Tuscany, Italy
June 1st – June 8th, 2024
10 Years of Writing Through the Senses
Welcome to the 10th anniversary of our first Tuscany retreat!
““The retreat is a great way to explore your writing process – whether you are experienced, published, or new to exploring your writing voice. The camaraderie and feedback are such an uplifting gift.””
““It is with a heart full of gratitude that I leave Tuscany. I found what I needed here, even if I didn’t know what that was.” ”
““It’s an environment of inclusion and encouragement.” ”
The Castelnuovo Tancredi estate
THE LOCATION
2024 will be our 10th anniversary: We held our first retreat in Tuscany in May of 2014. Not so much a retreat as it was a gathering of some of our favorite people in a beautiful location to do some writing and sharing. We could not have imagined that 10 years later we would still be enjoying the gift of travel, of connection, of friendships, of out of this world talent, and best of all WE’RE STILL WRITING!
In celebration, we have booked a stunning property for our 2024 retreat. Whether it’s our morning yoga or your own personal sunrise meditation, the sprawling Tuscan hills never fail to inspire and stir our creative spirit.
The Castelnuovo Tancredi estate extends for over 600 hectares. It sits proudly on the rolling Sienese hills within the slopes of Montalcino on the border between the Val d'Orcia and the Val d'Arbia.
The Venturini del Greco family has owned the estate since 1897. They have succeeded in the difficult task of keeping the flavor and tradition of the past intact by modernizing all the agricultural activities.
The estate produces organic whole meal flours as well as organic extra virgin olive oil and excellent wines.
The Castelnuovo Tancredi estate, Italy
THE RETREAT
Daily morning yoga, two writing workshops per day, several evening salons, and one-on-one sessions upon request: We will be writing and nurturing our creative selves for eight days and seven nights. Immersing ourselves in all that the Italian countryside has to offer, we make space and opportunity to break away from the routines that form ‘regular’ life, giving you the chance to connect with your senses and transform your writing.
As with all Wide Open Writing retreats, you don’t need to bring a novel plot or an exact idea of what you want to be working on. We will be working with prompts designed to help you find your story. And if you do have a project in mind you want to be working on, our daily writing and feedback sessions will allow you to enrich the components of your writing. In either case, you’ll be moving toward the power and the passion in your writing.
The mild Italian spring days are long and warm and our schedule allows plenty of time for playing, hiking, exploring, finding some shade to hide out with a book, and, of course, writing. Flowers in bloom and cool nights all make for a perfect setting for inspiration and creativity.
ACCOMMODATION
Set atop a hill in the lush green landscape of Tuscany, we will have exclusive use of the estate. The villa and estate have been restored, taking into account their history, with a view to conservation and modernity. You’ll enjoy it all: a swimming pool with a view of the luxurious setting, a yoga shala and an abundance of open green space that guarantees the comfort and inspiration necessary for a meaningful retreat. Each room is classically decorated, while the bathrooms are modern.
DULCIE WITMAN A founder of WOW, and a founding editor of Minerva Rising, Dulcie has had work published in The Pitkin Review, Rawboned and elsewhere. She teaches creative writing in Eindhoven, Netherlands with Watershed at their summer program, Camp Cushy. She completed a novel, Crooked Love, and is currently working on a professional memoir, Confessions of a Therapist. She believes sharing creative space gives power to the connections that fuel the creative process – giving life to something that wasn’t there before.
NANCY COLEMAN Being in Nancy’s yoga class is not unlike listening to her read something she just wrote – feeling alive with the ocean, wind and hardscrabble earth, and, at the same time, what it is to be human, right here, right now. Nancy is a writer of songs, poetry, essays, creative nonfiction, and now with a full-length fiction manuscript, I See My Light Come Shining, in consideration for publication. She’s had work published in The Sun, Minerva Rising, and in the compilation, Maine Voices.
COST
Prices include 7 nights of exclusive use at the recently renovated borgo, all workshop fees, group transportation by private coach to and from the Florence airport, breakfast, lunch, and dinner (including wine), wine tasting, and optional daily yoga.
Single Deluxe Room - $4500
Single Room - $4000
Double Room - $3600
If you would like to register, a non-refundable deposit of $1000 is required to secure your spot. Please sign up soon if this retreat interests you as these spots tend to fill up quickly.
BEDROOMS and BATHROOMS:
The retreat takes place in a villa, which is a gracious home, and the bedrooms and bathroom layout reflect large family living. There are 10 bedrooms, and 6 baths:
Single Deluxe 1 is the only private room with a completely private ensuite bathroom
Single Deluxe 2 is a private room, with an ensuite bathroom which is “Jack and Jill” shared with a double room
Single Rooms 1-4: are all private rooms with shared bathrooms
Double Rooms are all shared bedrooms, shared bathrooms
Please select from the available rooms below as you make your deposit.
All rooms are first deposited, first served:
CANCELLATION POLICY
Deposits and full payments are non-refundable.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Wide Open Writing has established the Quinn Alexandra Scholarship to be given once a year to a recipient who otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience the wonder and “wow” a Wide Open Writing retreat gives to the soul. Apply for a scholarship here.
If you have any questions about whether or not this retreat is for you, please contact us. We would be happy to answer your questions or even put you in touch with a past participant.