In this seven-day writer’s retreat in Umbria, the heart of Italy, we will draw from two great tributaries of Italian culture, the sensuous and the sacred. From La Dolce Vita to the mysticism of Saint Francis, we will explore how Italy’s cultural, literary, and spiritual traditions inform our writing. Inspired by these traditions and by courses we have developed together at Stanford University, the retreat will offer participants a chance to experiment, learn from one another, and receive one-on-one feedback on current work. 

The sensuous and the sacred, we will find, support both the writer and their writing. The sensuous brings us into a more wholly realized experience of the world, as writers from Eugenio Montale and Elsa Morante to Mary Oliver and Rumi have shown. Anchoring through the senses helps the writer discover deep currents of emotion and grounds them in the concrete, the vivid, and the particular. The writer engaged through the senses writes more intuitively, with more fire, and with less self-conscious control.

A sense of the sacred, as well—approached through contemplative practices like meditation—has subtle but profound effects on our writing and creative work. Western contemplative practices, taught by Umbrian Saints Benedict, Francis and others, help the writer deepen a host of capacities, from sustained focus and sharper perception to deeper empathy and a more authentic voice.

Each day on the retreat, we will meet in the mornings from 9:00 to 12:00 for discussion and creative exercises. We may make an excursion or two together, but the afternoons and evenings will otherwise be open for personal writing and exploring Umbria. Each participant will also meet privately with the instructors to receive feedback on writing samples submitted prior to the retreat.

The retreat will be held at the Tenuta di Murlo, an 18,000 acre estate which has been in the same Italian family for 300 years. In the center of Umbria, close to Perugia and Assisi, the estate is a two-hour drive from Rome or Florence. Participants will stay at the largest of the estate’s nine villas, the Castiglione Ugolino, a small 13th century castle with its own chapel and belltower.  Details, images and a brochure for the castle are available at this link.

If you would like more information, or to apply, please contact us here.