Workshops In Tuscany - The Illuminated Page

The Illuminated Page A writing (and reading) retreat in the Tuscan hills Replenish your spirit, cultivate the life of the mind (and the senses), and travel far in your writing. Experience the world and yourself afresh in a week-long writing retreat at Il Rifugio, a 17th century villa in the Tuscan hills. In daily seminars and workshops we will study the craft of writing, and read widely from Italian travel, fiction, and food writers to get our eyes, ears, palate, and minds, not to mention our hands and feet attuned to the surroundings. We’ll mix in some optional art- and ruin-viewing, including a visit to an archive of medieval manuscripts in Siena and explorations of local hill towns, as well as restaurant hopping, open air market browsing, and wine tasting. Most of all, we will cultivate the life of writers abroad, homing in on the art and pleasure of putting words on the page. Your stay in Tuscany will be a rich, multilayered experience. The retreat includes daily seminars, workshops, and individual consultations. The rest of the time is yours for solitude, writing, sketching, day trips (daily options), walking, reading, or musing among the olive trees. Evenings we will gather around the dining room or kitchen table at Il Rifugio or at one of the many superb restaurants in the area. Il Rifugio (www.sojourn-in-italy.com) sits on 23 private hectares (56 acres) of olive and chestnut groves, fields, woodland, and gardens. While secluded and quiet, Il Rifugio is only ten minutes from the cafes, art galleries, and beautiful winding streets of Cortona, an hour from Arezzo, Montepulciano, Pienza, Assisi or Siena, about an hour-and-a-half to Firenze, Orvieto or Todi and, two hours by train to Rome. Il Rifugio is beautifully (and most comfortably) furnished with an artistic eye for the antique and contemporary. It offers places to linger including generous hearths, luxurious reading chairs and divans, a library, and patios with gorgeous views of the cultivated valley below and the hills beyond. Not to mention the beautiful woodland trail above Il Rifugio that ends with a spectacular view of Lake Trasimeno in Umbria. The Illuminated Page: Workshops and discussions with award-winning writer devoted to helping you nurture your talents and predilections or literary turn of mind. Extensive reading list and Xeroxes of all excerpts provided A thoughtful sampling of the pleasures of Tuscany Seven nights in an exquisite (updated and restored) 17th-century villa, with plenty of opportunities for solitude and sociability (The villa has 5 single or double-occupancy rooms, 4 bathrooms, gourmet kitchen, 3 fireplaces, several common rooms, and a library.) Optional day trips to Cortona and other outings including visits to local museums, hill towns, Etruscan ruins, and art galleries. From cappuccino to vino, from your arrival to your departure, all meals and ground transportation are included Cost and Conditions Back to Workshops page For more information please Email us or call: U.S.A. 805 682 2386 or Italy (011 39) 339 199 3070

Instructor Kathryn Liebowitz, MFA Find the time and focus on your writing you’ve always longed for in a setting and ambience that will measure up to your dreams. Week-long retreats offered in February, and April 2008 open to 8 writers (non-writing partners welcome at a discount) To learn more about The Illuminated Page, a writing (and reading) retreat in Italy, call Kathryn Liebowitz at 978-772-0421, or email: snakehill@net1plus.com	Week-long themes: The focus of the week will be on your writing, I suggest writers choose a single theme or thread to follow daily. Remember any subject can lead anywhere, from the present into the past and vice versa, or into a timeless reverie, narrative, profile, or essay. Or, follow your whim, and strike out on your own path. Nothing is mandatory and prompts are merely suggestions for focus. Possibilities of subjects to focus on include: Food – from growing to preparation to enjoying…whatever inspires Place – places are rich in history and culture, a sense of time, season, and spirit, natural or man-made beauty (or ugliness). Take in the atmosphere and occurrences in a particular place daily. Notice how your observation of details deepens. Experiences at a chosen time of day revisited, say 5 pm in various places in your meanderings. Fictional narrative(s) set against the backdrop of Italy Overheard dialogue and sharply observed characters drawn from life A particular work of art, shrine, building, or artist Architectural details – stairways, doors, windows, door knobs, walls – rendered in words (perhaps augmented by sketches or photographs) An ongoing letter to a friend (real or imagined) or journal entries. Text and images – writing that illuminates your photographs or sketches (or in some way interrelates) In the end, writers will have five or more “takes” or verbal snapshots of several pages each on a given subject or theme to draw from upon returning home. The aim is to cultivate the habit of writing fresh, developing idiosyncrasies and obsessions unique to your voice and sensibilities, probing a subject, and looking at (and listening to, tasting, etc.) things from different angles and in different lights.

Itinerary	Intellectual Itinerary with a focus on the art, history, culture, and the cuisine of Tuscany. Opportunities to write will abound. Our days will include optional jaunts to Cortona, visits to museums and ruins, trips to outdoor markets and neighboring hill towns, as well as time to write, read, walk, and partake of the pleasures of daily life in Italy. Every day begins with breakfast Italian- (or American-) style with coffee and tea, juice, fresh baked pastries and bread, eggs, hot and cold cereals, yogurt, fruit, etc. Coffee and tea, fruit, and other snacks will be available all day; lunch and dinner will include meals at Il Rifugio and at various local restaurants; wine, too, will flow, after a civilized hour…. Most of our writing workshops and discussions will take place after lunch, while Italy takes a siesta. Please note the itinerary is subject to change.

Arrival Day	We welcome you to Il Rifugio! If at all possible, we will meet you at your arrival destination (Firenze, Milano, Piza, or Rome) and accompany you by train to Il Rifugio. At Il Rifugio, a light but rejuvenating meal will be offered to hungry travelers. Then, unpack, get acclimatized, tour the house and grounds, enjoy vino and hors d'oeuvres by the fire followed by a marvelous Tuscan dinner, introductions, and more. As we set forth on this retreat, we will discuss details of life and travel in Italy, warm up with a few writing prompts, and finally adjourn to bed…

Day One	Travel Writing – Weaving history, sense of place, time, and season We will look at ways writers catch the essence of place, time and season, use history to illuminate the present through anecdotes, and weave research into their writing. Short excerpts from contemporary travel writers and the following classics of the genre: Sea to Sardinia – DH Lawrence., A Traveler in Rome –H.V. Morton, Stones of Florence, by Mary McCarthy. Finally, just for fun, we’ll take a brief look at the lives and work of English writers in Italy– Shelley, Byron, and Keats. A visit to neighboring hill towns will be in the offing. In the evening we will discuss individual projects, themes, and inclinations, and enjoy dinner at one of the area’s best restaurants.

Day two	Italian Fiction We will look at excerpts from Gioia Timpanelli (Sometimes the Soul: Two Novellas of Sicily), Italo Calvino (Italian Fairytales), Natalia Ginzburg (The Family), and Lampedusa (The Leopard) in light of various themes we can relate to Italy including a sense of the past, the rhythm of language, the power of evocation and detail in writing. Workshop and individual consultations. Fireside dinner. A leisurely visit to Etruscan ruins around Cortona and Castiglion Fiorentino, followed by Tuscan dinner at Il Rifugio.

Day Three	Oh Taste and See – Food Writing Good writing depends on evocation of the senses, which may in turn stir memories and other revelations. Recollect an unusual meal and a rush of associations, impressions, and images often follow. We will read excerpts from eloquent cookbooks and food memoirs that tell a tale of food and life intertwined. Meals eaten in Tuscany could be a marvelous thread to follow in your writing. Workshop and individual conferences; followed by wine-tasting in an art gallery and dinner in Cortona.

Day Four	All yours Travel as far and wide as you please – daytrips to Roma, Assissi, Orvieto, Arezzo, Perugia, and Firenze, and others are quite doable by train or bus. Or stay closer to home to write or explore. There’s always the magic carpet of your own words to carry you away, as well as museums, shrines, cafes, and so on just down the road in Cortona. All local transportation to Cortona and nearby train or bus stations will be provided. Individual consultations offered throughout the day.

Day Five	The Illuminated Page Today, we reverse the order of things to begin with a breakfast writing workshop (with a focus on our own words) followed by a visit to the Manuscript Archive in Siena. After lunch there will be time to explore this gem of a city. The day ends with a medieval dinner at Il Rifugio and an evening slide talk on the art of the illuminated manuscript offered by a local artist.

Day Six	Last Words Time for last-minute shopping, errands, and sightseeing. Lunch in Cortona. Writing consultations offered throughout the day. In the afternoon, we will share work-in-progress and plans for future writing, followed by a splendid banquet at Il Rifugio, as well as readings and conversation that bring this week-long retreat to a close.

Departure Day	Breakfast and departure at 10:00 AM - We bid you a reluctant "arrivederci". Transfer from IL Rifugio to Cortona or the train station will be provided. Arrangements to spend an extra night can be made for individuals whose flights depart on Sunday.

Workshop Dates	Contact us for 2008 Workshop dates

Cost & Conditions	The cost of the week-long program is $2400 $200 participant discount for double-occupancy. $1750 non participant sharing a room. Enrollment is $1,000 with the remainder due 90 days prior to the event. Includes all meals, accommodations, local transportation, and classes. Airfare is not included. There is no refund for workshop hours missed by students. Cancellation and change policy: If you cancel 90 days or more prior to the arrival date there is an administration charge of $250. For cancellation less than 90 days prior to arrival date there is no refund. You can change your workshop date and notify us of this change 90 days or more prior to the arrival date without any charge assuming we have availability. We reserve the right to alter the program. We reserve the right to cancel a workshop up to 90 days prior to the arrival date for under enrollment (minimum four students) or circumstances beyond our control in which case a full refund will be made. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance in case of illnesses or any other unanticipated circumstances etc.