Patterns and Collage Exploration journey in Alentejo!
With Naomi Vona
June 16 to 21, 2026
6 days / 5 nights
From June 16–21, 2026, embark on an unforgettable journey of creativity and inspiration led by acclaimed Italian artist Naomi Vona.
Immerse yourself in a unique cultural experience that bridges tradition with contemporary illustration and collage. Drawing inspiration from Alentejo’s rolling landscapes and the intricate “empedrado” pottery of Nisa, this retreat celebrates the harmony between local craftsmanship and modern pattern design, illustration and collage.
Over 4 full enriching days, you will enjoy five hands-on workshops with Naomi, alongside a curated itinerary designed to unveil the region’s hidden gems:
Nisa: Discover the Museum of Embroidery and Clay, where you’ll learn about the “empedrado” technique—a meticulous process of inlaying white quartz into clay to form motifs inspired by local nature.
Castelo de Vide: Wander through flower-lined alleys in this romantic medieval village, home to one of Europe’s best-preserved Jewish quarters.
Estremoz: Experience the authentic charm of the traditional Saturday flea and antique market.
Based at the soulful O Val Farmhouse in Monforte, every detail of this retreat has been crafted to ensure an unforgettable creative escape.
What to expect from the retreat:
This immersive, creative experience features 5 hands-on workshop sessions with Naomi Vona. Each session lasts 3 hours, allowing processes to unfold with calm, attention, and enjoyment. The workshops are interconnected: what emerges one day transforms in the next.
Workshop 1 - Pattern design - Introduction and landscape exploration
This session will introduce the participants to my pattern vision and how to start to work on your own research, based on my tips and tricks for a creative project. We will also explore the natural area around us to photograph organic elements that could be translated into inspirational patterns.
Workshop 2 - Landscape pattern database
During this workshop we will bring together the images we captured in the morning, to transform them in pattern cards inspired by the nature. These will be useful material to keep for future reference for our final project.
Workshop 3 - Nisa’s Pottery pattern database
This class will allow us to analyse all the inspirational images taken during our trip to visit Nisa’s pottery, to create other pattern cards to add to our database.
Workshop 4 - Colours and pattern - find the perfect match
During this session we will combine colours with our patterns, to find the perfect match and to bring together all the research done in the previous classes. Colour and pattern swatches can become a beautiful colourful cards stack that will help us to envision our final piece.
Workshop 5 - Photo and patterns - bringing all together!
Now it’s time to take our pictures and use our favourite patterns and colour combos to make a standout piece. During this session we can also introduce the use of text as a decorative element, to enrich our final composition.
Materials
All materials are included but you are welcome to bring your own pictures (printed on paper) to make your art piece in this final session.
Naomi Vona
Naomi Vona is an Italian artist.
The artist defines herself as an "archival parasite, with no bad intentions".
Her works combine different interests like photography, collages and illustration.
Her research is focused on altering vintage and contemporary found images, creating a new interpretation of the original shots.
Using pens, washi tape and stickers she gives every image a new life.
Her passion for illustration and photography drove her to experiment with collage since she was a student, developing a personal recognisable style.
Since 2017 Naomi runs workshops around Europe, involving local communities to her art practice and creative research.
Her works revolve around the main topics of feminism, anti-capitalism and dark humour.
Retreat Information:
5 nights
Minimum: 5 participants — Maximum: 8
Participants Level: all.
Languages: English and Italian
What’s included?
5 nights + 5 Continental breakfasts
3 Lunches at the farmhouse
5 light dinners at the farmhouse
Welcome aperitivo + Tea/coffee and biscuits break
Food restrictions – We will do our best to find alternatives available in our region to respect the food restrictions of our guests, but the meals we serve are traditional Portuguese and Mediterranean cuisine.
Visit to Nisa’s Embroidery and pottery museum.
Visit to Castelo de Vide
Free time to explore Estremoz’s flea and antiques market
5 Workshops (total 15 hours) with Naomi Vona.
All necessary materials are included, so you only need to arrive with open hands and curiosity.
Transfers between Lisbon Airport and O Val farmhouse, 2 hours trip, in shared van or car.
Transport from O Val to Nisa, Castelo de Vide and Estremoz.
What’s not included?
Flights to and from Lisbon. We recommend participants to only book flights after we confirm the retreat (minimum 5 participants).
Free Lunch in Castelo de Vide
Extra drinks - The meals include 1 glass of wine, water or soft drink per person.
If your flight is delayed and you’re not in time for the group pick-up at Lisbon airport, you’ll be charged an additional fee for a personalized pick-up.
Any expenses not mentioned in the program.
Travel /health insurance (mandatory).
Program: June 16 - 21, 2026
Tuesday, June 16
15:00 – Pickup at Lisbon airport – 2-hour travel to our house.
17:00 - Check-in
19:30 - Welcome drinks and light dinner at the house
Wednesday, June 17
9:00 - Continental breakfast
10:00 - Workshop Session 1 - 3 hrs
13:00 - Lunch at the house
15:00 - Workshop Session 2 – 3 hrs
19:30 – Light dinner at the house
Thursday, June 18
08:30 - Continental breakfast
10:30 – Visit to Nisa’s embroidery and Pottery Museum
13:30 – Free Lunch and visit to Castelo de Vide
19:30 – Light dinner at the house
Friday, June 19
09:00 - Continental breakfast
10:00 - Workshop Session 3 - 3 hrs
13:00 - Lunch at the house
15:00 - Workshop Session 4 - 3 hrs
19:30 - Light dinner at the house
Saturday, June 20
9:00 - Continental breakfast
10:00 – Free time to explore the Estremoz flea and antiques market
13:30 - Lunch at the house
15:00 - Workshop Session 5 – 3 hrs
19:30 – Light dinner at the house
Sunday, June 21
09:00 - Continental breakfast
10:30 – Check-out and transfer to Lisbon’s Airport.
Prices and Payment Conditions:
Single Room – 2200 €
Shared Room (2 guests) – 1900 € (each)
We have 2 single rooms and 3 double (single beds) rooms available.
A deposit of 500€ (non-refundable) is required to confirm the reservation, with the remaining balance due by April 30th, 2026.