With the seaside Château de La Napoule near Cannes, France, as your home base, spend a week immersed in exceptional gardens during a provocative and informative workshop sponsored by The Cultural Landscape Foundation on design and stewardship. The Château de La Napoule is an historic museum and vibrant arts center perched on the Côte d’Azur and set within a majestic compound that was restored more than a century ago by a pair of American artists; it is now the serene setting for residencies, workshops, and exhibitions. It’s also your home base for excursions to such famous destinations as Cannes, Antibes, and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

Course leaders Charles A. Birnbaum, president & CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), and Eric Groft, principal at Oehme, van Sweden, both recognized experts in the field of landscape architecture, will provide an in-depth look at landscape heritage through a combination of richly illustrated lectures, tours of iconic gardens, and opportunities to accomplish first-hand documentation of cultural landscapes in the La Napoule/Cannes region.

The curriculum, patterned after the class first organized nearly 30 years ago by Noele Clews, featuring John Brookes and James van Sweden, includes:

Excursions to nearby gardens, parks, museums, and cultural landscapes, where you will learn how to read and interpret landscapes;

Talks and Lectures on landscape architecture, garden design, planting design, and seeing, reading, and interpreting cultural landscapes;

A Collaborative Design Session for a garden at the Château, which will be a culmination of the immersive experience. 

Registration includes lodging, daily breakfast, and ’round-trip transportation to each of the gardens. The cost to register includes tour leadership.

For pricing, registration, and additional information contact Tonya Quinn: Tonya@clews.org.