Immerse Yourself in Puglia Italy: A Retreat to Inspire Your Creativity
Join contemporary abstract artist Sally Ellis in beautiful Puglia for a creative retreat. Set within the authentic surroundings of the lovingly restored Masseria Specula — a venue rooted in sustainability and rustic charm — this experience offers the perfect balance of relaxation, exploration and expressive art-making.
Throughout the week, you’ll soak up the rich atmosphere of local towns filled with Baroque architecture, stroll along the white sands of the nearby Salento beaches and dine on traditionally cooked, responsibly sourced Italian cuisine, both at the Masseria and in charming local restaurants.
This retreat is a feast for the senses and the soul. With opportunities to wander through olive groves, explore the vibrant streets of Lecce and Grottaglie and gather inspiration from the colours, textures and light of the Puglian landscape, you’ll have endless material to inspire your paintings. Sally will guide you through a relaxed, intuitive process of creating abstract work, helping you let go of expectations and tap into your instinctive creativity.
On this Italian Art Retreat, you’ll explore abstraction through mark-making, layering and expressive composition, inspired by the natural and architectural beauty of the region. Hosted at the stunning Masseria Specula, this unique experience will help you translate what you see and feel into deeply personal and beautiful works of art. Whether you are an experienced artist or just beginning your creative journey, all levels are welcome.
What You Will Learn with Sally Ellis
During this inspiring art retreat in Puglia, Sally Ellis will guide you through an intuitive, layered approach to abstract painting, helping you unlock your creative potential in a relaxed, supportive environment. Across the week, you will learn:
Through a combination of studio time, outdoor sketching, group discussions, one-to-one feedback, and relaxed exploration, Sally’s workshops are designed to help you reconnect with your creative instincts and trust the process of discovery.
No matter your level of experience, Sally’s warm and intuitive teaching style will ensure you leave this retreat feeling more confident, free, and connected to your creative self.
What Sally's students say:
"I have just had the most amazing painting workshop weekend with the fantastic Sally Ellis and a group of lovely people. Sally gave informative, comprehensive demos and continual support throughout both days. So much passion and enthusiasm, so free and confident a painter. We covered everything from building up layers with ink, acrylic, oil pastel, pencils etc., mark-making, how to 'see' our composition, scraping off, aspects of light and dark, colour wheel, glazing, waxing — absolutely everything you could think of and all of it very new to me. Thank you, Sally, for your lovely way in showing me how to be free with paint."
"Well, that was just brilliant. Thank you @sallyellisart for being a truly inspirational woman and a kind, generous and patient teacher. I was quite nervous about coming especially as I had not picked up a brush in many years. But you and the other lovely ladies made it a joyful experience. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend. I just want to come back and do it all again!"
This Art Retreat takes place at the Masseria Specula, which is a traditional farmhouse located in Puglia, Southern Italy. It is ideally located in beautiful countryside, close to the long white sandy Specchiarica Beach.
Stay at the Masseria
The Masseria is the main building where meals & workshops will take place.
Relax and unwind in one of the Masseria’s beautifully furnished bedrooms. Each room is tastefully decorated and generous in proportion, whether you are sharing or having the room to yourself.
Masseria Room information
Relax and unwind in one of the Masseria’s beautifully furnished bedrooms. Each room is tastefully decorated and generous in proportion, whether you are sharing or having the room to yourself.
Room Layout:
Twin Rooms:
Double Rooms (Single Occupancy):
- 7 nights, 8 days of accommodation at the beautiful Masseria
- Exclusive use of the property including all common areas, workshop spaces and gardens
- Daily Art workshops as outlined in the itinerary
- Daily freshly prepared meals cooked by a private chef at The Masseria on most days
- An evening meal at a local restaurant
- Wine and non-alcoholic beverages during dinner service
- Unlimited supply of tea/coffee/water during Art Workshops at The Masseria
- Roundtrip airport transfers from Brindisi or Bari airport if you adhere to our flight parameters. These will be emailed to you once the retreat is guaranteed.
- Excursions as featured in the itinerary.
- Private transportation for all planned trips/English speaking interpreter
- Spice cocktails and local traditional band on the evening of day 7
- Access to a private WhatsApp group before the retreat (optional)
-Flights are NOT included.
- Airport transfers outside of our flight parameters (which will be sent to you when the retreat is guaranteed)
- Required Travel Insurance- this is compulsory
- Art materials — you will receive a detailed list of art materials recommended by the artist two months before the retreat. Tables, chairs, glass jars and paper towels are included. A printer will be on-site to print off any photo references.
- Alcoholic beverages outside of the evening dinner service
- Additional excursions or taxi journeys you may wish to take outside of the itinerary
- Tips — tipping isn't the norm but it's appreciated by the local service providers
- Other expenses guests might incur on their own
Important information - Retreat Guarantee and Flight Bookings (IMPORTANT)
We’re looking forward to having you on board & to secure your spot a £1,000 deposit is required! Just a quick note: a retreat will only be guaranteed once we’ve reached the minimum number of participants needed for it to go ahead. We promise to keep you updated and will notify you as soon as the retreat is confirmed. To ensure a smooth experience, we kindly ask that you hold off on booking any flights or making additional travel arrangements until we confirm that the retreat is guaranteed. Unfortunately, Olive & Plum Limited cannot take responsibility for any costs or losses from flight bookings made before we send out that confirmation email.
Travel insurance is required for all participants attending the art retreat.
Your policy must ensure that you are covered in the event of unforeseen circumstances such as illness, travel disruptions, or cancellations. Your insurance should cover both the cost of the retreat and any associated expenses, including travel, itinerary excursions and accommodation. Proof of insurance will be required prior to the retreat, and we recommend securing a policy that offers comprehensive protection for your peace of mind.
We’re thrilled that you’re considering a retreat with Olive & Plum Retreats!
To secure your reservation, a non-refundable deposit of £1,000 is required.
The final balance will be automatically charged to your card 180 days before your departure, and you’ll receive a friendly email reminder two days before that charge.
Here are a few important details to keep in mind:
• Deposit: Your £1,000 deposit is non-refundable, except in the rare case that we need to cancel your booking.
• Final Balance: The final balance payment is due no later than 180 days before your departure. Once this payment is made, it becomes non-refundable if you need to cancel within 180 days of the trip.
• Exceptions: There may be exceptions to these terms as outlined in the Package Travel Regulations (EU law). These regulations provide for refunds or compensation in certain circumstances, such as significant changes to the trip or unavoidable and extraordinary situations. Please refer to our terms and conditions for more information.
• Transfer: If you’re unable to attend, our cancellation terms apply. However, you can transfer your booking to someone else. There will be an administration charge for this, which we’ll let you know about when you request the transfer.
Lastly, we highly recommend that all guests consider getting travel insurance at the point of booking. This will help protect you against any unforeseen events that might impact your ability to attend. Thank you for your understanding, and we can’t wait to create an amazing experience for you!
Day 1 – Arrival & Welcome
Travel day. Following transfer from either Brindisi or Bari airport, Carlo and Miriam will welcome us to Masseria Specula and settle us into our beautiful rooms for the start of our creative week: Unpack, unwind, and take in the surroundings. In the evening, we will enjoy a welcome meal together, with local wine, fresh seasonal food, and wonderful company. A perfect way to ease into the retreat.
Today is all about tuning in and beginning gently.
We’ll wander around our surroundings, noticing objects, light, shadow, shape, and, most importantly, colour. Take time to observe what you're drawn to: the buildings, the plants, the sky, the atmosphere.
You’ll choose a few small objects that catch your eye. These will be our springboards, exploring how they relate to one another and how we can use them to develop compositions. This isn’t about drawing them perfectly; it’s about breaking them down into line, shape, form and your own expressive marks to begin abstracting what you see.
After a glorious lunch, we’ll gather for the afternoon workshop to explore the principles that make a painting work. We’ll explore working with inks on beautiful acrylic paper—expect to get messy! Don’t wear your best holiday clothes!
In the evening, we’ll share a relaxed dinner with wine at the Masseria.
After a fabulous breakfast, we’ll start the day by prepping three boards each, so that no single piece feels too precious or isolated. One will take inspiration from still life, one from the landscape, and one will include elements of architecture or buildings. You’re not limited to three, this is just the start.
Today’s focus: losing expectation. No planning. No pressure. Just putting paint down with the intention to express, not impress. You’ll revisit techniques from the day before, now adding dry media and allowing your process to evolve intuitively.
We’ll break for a fresh, seasonal lunch before continuing our exploration.
In the evening, we’ll head out to a local restaurant, deepening the connections and conversations that naturally bloom in the company of creative souls. Let your only expectations be good food, great wine, new friends, and laughter.
We’re off to Grottaglie, a town rich in art and tradition, known for its beautiful ceramics.
A few hours to roam and absorb: take your sketchbook, or just sit at a café, people-watch, soak up the sun and the textures around you. Visit the potteries, taste something local, breathe in the atmosphere as inspiration is everywhere.
We’ll return to the Masseria mid afternoon, where we’ll explore composition, perspective, and proportion. We’ll begin developing ideas sparked by the morning’s exploration, leaning gently into abstraction and personal response rather than perfect replication.
The evening is another beautiful shared meal with wine under the stars.
This is a full, glorious day of painting, with only a pause for a lovely group lunch.
We’ll spend the day developing your boards and paper pieces, with plenty of one-to-one guidance from me and encouragement from Lucy, my wonderful assistant. You’ll be reminded often: it’s just paint!
Troubleshooting and editing will be collaborative, with group input helping you see new possibilities. This is where your work starts to shift, evolve, and feel truly yours.
The early evenings are yours to rest, or maybe a sunset bike ride or a trip to the beach? As always, we’ll reconvene for a relaxed dinner with wine and a good chat.
After breakfast, we’ll head to Lecce, the “Florence of the South.”
This breathtaking city is a creative feast: Baroque architecture, Roman amphitheatre, churches, palaces, vibrant piazzas, and more. Spend the day sketching, photographing, tasting, wandering—and absorbing.
We’ll enjoy a spot of lunch in town before heading back for a workshop focused on bringing depth and space into your work. We’ll look at how your techniques can now translate to buildings, trees, streets, and landscape, layering the personal with the observational. Whether it’s a fig in the foreground or a distant dome, this is about capturing how a place feels.
In the evening, we’ll gather for another delicious dinner and local wine at the Masseria.
Today we begin to bring our paintings toward a natural resolution. Not rushing, not overworking, just editing, refining and simplifying. I’ll encourage you to stay playful and curious. Ask "what if?" instead of "can I?" Let your paintings breathe and we’ll pause for lunch, with time to chat and reflect.
By late afternoon, you may have pieces you’d like to frame, I’ll bring a few so you can see how beautifully they come to life. Just a note: boards will be max 40x40cm, they are 3mm hardboard or similar, and paper up to 50x60cm (which can be rolled into tubes). Keep your luggage in mind!
As the sun sets, we’ll gather for a celebratory cocktail evening, with live music from local musicians and a final feast with wine, a joyful, soulful way to honour everything you’ve created, felt, and shared.
We’ll enjoy our final breakfast together in the sunshine, take some lovely group photos, and marvel at how you managed to squeeze that piece of pottery into your case!
You may be sad to say goodbye, but I’m sure the memories and connections you’ve made will stay with you for years to come.
Our 10:00am transfer will get us to Brindisi Airport around 11:00am, and Bari Airport by 12:00pm.
Just a quick note: the Masseria is nestled deep in rural Puglia. All our journeys—ranging from 15 to 60 minutes—will be via minibus, and all transport is included in the cost of your retreat.
Thank you for choosing to share this experience with me. I can’t wait to create with you under the Puglian sun.
