| Esperimento sul respiro |

| Breath Experiment |

Esperimento Sul Respiro

A small residency in Italy that centers the rest of creatives, healers, educators, and activists of the Global Majority

To nourish the spark within you, you must be restored. You must rest. In this residency, you creatives, healers, educators, and artists of the Global Majority who summon and channel so much energy in your work and care for others are invited to engage with nourishment and care.

This is a self-catering residency with two sites. Residents who identify as peoples of the Global Majority or Black, Indigenous, People of Color can stay for up to 2 weeks or split the time between the two spaces, for only 75 Euro per day. We accept no more than 10 fee-paying residents per site per year. Rates are significantly less than market rates for both areas.

Housing Fellowships: There are two full fellowships per year, which offer the site of one’s choice (Como or Lucca) for up to two weeks at no cost other than a modest nonrefundable deposit. These fellowships are chosen by a rotating committee of previous residents and other creatives, healers, educators, and activists.

We accept no more than 12 (inclusive of fee-paying and fellowship) residency recipients per year. Apply here.

Applications are due by April 15 and Decisions are made by May 15 each year.

Residencies are offered from August 1 to July 31 each year.

The residency is family-friendly.

Founded by Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Matteo Monchiero in 2023.

Banner Photo by Julia Solonina on Unsplash
Location photos by Raina J. León

  • Como, Italy

    A self-catering residency space, Esperimento Sul Respiro - Como (you can see the Airbnb listing here) is a one-bedroom apartment, perfectly situated for the individual artist or artist with companion to create. It is just a 15 minute walk away from Lake Como. It is located on a main city street, a 5 minute walk from the local grocery store, a 10 minute walk from a local train station, and about 20 minute walk from the main train station, all making the space very convenient. Just a few steps away, there is even a local arts supply store, perfect for the visual artist needing to restock. The apartment building has an elevator and there is also air conditioning. Again, more information is available in the Airbnb listing.

  • Lucca, Italy

    A self-catering residency space in Tuscany, the apartment (You can see the Airbnb listing here) is best suited for two to three artists traveling together or an artist traveling with companion and/or children as it has two available bedrooms (one queen bed and two twin beds) and two bathrooms. The apartment has air conditioning. It is a third-floor walk-up so this space is best for those for whom stairs are not a challenge. It is located in the pedestrian zone of Lucca, with the grocery store sharing the same block as the apartment. It is about a 15 minute walk from the train station, though taxis can enter the pedestrian zone and generally charge about 10 Euro. It is located in the center of the old city, nearby Lucca’s famous walls, so perfect to walk. Arts stores, cafes, restaurants, shops are literally steps away and this part of the city centre is quiet during the day and evening. Again, to see more pictures, check our Airbnb listing. A portion of the Airbnb income is devoted to support the two housing fellowships per year.