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Bland Badger is Charlotte Bland and Ros Badger and together they produce creative house party retreats at Villa Pia, a 15th century manor house in Umbria, Italy
Now in their 7th year, the aim of the Bland Badger retreats is for people to step away and reconnect with their creativity in this beautiful location with a program of optional workshops. There is a balance between relaxing and enjoying the villa’s stunning setting, with creative workshops and trips to museums and antiques markets in a peaceful area rich in Renaissance art and architecture.
There are two Bland Badger creative retreats in 2025, one in the Spring from April 26 – May 3 and one in the Autumn from October 4 – 11. The relaxed program of workshops celebrates the beauty of your surroundings in the rolling hills of a perfect, Italian landscape with a creative house party unlike any other at magical Villa Pia.
We created a run down of all the ways you get to sleep, eat, drink, shop and create as a participant of the Bland Badger retreats!
Photos throughout by Charlotte Bland
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Villa Pia has the feel of a country house with its charming details, but guests are looked after as if at a hotel by the friendliest staff. Set in 5 acres of land on the Umbria/Tuscany border with forests, fields and olive groves stretching for miles, the villa is classic and unique with original and traditional features and furnishings, and serene views over the surrounding countryside.
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With outstanding Italian food, sunrise swims, coffee by the kitchen fire and sunset aperitivos overlooking the endless, rolling hills, there’s nowhere else quite like it. A space to escape and connect, Villa Pia is the ideal place for a creative retreat.
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There are three different room options available to accommodate everyone, whether travelling solo or sharing. The simple and charming bedrooms are split between the large rustic house and the annexe. The annexe is the villa’s converted barn with original paved floors. Both buildings open onto the central courtyard and the rooms either have views of the courtyard or the surrounding countryside. Each room is unique, with original traditional features and simple furnishings as well as views of the unspoilt surrounding landscape, which is unchanged since the great Renaissance painter Piero Della Francesca was born in a neighbouring village.
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In the main house there are communal rooms for dining, and space for you to relax and chat or read a book in the library. The house opens out onto the courtyard – perfect for time outdoors, with an aperitivo. You are welcomed as a friend into the environment of the villa, nothing feels off limits and nowhere is out of bounds. The villa’s staff take care of everything so you can immerse yourself in the week and leave feeling creatively fulfilled and relaxed.
The kitchen is the heart of Villa Pia, in true house party style you will often find your fellow guests there, making early morning coffee and tea in pajamas, sitting by the fire after a swim or putting the world to rights with a late night digestif. There is 24 hour access to snacks, fruit, aperitivos, wine, beer and soft drinks and unlimited use of the wonderful Villa Pia coffee machine (you will be an accomplished barista in no time).
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It’s hard to describe just how good the food is at Villa Pia. The local cooks create dishes with seasonal, local produce, using recipes that have been passed down to them for generations. Continental breakfast is served in the dining room, lunch is buffet-style with an extensive selection and plenty of vegetarian options. Dinner is four courses, served by the friendly Villa Pia staff. Don’t be fooled by the pasta course as that is just the ‘primo’, the main course or ‘secondo’ is still to come.
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Both the Spring and Autumn retreats feature the Bland Badger brocante, the much-anticipated, curated flea market we host in the Villa Pia courtyard with local sellers of antique linen and household goods, beautiful Ivo Angel splatter ceramics made in nearby Cortona and a host of surprises.
For the Spring retreat, Christobel Kent, author of many books set in Florence is visiting Villa Pia to share her bespoke Bland Badger Florence itineraries ahead of our excursion day to ‘the cradle of the Renaissance’.
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In the Autumn, you’ll experience the fantastic Arezzo Antiques market – Fiera Antiquario di Arezzo - which starts the week off with a day hunting for treasures at the oldest antiques market in Italy, in a wonderful town that was the backdrop to scenes from films like The English Patient and Life is Beautiful. Here you can pick up unique finds to incorporate in the creative workshops as the week unfolds.
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April 26th - May 3rd
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Join Bland Badger hosts - Charlotte Bland and Ros Badger - and their very special guests, Amy Fielding, director of JamJar Edit, artist Lucy Kent, Nadine Gibbon of Spinney Cottage Flowers and author Christobel Kent together in Villa Pia’s beautiful setting for a Spring creative retreat to reconnect you with your inner creativity.
Learn the art of flower pressing with Amy Fielding, director of renowned floral design studio JamJar Flowers, and director and co-founder of sister studio JamJar Edit. Forage for local, Spring flowers and take home your own, unique artwork.
Paint the beautiful local landscape en plein air with celebrated artist Lucy Kent. Relaxed and informal, Lucy teaches painting for enjoyment, experimenting and loosening up. For all abilities, it’s about progress not perfection!
Christobel Kent, author of many books set in Florence is visiting us at Villa Pia to share her bespoke Bland Badger Florence itineraries ahead of our excursion day to ‘the cradle of the Renaissance’.
Nadine Gibbon from Spinney Cottage Flowers is teaching a foraged foliage headdress-making class. Nadine has been a beloved Bland Badger tutor for five years and her fabulous, fun workshop is always a highlight of the week!
Create a silver charm with Ros in her ingenious silver clay jewellery workshop and go on a photography walk with Charlotte where she shares her tips for developing your own photographic style inspired by the beauty of the Italian landscape and the wonderful natural light.
You will explore the vibrant Spring landscape with our cameras - any sort of which works by the way, from phone to film and everything in between - where Umbria meets Tuscany and this light filters through the Spring foliage, bouncing off beautiful buildings and settling in magical, dappled ways on the everyday things.
OCTOBER 4th - 11th
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The Autumn workshop program features a very special guest tutor line-up: artist Caroline Kent from Scribble & Daub whose work was recently described by British Vogue as ‘part stationery part fine art’, Amy Fielding director of JamJar Edit , the inspirational textile designer and collage artist, beloved of brands Loeffler Randall, Weezie and Basic Projects, Louisa Dunn and florist Nadine Gibbon of Spinney Cottage Flowers.
Create a silver charm with Ros in her silver clay jewellery workshop where you will learn to shape and fire your own piece of alchemic magic!
Walk and work with co-founder Charlotte to learn her tips for developing your own photographic exploring the vibrant Autumn landscape by camera. Where Umbria meets Tuscany, thelight filters through the fall foliage, bouncing off beautiful buildings and settling in magical, dappled ways on the everyday things.
JamJar Flowers will return for attendees to forage for local, Autumn flowers to press and take home your own, unique artwork.
Likewise, Spinney Cottage Flowers is teaching a foraged foliage headdress-making class. It wouldn't be a Bland Badger week without this workshop
Learn about textile designer and collage artist Louisa Dunn’s inspiration and process and create your own, unique piece of collage art.