Casa Finlandese, or the Grassina Artist House, located near Florence, was opened for Finnish visual artists in 1968. The artist house, which has operated in seven decades, has provided its visitors with a peaceful setting for developing their artistic work and an opportunity to delve into the Italian art world. The Grassina Artist House is owned by the Studio Foundation.
The artist house is located in Tuscany, in the village of Grassina, 12 kilometres from Florence. From the Grassina Central Square, it is about a kilometre to the artist house on the hill. The oldest parts of the building date back to the 16th century and it was renovated in 1988–1989 and 2017–2018.
Grassina Artist House has working and accommodation facilities for four visual artists and their partners or families. The work periods can be 1 to 6 months long and are applied for once a year. The most recent application process for Grassina took place in February 2026, when work periods for 2027 were open for applications.
Read more about applying for Grassina Artist House
The Artists’ Association of Finland purchased the building near Florence in 1966 and renovated it for use by Finnish visual artists. The Ministry of Education supported the purchase and renovation. When the Studio Foundation was established in 1990, the Artists’ Association of Finland first transferred the management of the Grassina Artist House and the coordination of artist studio operations abroad to the Studio Foundation under a rental agreement. In 2006, the Grassina Artist House was transferred from the Artists’ Association of Finland to the Studio Foundation as a donation.
Casa Finlandese
Via L. Lippi 3, 50012 Grassina, Italy
View it on a map
Apartment facilities and shared spaces
Each of the four apartments has a bed or a separate bedroom. The workspaces have an easel and worktables. In addition, the building has a small darkroom, which is available to all the artists.
The apartments vary in size from 28 m² to 57 m² and are named after Italian artists:
- Botticcelli is a separate apartment on the bottom floor of the building, accessed through its own entrance. It is a joint working, living and sleeping space (57 m²) where the bed is on a platform separated from the rest of the space. The apartment has its own bathroom and kitchen.
- Pontormo’s workspace (43 m²) is located downstairs and includes a fume cupboard and a printmaking press. Pontormo tenants’ bedroom (21 m²) is on the upper floor, and is accessed through the shared spaces. The bedroom has a sink. Pontormo tenants use the bathroom located next to the laundry room and share a kitchen with Giotto tenants.
- Giotto is located on the upper floor of the building and consists of a workspace (20 m²) and a bedroom (19 m²). The room includes its own toilet and a shower, in addition to which there is a sink in the workspace. Giotto tenants share a kitchen with Pontormo tenants.
- Donatello is a separate apartment on the bottom floor of the building, accessed through its own entrance. The apartment includes a high-ceiling workspace (28 m²) and a sleeping loft as well as its own kitchen and bathroom. The apartment is not suitable for accommodating small children.
- Raffaello (16 m²) is a bedroom located on the upper floor of the building and is not suitable for working. It is primarily rented as an additional room for Pontormo (the sound insulation between the rooms is insufficient), but at the discretion of the Studio Foundation, it is also available for other short-term accommodation.
The apartments are equipped for two people, and they include basic equipment for living, including the linen. The house also has extra beds, a cot and a highchair which can be borrowed if necessary.
The kitchen, lounge and laundry room are shared by the tenants. The wireless network works in the shared lounge, the courtyard, and the workspaces. The shared space of the building has a landline and a radio.
The Grassina Artist House is also open to visual artists with families. Applicants should therefore note that the garden and the shared spaces of the house are often (especially in the summer) enriched by the life of children with their sounds and actions. If the applicant is partial to silence and freedom from disturbances, this should be taken into account already at the application stage.
An applicant who is very allergic or sensitive to, for example, mould, should also take the moisture conditions of old Italian buildings into account when applying.
Pets cannot be brought to the Grassina Artist House.
Rents and fees in 2027
The basic rent is charged from members of the following associations: Artists’ Association MUU, the Association of Finnish Printmakers, the Finnish Painters’ Union, the Association of Photographic Artists and the Association of Finnish Sculptors. For others, the rent is 25% higher.
The cleaning fee is mandatory, as a contracted cleaner cleans the apartment and washes the linen when the tenant changes. The shared spaces are also cleaned regularly.
Apartment rents
Botticelli: Basic rent EUR 1100/month + Cleaning fee EUR 50/reservation
Pontormo: Basic rent EUR 1030/month + Cleaning fee EUR 50/reservation
Giotto: Basic rent EUR 1030/month + Cleaning fee EUR 50/reservation
Donatello: Basic rent EUR 960/month + Cleaning fee EUR 50/reservation
Rafaello: Rented primarily to families with children staying in Pontormo, secondarily to guests staying in Pontormo as an additional room. Can only be rented separately or to tenants of the other apartments as an additional room with the prior consent of the persons staying in Pontormo at the same time.
- Rent as an additional room for a family with children staying in Pontormo: EUR 400/month, EUR 100/week. (increased by 25% if the tenant is not a member of the associations)
- Rent as an additional room for adult guests for Pontormo: EUR 500/month, EUR 125/week (increased by 25% if the Pontormo tenant is not a member of the associations)
- Rent as an additional room for guests of other apartments: EUR 500/month, EUR 125/week (increased by 25% if the Giotto/Donatello/Botticelli tenant is not a member of the associations)
- Rent when rented separately (no other apartment rented): EUR 550/month, EUR 150/week (increased by 25% if the tenant is not a member of the associations)
Charges for additional persons
Additional adult:
- EUR 280/month per person or EUR 70/week per person
- Minimum charge for an additional adult EUR 70 – applies to all the apartments
- If the tenant is not a member of the associations, the additional person charge is increased by 25%
Additional person under 18 years of age:
- EUR 60/month per person or EUR 20/week per person
- Minimum charge for an additional person under 18 years of age EUR 20 – applies to all the apartments excluding Rafaello
- If the tenant is not a member of the associations, the additional person charge is increased by 25%
For Rafaello: If two adults are staying in Pontormo, a regular additional person charge will be charged. An additional person charge is not charged for children of the Pontormo tenant when accommodated in Rafaello
Rental and cancellation terms
After accepting the rental period offered and signing the lease, the lessee undertakes to pay the rent in accordance with the lease and notify the Studio Foundation of any changes concerning the rental period or additional persons. Changes and cancellations must be emailed to .
The rent is charged in two parts: 1) EUR 100 as a reservation fee after the contract is signed, and 2) the remainder of the rent, cleaning fee and any additional personnel fees so that the due date of the invoice is the 5th day of the month preceding the rental period. Any subsequent additional persons are invoiced separately. The reservation is considered confirmed after the tenant signs the lease agreement and pays the reservation fee.
The tenant must give notice of a cancellation at least three months before the beginning of the rental period. Otherwise, the cancellation fee will be invoiced as follows: 20% of the basic rent if the start of the rental period is less than 3 months away, 30% of the basic rent if the start of the rental period is less than 2 months away, and 50% of the basic rent if the start of the rental period is less than 1 month away. A paid booking fee is not refunded in the case of a cancellation.