Beautiful Botanicals – Flora, Frutta e Verdura
With Jill Winch SBA Fellow
1st - 8th May 2026
Using the beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables, and seedheads on offer at this special time of year in Italy, Jill will guide those attending through a week of exploring colour with Watercolours and pen and ink.
Jill has a vast knowledge of teaching
From beginners through to the more experienced Artist.
Jill likes creating a relaxed atmosphere where she can give individual tuition while showing ‘how to’ with a week of demonstrations.
About Jill
Jill Winch initially trained as a Graphic Artist but in later years studied Botanical Painting, enabling her to study plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables and depict them in a variety of mediums.
Jill attended the Chelsea Physic Garden where she gained her Diploma in Botanical Painting.
She is a Fellow member of the Society of Botanical Artists exhibiting at their annual exhibition in London. In 2012 she was awarded the Daler Rowney choice award for her painting of the Medinilla-Magnifica.
Jill has held painting holidays in Tuscany, Galway, France and in Derbyshire. She regularly tutors for Missenden Abbey in Buckinghamshire which offers weekend and Summer school programmes.
She also holds courses from her studio at home on the borders of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
In 2013 Jill was asked to illustrate and write a book on Drawing Flowers.
The book was published in the spring of 2014. This book was followed by her second book Painting Flowers which has also now been published and is available. Jill offers Videos of how to paint in Coloured Pencils on different subjects.
Jill has more recently become an Ambassador for Derwent
Included in the price:
• All tuition fees
• 7 nights accommodation in luxury air-conditioned, en-suite rooms with: see our rooms here
– Luxury bedding
– High quality, 100% natural, Italian toiletries: shampoo, shower gel, body lotion and hand gel
– Daily servicing of the rooms
– Mid-week linen and towel change
– 100% cotton waffle robes and slippers
• All meals including breakfast, buffet lunch and a choice of up to 4 courses from our daily changing gourmet evening menu
• A ‘pizza-giro’ evening at a local trattoria within a few minutes walk of the hotel
• Delicious local wine with lunch and evening meal
• Private group transfers to and from either Ancona airport or Pedaso (station or bus stop)
• 5 days painting tuition including demonstrations and one-to-one advice and guidance
• 3 days’ excursions to specially selected stunning locations
• Private transfers to and from painting locations
• hands-on pasta making masterclass with three generation of the same family – Nonna, her son and her granddaughter – who will all teach you how to make tagliatelle and ravioli from scratch
• One Free day with the option to take an excursion to the beautiful town of Ascoli Piceno, a Renaissance town full of history as well as fabulous boutique shops, charming cafes and one of Italy’s most beautiful piazzas (lunch not included)
• Unlimited use of air-conditioned studio
• full-time staff on-site including concierge service
Prices start from €3449 per person. Receive a €650 discount per person if you share with a partner or friend and a further €300 discount if you bring along a non-participating partner
Fill out the form at the bottom of the page to find out more about the pricing per person per room type
Deposit
To secure you spot on the retreat please click on the Retreat Booking button above, complete the form, select your preferred room type and pay a non-refundable deposit of €350.
Travel / Transfers
The group pick up is at 2pm from Ancona airport and 3pm at Pedaso train station or bus stop.
On the day of departure we will leave for Ancona airport after breakfast at 9.30am. Hotel Leone is about one hour and a quarter from the airport so you should arrive just before / around 11.00am your ideal return flight should be later than 12 noon.
If you’d like to arrive a day or two early and stay in Ancona or Pedaso, below are the hotels we normally recommend:
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The hotel will be booked exclusively for you and your art group. Please note that the hotel is situated in a medieval hill-top town and that from the main building to the studio building there is a very brief walk on a slightly sloping but smooth cobbled street. All rooms have stairs-only access and if you choose a room the upper floor in the main building this will entail two sets of stairs. Therefore, this venue may not be suited for participants with limited mobility. Please also be mindful that the days on location may involve walking on uneven, cobbled streets. The exact locations will vary based on instructor planning, group dynamics and/or weather conditions.
For more information, including pricing per room type, please fill in your details below
