Good morning from a sunny Posara!

Yes, it’s sunny at last. And above is a picture to prove it! Watermill guests Biddy and Clem Danin sitting in the warm Watermill courtyard, waiting to go out painting on location in the glorious Tuscan countryside. And here’s’s a picture of the newly renovated South facing watermill façade, basking in the early morning sun.Once the scaffolding had come down were amazed how large an area the façade is. It is the last but one major piece of restoration that we will undertake here. Next year we moved to the frantoio, the old olive press (below, suitably in the shade in the early morning when I took this photo), where Lois has wonderful plants to create a new sitting room with a terrace overlooking the millstream as it gushes down to the river.

Meanwhile, in the picture of the façade, you may just be able to spot the new photovoltaic cells which we have installed on the roofs of the restored 19^th century mill and on the studio. Here’s a close-up of some of them. We’ll be using the sunny days to produce our own electricity.

You will notice that we been able to save all the old tiles and replace them on the rebuilt roof. Now we are waiting for the Italian electricity company to connect our photovoltaic system to the National Grid. Once we are up and running, we think we’re going to be more than self-sufficient in electricity and hopefully, as well as saving the planet, will also have no electricity bills. We’ll wait and see whether that plan becomes reality: we have monitoring systems to assess just how much electricity we are making. As we get the photovoltaic system underway, will also be slowly extending our air conditioning system, which provides warmth as well is coolth. We have units in the studio, which proved useful in the unseasonably chilly weather in May, and in the dining room where, last night we needed to cool down! And we are keeping the cooks cool and calm in the kitchen! There are also units already in The Lippi Suite and in the Brunelleschi and Donatello bedrooms. It will be disruptive to try and do more during this season, but from next October onwards will move to putting air conditioning in all of the bedrooms. In the meantime, we will keep you cool as necessary with our highly efficient, good-looking, retro-design fans.

We’d love you to come and see everything for yourself, joining us in our idyllic setting in unspoiled rural Tuscany: Secluded gardens, sun-drenched terraces, a cool vine verandah, a gurgling river, beautifully restored historic buildings … bright airy bedrooms with new en suite bathrooms, and lovely views over the river, the gardens or the mountains … delicious food prepared from fresh local ingredients…

Just some of the delights of the Watermill. We specialise in relaxing, inspiring and fun-filled painting, creative writing and Italian language weeks, with internationally renowned tutors. “The most wonderful week, in a most beautiful and unique setting. One of the best holidays I have experienced.”

To learn more, please click here.

ere’s the latest list of what’s available. It’s followed by details and links of the other courses that are currently fully booked. But there are invariably cancellations, so if there’s a tutor or a date in whom/which you are particularly interested, please don’t hesitate to let us know and we’ll put you on the waiting list. And why not bring your non-participating partners well? Not only is there a generous £250 reduction for them (sharing a room with you), but we have plenty of activities for them. Find out more about that by clicking here.

Sandra Strohschein
1 – 8 June 2019 Fully booked, waiting list open
8 – 15 June 2019 Fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours
To learn more about Sandra and her course at the mill, please visit her 2019 Profile Page.

Mike Willdridge
29 June – 6 July 2019 Fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics with an emphasis on sketching and drawing on location)
To learn more about Mike and his course at the mill, please visit his 2019 Profile Page.

Varvara Neiman
31 August – 7 September 2019 Fully booked, waiting list open
Water-based oils, acrylics and watercolours
To learn more about Varvara and her course at the mill, please visit her 2019 Profile Page.

Maggie Renner Hellmann
21 – 28 September 2019 Fully booked, waiting list open
Courageous Color Workshop’ in oils, acrylics, pastels and watercolors
To learn more about Maggie and her course at the mill, please visit her 2019 Profile Page.

David Taylor
12 – 19 October 2019 Fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours
To learn more about David and his course at the mill, please visit his 2019 Profile Page.

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran
7 – 14 September 2019 Four or five places left
To learn more about Laurence and Maurice and to register an interest in their course at the mill, please visit their 2019 Profile Page.