London, UK 2026 After spending his childhood in Fiesole, writer, performer and academic Victor Rees, who is currently living in London, decided to return to Florence after finishing his PhD on The Mystic and the Visionary in the works of Brian Catling, to get ideas for his newest work in progress. Victor took Il Palmerino as a chance to write about the connection of past memories and new experiences to integrate in his upcoming novel, which he states is probably his most pers

The first days of July brought another memorable artistic experience to Il Palmerino as we welcomed American musicologist Deborah Burton for her second residency with us. Her stay coincided with the completion of a project she has devoted more than six years to: preparing her edition of the finale of "Turandot", based on Giacomo Puccini's surviving autograph sketches and notes. We had the privilege of witnessing the final stages of this remarkable journey before its world pre

New York City 2026 Veronika Bromberg, an artist from New York, spent two weeks this summer at Il Palmerino, devoting her time entirely to her art, escaping the daily routine of life back in New York. She hopes to bring back with her across the Atlantic the ability to slow down, live in the moment, and focus on her art. Veronika is an encaustic collage artist. She works with rich pigments that are wax-based, melting them to create a luminous, multi-layered surface. The work sh

Irena Kongsuwan is an expressive drawer and painter from Canada who was in residence at Il Palmerino during the summer of 2026. Her goal for the residency was to reignite her art practice, which had taken a back seat to her full-time job and family life. Her artistic career began thirty years ago, shortly after high school. She went on to earn a Fine Arts degree, specializing in painting and drawing. The technique Irena focuses on is chalk pastel (aka soft pastel) on paper. T

Dana Matthews is a painter and photographer from New York, who was in residence at Il Palmerino in the spring of 2026. Born in Alabama, Dana has a special connection to the land and environment which she brings into her work. As the first artist in her family Dana explored painting and photography on her own to discover her passion. With a BFA and MFA in photography she creates visuals that transcend one medium and incorporates painting into her photography. Attracted to mul

In March and April 2026, Il Palmerino was delighted to host the artist Pamela Tucker, a still- life painter, who came to the estate recommended by her gallery in New York City. Art has always played an important role in Pamela’s life. She graduated from college in Art History, worked for years as a Graphic Designer, and most recently has dedicated herself to painting. She has participated in several residencies both in the United States and Europe and says that each residency

In spring 2026, Il Palmerino hosted Sofya Karmazina, an Australian creator currently based in Spain, for a three-week residency. An illustrator as well as a graphic and book designer, she creates picture books for children that are published internationally and translated into different languages. Her work has been recognised by several Australian awards, including the CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2025. The illustrator decided to come to Il Palmerino to gather inspiration for

Il Palmerino regularly attracts scholars aiming to conduct their research in a tranquil, inspiring atmosphere. Two of these are Virginia Ricard and Laura Rattray, who are currently working on a new biography of Edith Wharton, and who have decided to come to Il Palmerino in order to work together. Dr. Virginia Ricard taught at Université Bordeaux Montaigne in France, specializing in American Literature and Translation, while Dr. Laura Rattray, who teaches at the University of

For the last three weeks, artist Julia Poletti has dedicated her stay at Il Palmerino to drawing and finding inspiration in the rich architecture of Florence. She describes her short stay as pure happiness, allowing her to slow down, reflect, and create artworks that capture the beauty of the Tuscan landscape. Born in Russia, Julia discovered her love of drawing at a very young age and planned to attend art school. The economic and political climate at the time, however, pro

At Il Palmerino, Canadian artist Kim Ren is not seen as an engineer or a lawyer –but as a designer. Her time in Florence allowed her to fully embrace a lifelong facet of her identity that has accompanied her since childhood. As a child, Kim found delight in making things with her hands—her earliest memory of this being the afternoon she stitched a dining table cushion under her mother’s guidance. The joy of that small creation lingered with her, and she soon discovered that w

Australian artist Angelica Rowe came to Italy, specifically the Palmerino for a change of pace. After working in the fast past ad agency world, she was burnt out. Angelica had intended to come to Florence back in 2020 for a three month Design Master Workshop. However, Covid-19 put her plans on hold. Five years later her partner encouraged her to fulfill her Italian dreams. Rowe studied Design and Commercial Art at Griffith College of Art and at CATC in Brisbane, Australia

2014 / 2025 Sharon Smith first came to Il Palmerino over a decade ago. Recently, she returned to the property as part of her travels across Europe to attend a variety of ceramic and clay workshops as part of her focus on the "circularity" of clay—a process which focuses on connecting finished clay works to the land they were created from. Sharon Sculpting Clay Originally from Australia, Sharon’s connection to ceramics started young. As she recalls, her mother kept a pottery w

NEW YORK – USA 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2019 / 2022 Elizabeth Bisbing is an American artist who is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of 2022, she lives in New York City with her husband, Richard Castellana, who was an artist in residence here with her. Fall 2022 marks Elizabeth’s fifth time in residence here at Il Palmerino and her first time here post-pandemic. It was a joy to have her back! A bit about Elizabeth - She earned her master’s degree at Vermont