j e s s i c a k a s s i n
6
inspiring days
of creativity
in Tuscany
Experience the magic of Val D’Orcia as you learn to craft unique cyanotypes with Julia Whitney Barnes. You’ll work directly with light-sensitive materials, using sun, objects, and chemistry to create rich blue prints that feel both timeless and experimental. It’s a beautiful way to rethink photography, slowing down, working with your hands, and responding to the light and landscape around you in Tuscany.
The week will start with the basics of how to make a cyanotype print by mixing chemistry, coating paper and fabric, and developing the prints using the sun. Participants will learn how to print using fresh and pressed plants, printing with three-dimensional objects such as lace, string, glass jars, and jewelry, printing with paper cutouts, and how to print with photographic negatives.
Demonstrations will include altering cyanotypes with paint, collage, and multiple exposures. We will also create pieces using more experimental processes, including wet cyanotype and toning. This medium offers endless ways to combine techniques during the creation of the print and after it has been exposed. No previous experience with cyanotype is required.
Place
The workshop will take place in Tuscany's heart, at Villa Pienza.
This villa in Val d’Orcia is just 15 minutes from picturesque villages like Pienza, Bagno Vignoni, and Monticchiello. Once a traditional Tuscan farmhouse, it has spacious grounds with aromatic herbs and wildflowers, a large swimming pool, and breathtaking 360-degree views of Val d'Orcia and Pienza. Six ensuite bedrooms and a spacious outdoor dining area, make this villa perfect for this workshop.
Closests airports to the villa are Rome (2.5 hours) and Florence (1.5 hours).
Retreat Overview
Dates
October 24th - October 30th
We will explore cyanotype through a balance of clear instruction and hands-on practice. You’ll learn the foundations of the process while experimenting with its many creative possibilities.
The week begins with the basics of making a cyanotype print, from mixing chemistry and coating paper and fabric to developing prints in the sun. From there, participants will work with fresh and pressed plants, three-dimensional objects, paper cutouts, and photographic negatives. As the days unfold, you’ll build confidence with the process, explore its distinct aesthetic qualities, and create a body of work that reflects your own vision and voice.
Meet Our Hosts
Julia Whitney Barnes
Julia Whitney Barnes is an artist living in the Hudson Valley, NY who works in a variety of media from cyanotypes, watercolor, oil paintings, ceramic sculptures, murals, and site-specific installations. She has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally. She was awarded fellowships from New York State Council Arts, Arts Mid-Hudson, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Abbey Memorial Fund for Mural Painting/National Academy of Fine Arts, and the Gowanus Public Art Initiative, among others. Born in Newbury, VT, Julia Whitney Barnes spent two decades in Brooklyn, before moving to Poughkeepsie, NY in 2015. She received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and her MFA from Hunter College. Whitney Barnes has created site-specific installations at the Albany International Airport/Shaker Heritage Society, Albany, NY; Brookfield Place/Winter Garden, New York, NY; Arts Brookfield, Brooklyn, NY, the Wilderstein Sculpture Biennial, Rhinebeck, NY; The Trolley Barn/Fallkill Creative Works, Poughkeepsie, NY; GlenLily Grounds, Newburgh, NY; ArtsWestchester, White Plains, NY; Gowanus Public Arts Initiative, Brooklyn, NY; Space All Over/Fjellerup Bund i Bund & Grund, Fjellerup, Denmark; Lower Manhattan Cultural Council/Sirovitch Senior Center, New York, NY; Brooklyn School of Inquiry, Brooklyn, NY; New York City Department of Transportation, New York, NY; and Figment Sculpture Garden, Governors Island, NY and among other locations. She completed two significant commissions in 2024 including an immersive double sided glass artwork for Public Art for Public Schools/NYC Percent for Art in Brooklyn, NY and a room-wide mural for the new Vassar College Institute in Poughkeepsie, NY in 2024. In 2025 she created a wraparound exterior mural in Cambridge, MA based on local flora and inspired by the famous 19th century glass flowers in the collection of the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Jessica Kassin
Jessica Kassin is a portrait and documentary photographer and the founder of Undici Undici, a series of intimate, artist-led retreats in Italy.
Born in Guatemala and educated in the United States and Italy, her work is rooted in connection, storytelling, and a deep sense of place. Her relationship with Italy began during a six-month study abroad program in Florence. When the program ended, she chose to stay. That decision became the beginning of a lasting connection
to the country’s people, landscapes, and everyday life.
Through Undici Undici, Jessica brings together respected artists and small groups in carefully chosen settings, creating immersive experiences that blend creative practice with the culture, rhythm, and beauty of Italy.
Jessica is the mother of three and lives with her family in Miami Beach, Florida.
Discover Val'Dorcia
Prices
The villa offers six spacious ensuite bedrooms, each accommodating up to two guests. Three rooms feature king or queen beds. The remaining three rooms have twin beds that can either remain as two separate beds or be converted into one king, depending on your preference.
Every room has a private bathroom and is designed for comfort and ease, blending rustic Tuscan charm with modern touches for a restful stay.
What's Included
-
6 nights accommodations in our private luxury villa
-
5 days of immersive education
-
Transportation from Rome airport to the villa
-
Daily itinerary exploring Val D'orcia
-
All materials for workshop
-
Daily breakfast, light lunch, and all dinners (wine included at dinner).
-
A hands-on cooking class
-
A thermal bath adventure
-
Free time in the afternoon to explore nearby villages or enjoy the villa