Florence, Italy
May 22–28, 2027
7 days / 6 nights
Limited to 8–12 guests
From $6,850 USD
payment plans available
Stay at a charming palazzo in Florence
Hosted by Catherine Richards
no previous experience necessary
all ages welcome
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Florence, Made by Hand
Florence is a city built by artists and artisans, where centuries-old traditions still flourish in workshops, studios, and markets.
From traditional leatherworking and Florentine paper marbling to handmade jewelry, pasta-making, and urban sketching, each experience invites you to slow down, create, and connect with the Italian art of living. Our days will be filled with inspiring workshops, museum visits, historic libraries, charming bookshops, beautiful piazzas, and unforgettable meals shared around the table.
“The best part of Art Immersions was being in a truly lovely community with some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
- Morgan, Siena, 2019
Experience Florence
You won't rush from museum to monument, collecting photographs and checking names off a list. Instead, we enter Florence through the art of making.
We work with our hands — leather, paper, silver, dough.
We learn directly from local makers.
We sketch before we photograph.
We gather around the table each evening.
We slow down enough to notice.
Because a city is more than what you see. It's texture and sound. The smell of leather. Ink blooming across water. Bells at dusk. A table set just so.
Florence, experienced as an artist might experience it — made, savoured, and remembered.
Seven Days. Art. Artisans. Taste.
Guests arrive independently at our Florentine palazzo. Most fly into Florence and take a short taxi into the historic centre — the journey is part of the arrival.
- Check-in and settle in — find your room and take a first walk through the streets around the palazzo.
- Welcome aperitivo — the first gathering of the group, glass in hand.
- Welcome dinner — a first Florentine meal together to mark the beginning of the week.
A day in the workshop with a local leather artisan, learning the tools and techniques behind one of the city’s most celebrated crafts.
- Leatherworking workshop — a hands-on session with a Florentine maker: cutting, stitching, and finishing.
- Make your own piece — each guest creates a leather accessory to take home — a wallet, pouch, or bracelet.
- Group lunch — a long table in the neighbourhood.
- Free afternoon — wander the artisan streets, rest, or sketch in a piazza.
A day devoted to paper: traditional Florentine marbling, a handbound notebook, and time among the city’s historic libraries and bookshops.
- Paper marbling workshop — making your own decorative papers using traditional Florentine techniques.
- Bookbinding — binding a handcrafted notebook with the papers you made.
- Historic library and bookshops — a visit to one of Florence’s historic libraries and a walk through its independent bookshops.
- Evening aperitivo — a gathering to share the day’s work.
The kitchen is the studio today — fresh pasta rolled by hand, local culinary traditions, and the story of the Negroni in the city where it was born.
- Fresh pasta-making workshop — rolling, shaping, and cooking pasta by hand.
- We eat what we made — the class ends at the table, sharing lunch together.
- Pizza and artisanal gelato — tasting the flavours of the city as we walk.
- Italian cocktail-making — learning the art of the aperitivo and the history of the Negroni.
A day in a Florentine jewelry atelier, discovering the techniques and artistry behind creating something beautiful by hand.
- Jewelry-making atelier — an intimate, hands-on session led by a local jeweler.
- Make your own piece — each guest works on a piece of their own at the bench.
- Free afternoon — time to explore, rest, or return to a favourite street with your sketchbook.
- Group dinner — a special evening meal together.
Our final full day: Florence experienced as an artist, through drawing and looking — then a celebration to close the week.
- Urban sketching — drawing architectural details, facades, and everyday Florentine life in the streets and piazzas.
- Curated museum visit — time with the art and ideas that shaped the Renaissance.
- Closing circle — sharing what opened, shifted, or became visible over the week.
- Gala celebration dinner — an elegant final evening with a live performance — art, music, and friendship.
A slow morning. A last espresso. Final sketches. Guests depart through the morning at their own rhythm.
- A last Florentine morning — coffee and a final walk before leaving.
- Final journaling or sketching — quiet time with the notebook you made.
- Farewells and departure — onward travel or home.
This experience is for you if:
You love making things by hand and want to learn from real artisans
You want more than tourism — something immersive and meaningful
You crave beauty, craft, depth, and real Italian life
You want to meet like-minded, thoughtful people
You're ready for a full reset — creative, culinary, and personal
What's included?
Every detail is curated so you can arrive, exhale, and experience Italy creatively.
6 nights in a charming Florentine palazzo
Hands-on workshops with local artisans
Leatherworking — make your own accessory
Paper marbling and bookbinding
Jewelry-making atelier
Fresh pasta-making workshop
Italian cocktail-making experience
Urban sketching, museum and library visits
Selected lunches, aperitivo and group dinners
Gala dinner with live performance
Art materials for all workshops
An intimate group of 8–12
Flight and transportation are not included.
What other guests have to say
Catherine Richards, M.Arch.
Artist · Designer · Educator · Founder of Art Immersions
I’m Catherine — a designer, artist, Parsons professor, and founder of Art Immersions. For years, I’ve led creative programs in Italy and around the world centered on art, atmosphere, conversation, and cultural experience. What interests me most is how beauty changes perception — how certain places, meals, objects, music, and conversations reconnect us to creativity, presence, and feeling.
I created Art Immersions to bring people into that experience more deeply: not simply to visit Italy, but to experience it differently. I’ve led creative journeys in Paris, Siena, and Jaipur, and Italy is where Art Immersions began.
I hope to meet you in Florence.
Your Home in Florence
Your home for the week: a charming Florentine palazzo, offering an intimate setting from which to explore the city’s historic streets, artisan workshops, and cultural treasures.
From the palazzo, Florence opens out around you — piazzas, markets, museums, libraries, and bookshops, in the city where the Renaissance began.
- Arrive to our artistic residence in the heart of Paris.
- Gentle Montmartre walk to settle into the city’s rhythm and light.
- Welcome dinner with seasonal cuisine, conversation, and connection.
- Optional visit to the Decorative Arts Museum.
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What You Will Take Home
By the end of the week, guests typically leave with:
- A leather piece you made — a wallet, pouch, or bracelet, cut and stitched by hand.
- Hand-marbled papers and a notebook you bound yourself — made using traditional Florentine techniques.
- A piece of jewelry — made at the bench in a Florentine atelier.
- Pasta you can make again — and the confidence to make it anywhere.
- A sketchbook full of Florence — facades, piazzas, architectural details, and everyday life.
- Insider Florence — the workshops, libraries, and bookshops most visitors never find.
- Meaningful friendships — the group is small and the dinners are long. Most guests arrive solo and leave having shared something real.
But the thing guests talk about most isn’t the leather, or the paper, or the pasta. It’s the feeling of making something with their own hands, in a city built by people who did exactly that — and realizing this is what creative life actually feels like.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m thinking of coming alone… is that okay?
Yes — and most guests do. This is an intimate, welcoming group, and many arrive solo and leave with meaningful friendships. Workshops and long shared meals have a way of bringing people together.
What does the trip feel like?
A week of making in the heart of the Renaissance. Each day is built around a craft or a way of seeing: leather, paper, food, jewelry, drawing.
Mornings usually begin with a hands-on workshop led by a local maker. Afternoons open into the city — museums, historic libraries, bookshops, piazzas, and free time. Evenings gather around aperitivo, shared dinners, and conversation. Structured enough to feel held. Spacious enough to feel free.
What kind of people join?
Curious creatives seeking depth, beauty, and connection — not perfection. Artists, designers, writers, and curious travelers from all walks of life. All ages and backgrounds are welcome.
Do I need to be an artist or have experience?
Not at all. No previous artistic experience is necessary — only curiosity and a willingness to create. The workshops are designed for all levels, from complete beginners to practicing artists.
What’s a typical day like?
A hands-on artisan workshop (morning)
The city — museums, libraries, bookshops, or free time (afternoon)
Aperitivo and shared meals (evening)
The pace is spacious and intentional. You’ll have time to rest, sketch, wander, and simply be in Florence.
Where will we stay?
Our home for the week is a charming Florentine palazzo — an intimate setting from which to explore the city’s historic streets, artisan workshops, and cultural treasures. Full accommodation details are shared after you reserve.
What is the typical age range?
Guests are typically mid-20s to 60s+. What matters most is not age, but a shared desire for creativity, beauty, and meaningful experience.
How do I reserve my place, and what happens next?
You can reserve your place with a $500 deposit, pay in full, or choose a six-month payment plan.
Once you’re registered, we’ll guide you through everything you need to prepare: accommodation and arrival information, packing recommendations, travel guidance, your itinerary, and important contact information. If you reserve with a deposit, you’ll receive a separate email with instructions for completing your remaining balance.
What meals are included?
Selected lunches, aperitivo gatherings, special group dinners, and the gala celebration dinner are included, along with what we cook together in the pasta-making workshop.
Other meals are intentionally left open, so you can explore Florence’s cafés, markets, and restaurants on your own. We’re happy to accommodate dietary restrictions and food allergies — please let us know in advance.
How do I get to Florence?
Please book your own flights to Italy. Florence Airport (FLR) is the closest. Many guests also fly into Rome, Milan, or Pisa and continue by train to Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station.
Arrival details and directions to the palazzo are sent after you reserve. Flights and transportation are not included.
Travel insurance is required for all guests. Please choose a policy that includes both medical coverage and trip cancellation.
How long has Art Immersions been hosting creative journeys?
Art Immersions began nearly ten years ago in Italy, bringing together art, culture, and immersive experiences rooted in place. Since then, we’ve hosted journeys across five countries — Italy, France, India, Spain, and Japan — with Italy and France at the heart of many of our programs.
I am always happy to talk it through with you.
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