Amenities

Included Amenities

All our programs are all-inclusive: no other facility in Italy offers such a high quality or an extensive range of amenities while immersing guests in a side of traditional culture rarely experienced by visitors.

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Arrival, Departure & Ongoing Services

When you arrive, we will be there waiting for you. A member of our staff will welcome you at Rome Fiumicino airport and accompany you to our bus until you arrive at your destination. It is a relaxing one hour and forty-five minute journey, through the beautiful countryside of Lazio and Umbria to Monte Castello di Vibio. Upon your return we will take you back to the airport in time for your flight. Our staff member will direct you to your agent in the appropriate terminal and will remain at your disposal until check-in. During your stay you will be supported by our staff, do not hesitate to ask us what you need.

Arrival/Departure Details

Airport transfer from and to the Leonardo da Vinci Rome/Fiumicino Airport (FCO) aboard our private bus on scheduled dates.
Airport welcome service and assistance with baggage
24/7 bi-lingual support with manager on site at all times
24/7 Access to all facilities
Village orientation provided on arrival day
All ground transport is aboard private bus or van with licensed professional driver
Private access to a five-story tower at our Palazzo Persianne (on sign-up basis) for spectacular morning and evening views
Art materials shop on site
Return transport to the Rome/Fiumicino Airport (departs 6 AM) with rest stop
Departure service/airport assistance at airport

Living Arrangements

We provide you with character-filled living spaces that allow immersion into the everyday life of this historic Umbrian community and make you feel at home. Our accommodations are designed with both privacy and productive interaction in mind; they are rustic, relaxing, comfortable spaces with a great deal of range—from shared apartments in historic stone houses, small private rooms in a renovated twelfth-century convent, rooms in a palazzo with a garden and balcony, to accommodations in a villa on the outskirts of town. Our rooms are not hotels (which in Italy can often seem cramped and impersonal) and many rooms have additional features such as refrigerators and all provide shared areas for informal gatherings—terraces, sitting rooms, or kitchens with fireplaces.

Single occupancy rooms with with spectacular views include a sink and vanity but share a bath - two to three single rooms to a bath are included in the pricing for all retreats. These simple rooms were originally designed for nuns leading a contemplative life, and as such, offer a unique perspective on village life that many find to be very conducive to artistic production. Many of these rooms offer fantastic views and all offer conveniences due to their close proximity to our dining room, terrace, laundry facilities, library and commons room.

If you prefer additional features, air-conditioning single units, private bath, etc. we will do our best to accommodate based on availability.
Some features may be subject to additional fees. Please mention any requests when filling out the application form.

MOre Information & Upgrades

General Information

Unless otherwise specified, single occupancy accommodation is provided in our Asilo building, a 14th c. convent. All rooms have a beautiful view of the Tiber Valley Rooms in the Asilo building are shared bath (2-3 rooms per bath), but have a sink and vanity inside each room. (Rooms with private bath and AC, double rooms, apartments in the village, as well as group or villa accommodations are available for an additional fee)
Linens, blankets, and towels are provided
Weekly housekeeping service with change of towels and linens
Free washing machine access, laundry facilities on request

Included Accomodations

Asilo - Single occupancy room
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Accomodation Upgrades

Villas

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Dining

Enlisting the aid of our fantastic chef, Katia Costanzi, ICA provides three hearty, locally sourced meals per day that explore culinary traditions of Umbria and Italy as a whole. Enjoy the fresh produce of the traditional farms, vineyards and orchards of Umbria, the “green heart of Italy”. Students, faculty and staff dine together and exchange experiences in our fourteenth century refectory or rooftop terrace overlooking the Tiber river valley. Many of our residents report after their stay that the dining alone - fresh, homemade, traditional meals three times per day - is worth the trip.

Both lunch and dinner consist of typical Umbrian fare, and include: an antipasto, a pasta course, a second course with meat or fish, a course of vegetables, salad, and desert. Breakfast includes fresh baked bread, cake and pastries made at ICA by Chef Katia and her staff. We are capable of accommodating dietary preferences and restrictions for all guests, as well as meals for children. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available.

Every day, 1:00pm (except for excursion days)
Traditional Umbrian Lunch: Pasta course, main course, vegetable/legume course, salad, fresh fruit and wine

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Detailed Dining Information

Colazione (Breakfast)

Pranzo (Lunch)

Cena (Dinner)

Studios / Workspace

Studios and workspace can exert a profound influence on one’s work. With this in mind, we take great care in providing a diverse range of studios and workspaces for artists, writers and scholars. ICA workspaces do not resemble standard loft or institutional workspaces. Ranging from vast, converted ball rooms with faded ceiling paintings to intimate (converted) rustic kitchens with a fireplace—no two spaces are alike. Our studios are housed in centuries old buildings, rich in character yet tailored to suit the needs of our participants. Please note that none of our accommodations in the village are air-conditioned.

Over the years these atmospheric spaces have themselves inspired works of art. The rarefied light, incredible views and sense of history they evoke often lead the poetic imagination in new, rewarding directions. Amenities such as lighting, ventilation, and storage have been improved, striking a balance between these practical considerations and maintaining the sense of place these studios have always had.

We make every effort to match our participants with the best possible space for their needs, please include any requests in your application form. We invite all participants to carefully consider their workspace needs and we will do our best to tailor to them.

Detailed Workspace/Studio Information

Studio Requests

Lighting — Natural or controlled, artificial light
Atmosphere — Panoramic view, or a cooler, atmospheric workspace
Environment — Preferences for a fireplace, walls worn rich with time, or open blank space, preference to work in the daytime or a night

Facility Requests

Require a work table, easle or flat wall for working
Classroom space for a group, A/V equipment
Portable outdoor studio tools, Optimal ventilation

Other Requets

If you are traveling with a spouse, partner or family or a group of friends, we will make every effort to accommodate your specific housing needs as well. We can accommodate children (see the families/kids section of our custom itineraries page) in two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens.

Paints, Solvents & Mediums

Tools & Materials

Brushes

Paper & Canvas

Oil Pant

Pigments

Sizes/Grounds

Binders, Solvents & Mediums

Tools

Drawing Materials

Flat

Filbert

Egbert

Round

Utility

Badger Fan

Paper

Fabriano Roll - 160 Sheets

Fixative

Canvas Board (Masonite)

Raw Canvas

Stretched Canvas

Group Classrooms & Exhibition Spaces

ICA has two easily accessible multi-use classroom spaces that are equipped with computers and large screen television monitors for lectures and presentations, as well as specialized spaces for visual artists, individuals and musicians.

Within a few minutes’ walk of Asilo we have several dedicated classroom spaces, one with Smartboard, that can be reserved for regular group meetings. Faculty and group leaders have access to photocopying and printing, and for larger-scale printing on a variety of materials and catalogues, ICA works with a nearby professional printer.

Detailed Exhibition Information

Visual Artists

We provide group space for classes, workshops, and critiques. We have a fully equipped printmaking workshop with a press, a darkroom for traditional photography, a fully functional ceramics studio with two kilns, and several potter’s wheels, worktables, and sculpture stands. We have an exhibition space, the Bocca al Lupo gallery and typically host an end of the session show with a catered reception.

Musicians

We have an upright piano, an electronic keyboard, and music stands. For other instruments, ICA can coordinate rentals including delivery and pick up of a grand piano for concerts. For performances, outdoors we can offer the central square with a spectacular view of the Tiber valley, and indoors, the Teatro Concordia for concerts and formal lectures. We also design and print flyers for concerts and promote events on social media.

Other Requets

Excursions

As much as we value the peace and tranquility of Monte Castello, we are equally committed to providing opportunities to experience of the more urbane side of Italy and to explore its great art centers in Rome and Florence. Here, we make the history of Italian art accessible, using our location to our advantage in making regular excursions to museums, churches and cities with some of the richest collections of art in the world.

Excursions usually occur on Fridays and are included in the cost of most Retreats offered by ICA. The destinations for Friday trips are always scheduled in advance, in coordination with faculty and course schedules.

For an overview of the specific trip schedule for each term, please refer to the Events Calendar.

For groups or individuals who are interested in destinations not on the events calendar, additional trips can be arranged. For inquiries on supplemental travel itineraries, contact us by email at: icarts.info@gmail.com

Detailed Excursion Information

Orientation

On the evening prior to each trip, there is a presentation by faculty on the location we visit, in which we discuss its highlights, provide information on schedules and work with students on designing individual itineraries to see the sites most important to them. Generally, each week we schedule a trip to Rome or Florence. However our excursions typically also include: Siena, Orvieto, and either Arezzo, Sansopulcro, Monterchi & Deruta, Assisi, or Perugia.

Bilingual Staff

An experienced, bilingual, staff member always accompanies all scheduled excursions, regardless of group size. The evening before a trip, we always offer to provide an orientation (some groups prefer to do this themselves), as well as an art historical and gastronomic overview on sites within the places on our itinerary – we can even provide advice on restaurants and street food as well as shopping. Maps for each city are provided along with locations of and hours for sites, so guests can fine tune their own custom itineraries.

Custom Itineraries

We also offer custom excursions and design travel itineraries to suit the interests and needs of our guests or the curricula of institutions. We can provide tours and bilingual guides for a variety of topics; specialized expert guides, such as art historians, are available at an additional fee. In certain cases, we can obtain special access to restricted sites and permissions for activities such as drawing and painting in museums for specialized groups or individuals.

Extras

Advance booking service and purchase of tickets for groups and individuals €5
Concierge services provided on request with an hourly rate of €15/h
Restaurant reservation service
Car rental booking service
Artisanal ceramic workshop*
"Homemade pasta" cooking lessons €80
Cheese making workshop €100
Pizza preparation workshop €80
Wine Appreciation and Sommelier Courses*
Wine and olive oil tastings with visits to the vineyards or oil mills, starting from €50
Truffle hunting €50
Weekend excursions to markets and natural sites*
Shopping excursions to the cashmere and leather goods outlets, in Deruta famous for its traditional painted and finely painted ceramics and to antique shops*
Night excursions to the sea and day trips to the beaches of Rome*
Balloon tour with aperitif €250
Excursions to the thermal springs €70
Lake Tour* Trasimeno €70
Sustainable agriculture tour and organic product tasting in a nearby farm €50
Babysitting services €15/h
Possibility to organize leisure activities at football pitches, archery or horse riding for children*
Motorized mountain bike rental booking service*
Electric car rental booking service*
Golf cart tour of Rome and Florence €95
Pilates lessons €20
Italian lessons €25
Possibility of mountain excursions or hunting and/or fishing activities.*

*for items indicated with an asterisk the price varies depending on the destination and the number of participants.

Amenities

Amenities

Included Amenities

Arrival, Departure & Ongoing Services

Arrival/Departure Details

Living Arrangements

MOre Information & Upgrades

General Information

Included Accomodations

Asilo - Single occupancy room

Accomodation Upgrades

Alfio Apartment

Apartment II Furioso

Asilo - Double Occupancy Room

Asilo - Double room with private bath

Gente Vibia

Palazzo DeLellis

Palazzo Mannioli

Palazzo Vittorio Emanuelle II

Villas

Dining

Detailed Dining Information

Colazione (Breakfast)

Pranzo (Lunch)

Cena (Dinner)

Studios / Workspace

Detailed Workspace/Studio Information

Studio Requests

Facility Requests

Other Requets

Oil Pant

Pigments

Sizes/Grounds

Binders, Solvents & Mediums

Tools

Drawing Materials

Flat

Filbert

Egbert

Round

Utility

Badger Fan

Paper

Fabriano Roll - 160 Sheets

Fixative

Canvas Board (Masonite)

Raw Canvas

Stretched Canvas

Group Classrooms & Exhibition Spaces

Detailed Exhibition Information

Visual Artists

Musicians

Other Requets

Excursions

Detailed Excursion Information

Orientation

Bilingual Staff

Custom Itineraries

Extras

Art Supplies Available to Purchase

Oil Paint