The retreat is composed of three self-catering apartments in the village of Ascea, on the coast of the Cilento National Park in Campania. It is run by Danish-American couple Lars and Else Aagard-Mogensen. The typical guest might be a writer, painter or composer and usually stays for a month or longer. Professor Aagaard-Mogensen says: "Ascea offers us an incredibly inspiring place, nature, culture and quality of life. Here are the conditions which we, years ago, should have liked to have, so now we open the doors for others".


Ascea combines the best that the south of Italy has to offer - great weather, good food, mountains and sea - whilst also being in the heart of one of the most culturally and historically rich areas in the world. Ascea used to be the ancient Greek colony of Elea, founded in the 6th century B.C. and home to pre-Socratic philosophers Parmenides and Zeno. The excavations at Elea are open to visitors year-round, and are surmounted by a Norman/ Angevin watch tower. Paestum and Pompeii are easily accessible by train, as is the closest city, Salerno. The closest airport is Naples.

Those who are interested in staying in one of our apartments should send us a letter or e-mail with a brief description of the work/project they want to carry out during a residency. We would also like to receive a resumé and documentation about past work, publications, etc. (if any). There are no formal requirements; the sole prerequisite is genuine engagement with the arts and humanities.

Price per month per apartment: Euro 540
Price per week per apartment: Euro 140

Contact Prof. Lars Aagaard-Mogensen, Via La Chiazzetta 27, I-84046 Ascea (SA), Italy. Telephone: (+39) 0974.978.005
E-mail: wassard@tiscali.it

For further information please see our blog: http://wassardelea.blogspot.com/