FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

What are The Quiet Garden Italy 2018 Retreats?

I invite you to spend a week with me, exploring the mystery of Etruscan and Roman ruins or the beauty of Italian Renaissance gardens.  We use these full sensory experiences to inspire our art meditation. We will integrate the metaphors embodied in the spaces we visit into our art journals each day. No art background is necessary. I can’t wait to share these retreats with you!

When will The Quiet Garden be in Italy?

Two retreats are available in 2018:  May 4 – 11 Art Meditation Amidst Etruscan and Roman Ruins and May 14 – 21 Renaissance Gardens Inspired Art Meditation.   Italy’s Mediterranean spring is a lovely time to be in these gardens.  Edith Wharton, the novelist who also published Italian Villas and Their Gardens, visited these same gardens in 1903.  We will be walking these paths 115 years after her.  Some days we will have sun, and some days mist or drizzle while we wander under our umbrellas in our own magical world.

Who should come?

If you have traveled in Italy, or always wanted to, but don’t feel comfortable in large tour groups, then this trip might be for you.   Sharing this creative time with a few special women, with plenty of private time for your own thoughts and experiences, is a nurturing and energizing way to experience the beauty of Italy with The Quiet Garden.

What would limit my ability to come?

Etruscan and Roman ruins have irregular steps and a variety of surfaces that can require good balance.  The Italian Renaissance gardens are built on hillsides with numerous worn steps and other obstacles.  In addition, the Villa where we will stay is a tower with the guest rooms on the two floors above the ground floor.  Everyone will be climbing stairs to reach their rooms at least once a day.  Those with mobility issues will not be able to participate in most garden visits and those with poor stamina will find this retreat too taxing to be enjoyable.  Contact us if you have dietary restrictions and we can usually work out options with our Italian cooks.

What are Italian Renaissance gardens?

The Renaissance gardens we will visit around Rome are famous for their combination of wild nature and geometric design. We will explore the connection between the original walled garden – Paradise – and the walled gardens created by the 16th century Italians. We will savor the weathered stone, the ancient trees, the views over the valleys and the hidden grottos. The gardens embody creative dichotomy – apparent opposites becoming richer when together.   Man-made and natural, historical and immediate, sheltered and open, conscious and unconscious, action and stillness, solitary and communal, commotion and quiet.

Which gardens will we be visiting?

Please email Barbara at barbara@thequietgarden.com to get a private link to a webpage describing the gardens we will be visiting and the metaphors we will be exploring.

Where will we stay?

We will be staying in a farmhouse villa, first constructed as a 13th Century watchtower and later converted into a convent. The guest rooms are on the two floors above the ground floor.  Each room has a private ‘en suite’ bathroom and a unique view over the valley towards the mountains in the distance. The villa has central heat and fireplaces for cozy nights. There is an Etruscan archeology dig on the grounds and many walks in the neighborhood. The owners raise horses and specialty produce.  There is the opportunity to pet and feed the donkeys, horses, and farm dog if you love animals.

Who will be coming?

Only six to eight women will be able to share the unique experience during each week retreat – combining quiet time for journaling, reflecting, sketching and ‘being’ in the gardens, with daily guided art meditation to explore the metaphors from each garden. Surrounded by beauty and creating beauty!

What is included?

See the ‘How to Register’ page for more details.

What is not included?

See the ‘How to Register’ page for more details.

What is the cost?

See the ‘How to Register’ page for more details.

Who created The Quiet Garden?

Barbara Ruys is the creator of the The Quiet Garden retreats and your guide on this retreat.  See more details about her at the ‘About Barbara – Your Guide to the Gardens’ page.

 Who is assisting with the retreat?

Linda Moshref is the registrar and assistant for this retreat.  See more details on the ‘Contact Barbara and Linda’ page.

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