Wild Botanicals | Botanical Monoprinting Retreat in Umbria, Italy

A Five-Night Botanical Printmaking Retreat in Umbria

Wild Botanicals is a five-night retreat in the heart of the Umbrian countryside, bringing together botanical art, traditional herbal knowledge and a deeper relationship with the plants and landscapes of Italy.

Led by printmaker Megan Hunter (MA in Art )and medical herbalist Julia Behrens,(BSc (Hons) Phytotherapy | Dip Nutri | MCPP | ITEC) the retreat invites participants to experience the landscape through both creative and herbal eyes. Each morning begins outdoors, walking through the surrounding countryside and getting to know the plants that grow there—their traditional uses, sensory qualities, seasonal rhythms, folklore and place within Umbrian culture.

From a medical herbal perspective, these walks are an opportunity to slow down and develop a more attentive relationship with plants. Rather than simply identifying species, participants are encouraged to notice how plants grow, what habitats they favour, their aromatic qualities, textures and seasonal characteristics, while exploring the ways people have traditionally worked with them.

The creative and herbal elements of the retreat are closely connected. Looking carefully at a plant in the field changes the way it is seen in the studio. Learning about its traditional uses and cultural history adds another layer of meaning to its form. A leaf is no longer simply a shape on paper; it becomes part of a story about place, season, tradition and human relationship with the natural world.