2025 and 2026 PAINTING HOLIDAY in SICILY (Palermo-Cefalu-Valley of Temples), Italy for painters or drawing artists.
Join us for a thrilling art holiday in Sicily Italy, to paint the amazing light of this authentic island in the Mediterranean sea. This quality painting holiday will be sure to thrill you as an artist, whether you are a beginner, intermediate or confirmed artist. We will explore and paint (or draw) Sicily, visiting different areas of the island; Cefalu, Palermo, Valley of the Temples/Agrigento, Bagheria.
INCLUDED:
Tuition from a talented tutor.
Art equipment (board, stool, optional easel)
Art materials (paints, brushes, paper…) CHOICE OF MEDIUMS: Watercolours (recommended), drawing or gouache. Pastels, acrylic, or oil for more experienced artists.
7 Nights Accommodation in a SINGLE ROOM in gorgeous Cefalu.
All restaurant meals with wine at dinner included (except on the free day) OR breakfast only option.
Fabulous excursions in gorgeous Cefalu (our base), Palermo, Bagheria ruins and Villa Palagonia.
Local transportation to and from painting sites.
NEXT DATES:
2025 👉 SEPTEMBER 17 - 24 2025 - FULLY BOOKED - (Wait List)
2026 👉 SEPTEMBER 16 - 23 2026 - PLACES AVAILABLE
PRICES:
£175 at booking. The remainder 4 months prior to the holiday or within 4 days after booking if less than 4 months to the holiday.
Please note: A knee surgery or a son’s wedding could pop up after you book! This is why our booking payments are transferrable for a period of 24 months after the date of purchase under our Terms.
EVERYTHING LISTED INCLUDED IN THE HOLIDAY.
You are coming on your own (like most participants). ENSUITE ROOM in Single Occupancy at our hotel in Cefalu:
£175 Booking payment + £1990 for the week. ALL RESTAURANT MEALS INCLUDED (except on the free day).
£175 Booking Payment + £1690 for the week: BREAKFAST ONLY. (You pay for your meals separately; Perfect for light eaters or special diets).
DELUXE ENSUITE ROOM (Larger room) at our hotel in Cefalu:
£175 Booking payment + £2190 for the week. ALL RESTAURANT MEALS (except on the free day).
£175 Booking payment + £1790 for the week. BREAKFAST ONLY (You pay for your meals separately; Perfect for light eaters or special diets).
You are coming with a painting friend and wish to share an ENSUITE ROOM (Double Bed or Twin with a private bathroom) at our hotel in Cefalu:
£175 Booking Payment + £1690 per person for the week. ALL RESTAURANT MEALS INCLUDED (except on the free day).
Per person £175 Booking payment + £1490 for the week. BREAKFAST ONLY. (You pay for your meals separately; Perfect for light eaters or special diets).
You are coming with a painting friend and wish to share an DELUXE ENSUITE ROOM (Double Bed or Twin with a private bathroom) at our hotel in Cefalu:
£175 Booking Payment + £1790 per person for the week. ALL RESTAURANT MEALS INCLUDED (except on the free day).
Per person £175 Booking payment + £1590 for the week. BREAKFAST ONLY. (You pay for your meals separately; Perfect for light eaters or special diets).
We are sorry but we cannot accommodate NON-PAINTERS on this holiday.
Not included: Getting to Sicily accommodation, city tax (+- 2.80€ /n), Minibar consumption, 1 lunch and 1 dinner on the free day, toiletries, personal/travel insurance. Drinks or snacks outside of meals.
Important: You must be able to walk at a normal pace around Cefalu and on our outings.
Painting holiday in SICILY, Italy.
Typical Trip Schedule:
Day 1: Arrival at 6.00 PM at the accommodation with dinner at 7 PM at a local restaurant. If you cannot meet the group at 6.00 PM or make it to dinner due to a later flight, no worries, simply let us know.
Day 2: Breakfast. Hand out of materials at 10.00 AM. Demonstration for beginners at watercolours or drawing (with their participation) until lunch time. Still life for more advanced artists and artists using other mediums. Lunch in Cefalu. Painting session in the afternoon: Off to the authentic seaside (of Cefalu).
Named by the Greeks, Cefalu is a coastal village place with a population of 14000 people, where paint boxes and brushes will want to pop out of every painter’s bag! You’ll love capturing the serenity of its tired yet picturesque intricate houses, its emerald-coloured water and its cliffs that plunge in the Mediterranean.
By Mehu
Day 3: Breakfast. Morning painting at the beautiful Cefalu cathedral. Lunch at a local restaurant. Free time to shop, walk around or go to the beach and swim!
Cefalu Cathedral
Day 4: Breakfast. Around 10:00 AM, we will head for Palermo. On our way to the absolutely beautiful Santa Maria Assunta cathedral where we will paint, we’ll first visit the marvellous Pretoria Fountain and take photos at Quattro Cuanti ( Piazza Vigliena). This notable Baroque square in utmost central Palermo will be sure to catch your attention. After painting, we will take the train back to our Cefalu accommodation, where we will have dinner. About Palermo: This beautiful city founded in 734 BC on the northwest (Tyrrhenian) coast of the island, is the capital of the autonomous region of Sicily. It is rich in architecture, history, gastronomy and culture, with graceful Greek, Roman and Arab influence. Dinner at the villa.
Day 5: Breakfast. Free day. You will be able to enjoy Cefalu or take a quick train to visit the area. No meals provided on the free day except for breakfast.
Day 6: Excursion to gorgeous Marsala salt pans (2024) or Agrigento. Marsala salt pans go back to the reign of the Phoenicians around 2700 years ago. The ancient salts pans of Western Sicily, situated between Marsala and Trapani have been incredibly important for the people of Sicily for generations, both economically and touristically. Please note that the photos featured below are also of Agrigento (Azenart painting holidays in Sicily in 2022 and 2023). Valley of the Temples, the world’s largest archaeological site, included in the Unesco World Heritage Sites list in 1997. You’ll be astonished by its colours. Although the excavations (due to archaeologist Domenico Pietrasanta) cover 1300 hectares, we will concentrate on a much smaller area. Valley of the Temples is considered to be one of the nicest areas of Sicily to visit, a definite bucket list favourite. Dinner back in Cefalu.
Agrigento:
Marsala salt pans:
Day 7: Breakfast followed by a day trip to a very ‘Sicilian’ town: Bagheria. Known for the place where The Godfather part III was filmed as well as other films, it also holds a famous and mysterious villa named Villa Palagonia which we will visit and where we will do some sketching. Villa Palagonia in Bagheria was built in 1715 by the architect Tommaso Napoli. It is known at The Villa of the Monsters. A hunchback married to his unfaithful spouse is known to have lived there. 30 of his wife’s lovers were sculpted into monsters. Villa Palagonia’s audacious architecture and history will be sure to captivate you as an artist.
Day 8: Departure day. Breakfast and goodbyes.
Book your painting holiday today for £175 (transferable 24 months under our Terms).
Mobility: If you are generally relatively fit, you can skip this part.
Test: I can walk 20 to 25 minutes and climb one or two flights of stairs without it being strenuous.