If you've decided to spend your holidays in Italy then make Tuscany your destination, or to be more exact, Sunflower Valley (La Valle dei Girasoli) located in the southern belt of this region in an area called Val di Chiana. The Val di Chiana, in the province of Arezzo, stretches towards Rome and has a very ancient history; its many art treasures and fortress towns bearing witness to its glorious past. The countryside, ever changing through the seasons, and surrounded by soft terraced hills with olive groves and vineyards, leaves a lasting impression on the beholder. Whether you see it imbued by the warm light of a summer afternoon, its valleys golden-tinted by sunflowers, or whether you see it wrapped in the mists of Autumn fogs, it's always a stirring experience. Visiting the old farmhouses, aristocratic villas, and castles in the area and being able to experience the hubbub of daily life in these Medieval stone villages full of artisan shops, you'll feel like you're in a place where time has stopped. And it is in this place without time that a very unique school exists, a school for adults who wish to learn more about the traditions, the art, and the creativity of these very ancient Tuscan people.


From the top of a hill overlooking the Valdichiana, is found the main seat of the school. It is from here that your adventure begins, firstly by discovering the marvelous view, that you’ll even find yourself painting should you register for one of our art courses. Your adventure, however, could continue in several other directions, for instance, if you were to sign up for our archeology seminar, then you’d find yourself actively participating in the digs. If, instead, a cooking course strikes more your fancy, then off to the kitchens of a beautiful Villa you’d go.

To attend a course at "Baldassare Castiglione", however, not only means discovering the immediate surrounding area, but to travel as well, always in search of more great art, more great scenery, and to build new experiences. Most of all, by attending one of our courses on interior design, you will get to learn about some of the traditional crafts in which Italians have excelled in for centuries. You'll learn about the art and history of weaving in Umbria and Tuscany, the Renaissance majolica, how to reproduce antique Roman ceramics and mosaics, the restoration of wooden furniture and the techniques of fine lace and embroidery. Your classrooms will be the actual artisan shops; your teachers, the professors from the Art Academy of Brera and the selfsame artisans; and your textbooks, the museums and the manufacturing companies. It will be a learning experience without bounds, that will allow you to take in and understand better that which you'd like to learn about Tuscany and Italy. Some of our courses are as follows: The Renaissance majolica of Siena and Bologna, antique Roman glasswork of Venice and Aquilea, the lacework of San Sepolcro and Burano, intarsia of Florence and Urbino, ceramics of Montelupo, Faenza, and Deruta, modern and antique mosaics of Emilia Romagna. Among the many activities you'll be engaged in, you'll also be visiting the vineyards in the Chianti region and the olive oil mills nearby. But you'll also be able to get a taste of a bit of real Tuscan folklore by attending one of its historical country fairs, held during different parts of the year, and which always bring great cheer to towns and villages.