Join us on a special women-only retreat in Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, Italy.
the Sicilian beachhouse
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6 days and 5 nights full board and home-cooked food in our cosy beach house, 23rd - 28th September 2026
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For female intermediate-level photographers who want to dive deeper into portraiture and self-portraiture
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Full programme of teachings, photo masterclasses & demonstrations
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Build deep connections with other women
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Endless, round the clock flow of shooting to enhance your portfolio
The Villa and the Vision
We are excited to finally reveal the location and details of our second Women's only intermediate Photography Retreat!
Our first all women’s retreat proved to be such an incredibly magical experience and we have decided to run them regularly alongside our mixed "classic".
We are very much looking forward to creating an intimate, expansive and kind space where we will allow ourselves to slow down, get in touch with our inner feminine and dive deeper into what we seek to create as women in a modern world.
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Join us in our private villa on the sea in Mazara del Vallo, on the beautiful southern tip of Italy - Sicily - from 23rd - 28th September.
Our sweet beach house is simple, quaint and surrounded by a beautiful garden leading straight onto a quiet beach inviting to create divine, enchanted, deeply meaningful work.
We also have a huge balcony with a spectacular view of the sea, that is indeed at our doorstep. Also the rooms offer plenty of light, airy space to shoot, socialise and relax in.
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The house is just over an hour by car from Palermo airport.
A small piece of paradise that we can’t wait to share and create some magical connections and photographs with other women!
Included in the cost of your retreat ticket:
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Full board accommodation in our beach house
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All food and drink for the duration of your stay - this includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
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A full programme of planned activities, teaching sessions and shoot demonstrations / one-on-one sessions
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Special gifts from Chantal and Lena
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Discounted film development by Southsun Film Lab
Application Process
This retreat has a special application process.
As we are seeking women that are more on an intermediate level, every participant will apply for this retreat with a portfolio of their work and a motivation letter. We're not only looking for women who are passionate about photography and making photos of others, we're seeking souls who are equally ready and willing to explore being seen and captured by others too. The willingness to be in co-creation with the group is as important as wanting to shoot a lot. If you have been seeking to step out of some of your comfort zones, fall a bit more unapologetically in love with your own self and body, and learn from other women in a safe and open space then this workshop is calling you!
For this retreat we will have fewer participants than usual as Lena and Chantal want to be able to have extra quality time with each woman who is attending, as well as have lots of time for conversations, socialising and relaxation in-between. We are also extending this workshop to six days instead of the usual five to allow for this.
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​To apply for the retreat please send an email to sayhi@closerhearts.co telling us a bit about yourself, your photography journey and why you would like to join us on the retreat. If we feel that we are aligned we'll send you more infos about the requirements and the timeline of the application process.
Cost and how to buy your ticket
The cost of the retreat is CHF1950 per person and includes shared accommodation in the villa and breakfast, lunch and dinner for the duration of your stay. If you are ready to book you will need to make a deposit of 750CHF.
The remaining amount can be paid in full or in installments. Let us know what you prefer. Latest six weeks prior to the retreat your ticket has to be fully paid.
Upon passing the application process we will send you an invoice to pay your ticket through CHF bank transfer. For UK people it's possible to pay in £.
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Please bear in mind that the deposit is non-refundable (full Ts&Cs here).
Dates & Timings
We start our adventure on Wednesday 23rd September. We aim to gather together and start the retreat officially at 2pm. If you arrive earlier you can relax in the villa, take a walk to the beach for a swim or explore the house and get shooting! If you arrive later than 2pm then not to worry as this first afternoon is more about getting to know each other, settling into the house and sharing a bit about ourselves. The official end of the retreat is Monday 28th September when we are all required to check out by 10am.
Food
All food and drink is included with your ticket price. Our wonderful friend and chef will be providing us a hot main meal at lunch and dinner and for breakfast we will provide a help-yourself style buffet of local produce. We will provide mainly vegetarian options to ensure all needs are catered for but there will also be some meat options for those who would like it. We supply a small amount of alcohol for the first night but the rest of the days you are free to bring your own. Usually everyone brings a bottle and we share!
contact us!
any more questions that you didn't find in our FAQ's? don't hesitate to send an email to sayhi@closerhearts.co !
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