental final artwork.

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    Lunch

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    Free time to walk to the beach, hike or relax

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    Dinner

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    Live Southern Italian folk pizzica music

  • DAY 7: GOODBYES

    Breakfast

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    Goodbyes and departures

BOOK YOUR SPOT

Single room: € 3400 per person

Shared room at the main venue (shared with 1 other person): € 2600 per person

Reserve your spot with a €1000 deposit.

The remaining balance is due by the [DATE]

PLEASE DO NOT BUY AIRPLANE FLIGHTS UNTIL WE CONFIRM THAT THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF PEOPLE FOR THIS RETREAT HAS BEEN REACHED, AND THEREFORE THE RETREAT IS CONFIRMED TO TAKE PLACE. IF THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS IS NOT REACHED, A FULL REFUND WILL BE ISSUED.

What’s included:

Art classes.

Art materials included.

Exclusive use of the entire property including all common areas, workshop spaces and gardens.

Accommodation at Masseria Specula.

All meals at the venue.

Complimentary water, coffee, tea.

Self guided hikes to the beach or to a natural salt lake where flamingoes live.

Roundtrip airport transfer from/to Brindisi Airport (BDS).

All tourist taxes and fees.

What’s not included:

Airplane tickets.

Travel insurance.

Airport pick-up / drop-off from airports other than Brindisi Airport.

Meals outside of the venue.

Anything not listed in the “What’s Included“ section above.

Send us a message to reserve your place: