Limited number of participants!

Since the preparation effort for the Culinary Stone Carving experience is significant,

I can only assume a limited number of participants. Click here to apply now

Have you ever asked yourself “How did they do it?” when you looked at stone sculptures in a museum, or maybe while strolling through the old town center of an Italian city?

Have you ever wished YOU could do this?

Well, now you can!

Unleash your inner Michelangelo, and show your family and friends what unimagined creative powers lie dormant inside of you

The Culinary Stone Carving Experience - Stone Carving and Dolce Vita in Italy 2025 - Much more than just a "normal" stone carving course

Have you ever imagined what a great feeling it would be to see your very own sculpture emerging from a rough block of stone, a sculpture formed with your own hands?

Have you ever asked yourself whether you could do it, whether you could reward yourself with this incredible feeling.

(Especially if you have never worked with your hands before and the closest you came to using chisel and hammer was hammering words and numbers on the keyboard of your computer?)

Maybe you doubt whether you will ever be able to create something remotely similar to the works of art professional sculptors created through the centuries.

And yes, it is a challenge.

But it is a challenge you can master, provided you get the support you need.

I will show you, step by step, how to create your own, unique stone sculpture

Tangible down to earth instruction what to do, how to use your tools efficiently, how to work the right way without  getting exhausted quickly.

Don´t get this wrong. Of course stone carving is physical work, and after a day´s work you probably will be tired.

Yet, it won´t be the exhaustion you feel after a long day toiling in front of your computer screen. Instead you will feel an agreeable tiredness.

The kind of tiredness that lets you sleep well, that gives you the sensation of satisfaction, because you will see and feel what you have achieved during the day.

"I still like to think back to our days at Villa La Rogaia"

"I still like to think back to our days at Villa La Rogaia.

It was a beautiful working experience and with your good and persistent guidance, it was not only fun, but also a lot of excellent training: Learning to look closely, to have a long breath and to carve the stone tirelessly, until you have formed the shape you desired .... "

Gabi Zapf, Munich, Germany, about "Stone Carving and Dolce Vita", at Villa La Rogaia, July 2018

Are you ready for this challenge?

• If you are ready for this challenge - and - if you want to treat yourself with a creative time out
• If you want to enjoy Italian lifestyle and indulge in excellent Italian food
• Then reserve now Your spot at the Culinary Stone Carving Experience!

The Culinary Stone Carving Experience takes place at Villa La Rogaia, an outstanding Umbrian country house surrounded by a sculpture garden. It is situated near Lake Trasimeno between Rome and Florence, in the heart land of ancient Etruscan culture.

And here that culture is still alive. You can feel it everywhere.

It will inspire you as it has inspired generations of artists before. That inspiration will help you to create your own, personal, unique work of art.

There are Etruscan tomb sites and museums with prehistoric, Etruscan and Roman artworks in our vicinity. We will visit at least one of these sites.

You will have the invaluable opportunity to discover the antique roots of European sculpture and learn from it first-hand.

And - You will become part of a history formed by artists and their art throughout the ages.

"I was very pleased I selected La Rogaia for my class experience."

"As a nearly 74 year old woman, I was not sure if I was up to learning how to sculpt marble. However, it had been a bucket list item for years.

I was very pleased I selected La Rogaia for my class experience.

The accommodations were very comfortable with few distractions from learning this art form.

Wolfgang is to be commended for his patience and skill with teaching beginners how to learn the basics and more during the short week we had.

Most classes of this type elsewhere are 2 weeks in length.

We did have full days of work in order to complete our projects. All we needed was available on this beautiful property in Umbria.

I reached my goal of learning the tools and techniques thanks to Wolfgang."

Savan Wilson, Fairhope, USA, about "Stone Carving and Dolce Vita", at Villa La Rogaia, July 2018

Of course we will fortify you for the challenge...

To fortify you for the challenge your going to face and to make it really pleasurable for you, you will not only enjoy experienced tuition but delicious Italian food as well.

Everything is taken care of.

• You won´t have to think what to cook, where to go for dinner at the end of the day.

• We will provide everything for you. A hearty and healthy breakfast, excellent original Umbrian food from our cook and dining out in typical Umbrian restaurants where the locals go.

• You can completely focus on your work of art and on having a wonderful pleasant experience in the heart of Italy.

The Culinary Stone Carving experience is an exclusive offer.

Number of participants is limited in order to guarantee individual attention to everyone!

So, if you want to participate don´t hesitate and secure your spot now!

Contact Villa La Rogaia and get detailed information.

Some more interesting details about the Stone Carving Experience

You will create your sculpture preferably from marble or limestone. These materials are a good fit for stone carving. You will find out together with me in our preliminary counseling, which material is best for your individual sculpture.

I will select and prepare your stone for you according to your desired project.

The stone for your sculpture, already included in the fee for your Stone Carving Experience has a weight of approximately 100kg (about 220 pounds). This equals the weight of a marble block of about 50c m x 38 cm x 28 cm. (15.75 x 11,81 x 11,81 inches).

This doesn't mean that the block for your sculpture has to have exactly this measures, nor does it mean that it mustn't exceed by any means the weight of 100 kg.

Rather consider the measures and weight given as an indication for the sculpture you want to create.

By experience I know that using stones of the approximate size described above it is possible to create an impressive sculpture within one week even without prior experience.

Bigger stones/sculptures normally require a considerably higher amount of work.

Another piece of advice: Many people think that it is easier to make a sculpture of a smaller size. This however is a false belief. It is right that you don't have to carve away lots of material but small stones with a low weight tend to slip away at every hit and they are fairly difficult to fixate.

So don't plan to small. You'll be astonished what you can achieve within one week, given that everything is prepared well !

You will create your sculpture in my big studio or in the garden of Villa La Rogaia.

Level: Tutoring is individual. It doesn't matter whether you are beginner or whether you have already experience in stone carving.

Discover unknown talents inside of you. Stone sculpting is less difficult than you might think. And it surely is great fun.

Okay, and what about the “Culinary”?

You will start your day with a healthy and hearty breakfast “al buffet” to fortify you for the “toils” of stonecarving.

At dinner time "Mamma Ornella" or one of Villa La Rogaia´s other cooks will prepare for you a delicious typical Umbrian meal.

Look forward to traditional Umbrian and Tuscan dishes with fresh ingredients from La Rogaia and other organic farms from the region.

And when “Mamma” Ornella has her grand entrance with bowls of home-made pasta, with the typical Umbrian “Torta al testo” (the Umbrian version of the pizza) and with all the other delicious dishes according to old family recipies, the room will be filled not only with the flavour of mouth-watering food but as well with Ornella's Mediterranean temperament and her contagious laughter.

On three evenings I will guide you to some of my favourite typical Umbrian restaurants in the vicinity.

All this means that you have the chance to spend a lot of time with me beyond course hours, to ask questions and get even more suggestions and assistance for your sculpting project.

Remember! Number of participants is limited

A few weeks ago I booked a sculpting course with Wolfgang Sandt for July at Villa La Rogaia...

Pling! Inbox: "Do you already have an idea, a project that you´d like to do, or should we work it out together?
What kind of stone do you want to work with? "

It's November, totally uncomfortable outside and I am in the mood for other things than Italian summer sun.

A few weeks ago I booked a sculpting course with Wolfgang Sandt for July at La Rogaia.
Still an eternity away.

But in the description of the class was also written  something of detailed preliminary discussions and advice. The man keeps his word!

So I answer - still unmotivated that I already have some experience, preferably working in the non-representational – that I want to see what the stone offers to me, what is in it and to work with that
...and of course it should be white marble.  We´re in Italy after all.
A living correspondence arises from it: Wolfgang really takes care, gives thought to everything.

... and at some point comes for me the moment where I say to myself: If I already have such a dedicated "master" why not dare creating something representational?

It's supposed to be a woman's head, long-flowing hair, realistic, but also somewhat mystical ... ... a "wind bride"!

Wolfgang asks for sketches. Advises to perhaps take another marble: Calacatta, more lively, slightly gray banded, sends photos. Great!

He is now looking for stones and at some point - it is spring now and the anticipation has increased considerably – he comes with the message that he has found an interesting stone and sends a photo.

A stone that makes my two design approaches possible: To include the original character of the stone while at the same time forming "my" sculpture ...


I am very pleased - can hardly wait.

Arrival at La Rogaia: After breathtaking views over the lake and the surrounding hills on the way. A really nice place.

One recognizes immediately: Here live art-loving people. Sculptures on the whole area, carefully landscaped plantings, aesthetic interior design … (and just as a side note, even the physical well-being is cared for excellently)


The next morning we meet under the sunscreen of the sculptor's workplace.  The view into the landscape, the surroundings are inspiring. We are only a small group – pleasant.

Wolfgang has put every stone on a working bench made to our specifications (he had also asked our heights because of the correct working height), tells us of his career as a sculptor, and about sculpture...


Then it starts! No, not with the stone! With the tools!
Everyone got their own set in a wooden box marked with their name and, although brand new, the irons*  have to be sharpened.

Wolfgang demonstrates first how to do it, then we do it, under his guidance ...

I have the first learning success, because my former teacher did not teach me that and it will help me in the future.

Then we discuss the individual projects with the whole group. Go from stone to stone ... learn.  

Then I stand in front of my block and it is really going to start! It looks a lot bigger than in the picture!
That is supposed to become a head? A face? I can imagine the waving hair the most.

I transferred my sketch to the stone, profile, en face. ..But - if I work on it, the preliminary drawing is gone again?
"You can fix that with help lines – make them a little longer and where needed draw them again ..."

Wolfgang is always there, explains, demonstrates ... and you can feel: for him it is fun to convey his knowledge!

So he is always present in all those days ... and on some days when we arrive in the morning or return from our lunch break, he has already spent quite a while on the work place, thinking about the individual works and sharing his suggestions with us ...