Testimonials
Read more below from our past guests who’ve joined on a retreat!
“Yumi and Adriano have created a haven for aspiring artists seeking the perfect country setting, healthy but mouth-watering food, excellent tuition, and seriously good company.”
— CHRISTINE \ MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
“Great Yoga lessons, great sicilian food, great wines, great visits, superb location. The chef tuned into our needs and made sure that everyone in the group had a great time. Sicily is beautiful.”
— NANCY \ DUBLIN, IRELAND
“Imagine a group of 12 diverse people coming together from all over the world with different backgrounds… It was the best life changing Yoga week in my life!”
— MARIE \ PARIS, FRANCE
“We had a great time and an enjoyable stay at Salinara in October, as a couple painter/non-painter, attending the pleinair workshop with Keiko Tanabe. Keiko is a worldwide known, highly talented and skilled pleinair painter and a wonderful teacher. I recommend her workshop to anyone in watercolor.
We stayed in the charming 17th century Sicilian farmhouse which provides all necessary comforts. Our hosts, Adriano and Yumi and their team, were welcoming and caring for all our possible needs. They took us different places to paint every day, fed us wonderful Sicilian food cooked freshly by a signature chef and entertained as needed!
This is a place that you want to come back to, and we certainly will. ”
— LARISSA & TOM \ MOSCOW, RUSSIA
“My participation in Keiko Tanabe’s watercolor workshop at Salinara left me with wonderful new friends, memories and experiences I’ll never forget. Salinara in the lush, serene Sicilian countryside surrounded by vineyards, the Mediterranean Sea and historic, ancient towns and structures offers infinite and colorful compositional subjects for painting inspiration. Keiko Tanabe’s instruction was hands-on and personalized, giving each workshop participant full immersion into plein air watercolor painting techniques. The amenities, excellent food and wine, and other services provided by the organizers and staff at Salinara made my stay comfortable, delicious and fun! All in all, an excellent experience.
Thank you again for everything, hope to you in the future.”
— DAWNA \ CALIFORNIA, USA
“The restoration you have achieved of the Salinara farm house with its ancient artifacts and inclusion of modern comforts and places to bask in the sun and relax amongst the scent of lemon and orange trees was how we imagined and hoped Sicily could be.
For me easy transport to lovely places to paint and sketch, with the variety of venues, that also gave Dave an opportunity to investigate and enjoy the whole experience, was very special.
We were very lucky too to be in such a pleasant international group with enough English speakers to make communication easy. The flexibility you showed and the variety of activities you managed to include with wine tasting, pottery visit, castle, fish market and the chance for us to go to some junk shops added to the painting instruction.”
— LORI & DAVE \ FLORIDA, USA
“This post is a bit delayed, but I would be remiss if I didn’t share some photos of Salinara Art Farm, the lovely lodging in Sicily where William and I and the rest of the painters stayed during Lori Putnam’s fantastic workshop. The staff there are gracious and capable, and made our delicious meals and our daily painting trips seem effortless! Here are a few shots of the villa and surrounding grounds. Enjoy!.”
— CHARLENE \ CALIFORNIA, USA
“Thank you for such a great time. We especially appreciated the outstanding organisation and care that you showed on our painting holiday with Olga. We were exceptionally well fed with the local farm products and the opportunity to sample (and drink) the Marsala wines made it an interesting gastronomic experience .
Your staff too were endlessly helpful and friendly , nothing too much for them to provide for our needs.
We would unreservedly recommend this course but mostly your warmth and friendliness made it a very special and memorable holiday for us both. ”
— MARTIN \ LONDON, UK
“Simply great! I’ve been home for a couple of days now but Sicily still comes to me in my dreams. Saturated technicolor visions of beauty and simplicity accompanied by the scent of oranges. I can still feel the tranquility and serenity imbued by this little marvel of understated perfection. One could say that Andriano’s and Yumi’s sense of “ospitalità” creates a holistic environment fit for books and fantasies. Great hosts. Great location. Great food. Great wine. Your staff too were endlessly helpful and friendly. Our heartfelt and sincere best wishes. Hope to see you in Stockholm!”
— DAVID \ STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
“Wonderful experience! I cannot express how absolutely wonderful we were treated, from the accommodations to the wine testing to the retreat and the spectacular Sicilian food prepared by the Chef of the farm.”
— PAT & MARK \ TORONTO, CANADA
“You put together yet another amazing trip to Greece. Everything about it was the best. Adriano & Winnie make such a perfect pair to show us the area & encourage our art. Thank you from the heart.”
— ELLEN \ OREGON, USA
“Coming home there is time for reflection and a beginning of assimilation of the spectacular experience of Sicily and Salinara. Withdrawal is a poignant aspect of the closure and letting go of a beautiful time and place. Thank you…”
— JENNI \ CALIFORNIA, USA
“An evocative example of Sicilian rural architecture, Salinara has been subtly and creatively transformed into a refined charming retreat.”
— LUCAS \ BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
“Salinara has a positive energy which flows through the property and makes the stay a happy one for the whole family. Children-friendly, spacious bedrooms, everything one could ask for.”
— ESTER \ SWITZERLAND
“We loved every day of our holiday at Salinara. For me personally it was a very special trip.”
— WILLIAM \ CALIFORNIA, USA
“The warmest of hospitality. Yumi & Adriano were the most amazing hosts. Our entire group were made to feel so welcome and they both went over and beyond to help accommodate us during our stay. The Villa was not only comfortable but beautifully restored and stylish. We cannot thank Yumi & Adriano enough for all their outstanding hospitality. You truly are running a business not only based in passion but from your heart!”
— DANIEL \ TORONTO, CANADA
“The Yoga Retreat at Salinara was truly a great experience. Very nice and generous hosts, beautiful rooms and amazing outdoor facilities. They have new bikes. If you have a dietary issue they handle it beautifully with the local Chef. It’s a terrific opportunity, I look forward to doing it again next year!”
— NATALIE \ LION, FRANCE
“This place was truly a gem! We had a great stay in Salinara. We were greeted with a beautifully illuminated villa, local wine, local bread, dry tomatoes, and instructions containing anything and everything we could possibly need in english. This place has the best of both worlds-the privacy and beauty of being in nature. If you’re looking for a unique and memorable experience, this is the location for you. It was very clean, spacious and tastefully decorated with gorgeous authentic tiles and lovely old furniture. The bathrooms facilities were good (powerful hot shower) and having a kitchen was great. ”
— DIANNE \ BRUXELLES, BELGIUM
“My time in Greece was unforgettable, I have never felt so happy. The Astipalea workshop was the best gift I ever gave myself.”
— PENNY \ NEW YORK, USA
“Thank you for a wonderful workshop- you are so gifted.
Fun to see everyone stretch themselves and embrace the experience.”
— SUZY \ OREGON, USA
“Your generosity of spirit and warm open hearts make spending time here a huge gift. It is impossible to express our gratitude.”
— MARY LEE & DOUG \ MONTANA, USA