Description:
Find community, clarity, and inspiration with a small group of writers for this touring excursion in LeMarche, Italy. Diving deep into the history and culture of the area, we will enjoy remarkable views, fine dining, and storytelling. Our writing workshops will begin with a focus on dissolving creative blocks via unique prompts that complement the experience of the tour. Whether you write fiction or creative nonfiction, this experience will reinvigorate your creative reserves and help you to refine your craft, write new work, and learn strategies to revise and share your writing. Every day, there will be an optional mindful creativity practice offered, including meditation and gentle yoga before our workshop. Toward the end of the tour, we will share our work and set goals for creating a sustainable creative practice. Sign up today!
Bio:
Jen Knox is an award-winning author and speaker who teaches writing, meditation, and yoga. She is passionate about sharing techniques for linking breath, mind, and movement to help people break blocks and tap into the power of their personal stories. After teaching creative writing for over a decade, Jen began to coach writers 1:1 and offer idea-to-publication services through Unleash Creatives, a holistic arts organization she founded and co-owns.
Jen earned her BA in English at Otterbein University and her MFA from Bennington College. Her short fiction can be found in The Best Small Fictions (edited by Amy Hempel), Chicago Tribune, Chicago Quarterly Review, Room Magazine, and The Saturday Evening Post. Her collections include The Glass City (Prize Americana winner), Resolutions (AUX Media), and After the Gazebo (a Pen/Faulkner nominee). Jen’s chapbook of flash fiction, Dandelion Ghosts, was released in 2021, and she is currently working on a craft book about how to write compelling fiction.
Her debut novel, We Arrive Uninvited, won the Steel Toe Books award and was released in 2023 and her collection of climate-based fiction, The Glass City (winner, Press Americana Award), will soon be rereleased by Press Americana.
Links to learn more about Jen: www.jenknox.com; Insight Timer; Unleash Creatives
$3,650 per person ($800 fully refundable deposit*)
new dates October 6-12, 2024
Book Now to save your spot!
Terms and Conditions, including our refund policy, are located on the Book Your Tour page.
$200 discount for early registration before March 31th
*PLUS BONUS COMPANION PACKAGE for non-writers with Piero as your guide: opportunities to explore surrounding historical villages, horseback ride, golf, visit a Roman archaeological site, visit nearby festivals, visit the Church of the Dead, take a bell tower tour, discover sunflower fields or just drink with the locals! ****Non-writer discount, contact us for more information.
Dates and pricing
Private transfer to and from Bologna, BLQ airport or Bologna Centrale train station (*see time stipulations)
6 night accommodation with breakfast at the charming B&B www.ilparcoducale.it all bedrooms ensuite (NO supplement for single)
Private truffle hunt
6 dinner and 5 lunch
Private trip to Fabriano and paper workshop with master Sandro Tiberi
Private trip to Urbino bookbinding workshop with Carla Luminati
Private trip and tasting at Beltrami
Exclusive week-long class with Jen Knox
Week-long private guide with Certified International Sommelier Piero Pagliardini
Opportunities to meet local artisans
whats included
6-12 october 2024 itinerary
DAY 1
-Arrival (*Bologna BLQ is the recommended airport). In our commitment to making your traveling experience to Le Marche as easy and convenient as possible, your host, Piero Pagliardini, will meet you at the airport (*see time stipulations) and escort you to the Hotel.
-Take time to settle in, unpack and explore before we all meet up. The hotel is within walking distance of shops, markets, restaurants and village life unspoiled by time.
-Jen, and our host and native Marchigiano, Piero Pagliardini, will welcome you over drinks and give an overview of the week to come. Then pizza time! Enjoy the best pizza in town in an authentic Italian pizzeria. End the night with a stroll, a nightcap, and a good night’s sleep.
DAY 2
- Morning mindfulness practice and creativity boosting writing exercise (30 minutes).
- Meet for a drive through the Le Marche countryside for a trip to Cartoceto, a village famous for the best and only DOP olive oil imported from Le Marche. We will visit the inimitable Vittorio Beltrami and his famous Gastronomia. Lydia Bastianich has called Beltrami “The Einstein of Cheese” and not just because he looks like Albert Einstein but because he is a genius cheese maker. His pecorino di fossa - a sheep’s milk cheese wrapped in grape leaves and buried under stone for 90 days is indescribably intense, earthy and like nothing you have ever tasted. From the cheese cellar, we’ll walk over to his shop where the family Beltrami will prepare us an in-depth sampling of cheeses, cured meats, and breads, along with wine pairings and house made sweets. Lunch included!
-Back to Urbania for an afternoon class with Jen, which includes new writing and revision techniques for any prose. Writing prompts offered. Jen will begin to meet with writers 1:1 (1.5 hours).
-Dinner at the square! Meet the locals, live like locals
DAY 3
Breakfast at the hotel then we will go to a Creative paper workshop in Fabriano. We will leave for the city where the art of paper making has been alive for centuries! Fabriano is the most important paper production centre of Europe. We will learn direct from the master Sandro Tiberi!
Light lunch in Fabriano and return to finish our paper workshop. Then, late afternoon travel back to Urbania, relax and free time.
Dinner time at the Doddo’s restaurant!
- Evening open-mic session, during which writers can share their work.
DAY 4
- Optional early-morning yoga class (1 hour total).
- Morning excursion to Urbino, Raphael’s childhood home, where we kick off our adventure! In a loose yet structured manner, we'll wander the main squares and winding medieval pathways. You will be immersed in local color, texture, and flavors (while eating everything in sight) as well as examining architectural motifs, contemporary art, and design, all the while collecting ideas that will inspire your writing.
Ready for a bookbinding workshop at http://www.stamperiadartecavirginio.it/en/
Carla, an artist and printer, will lead us in this unforgettable experience where you will bind the paper made in Fabriano into your own handmade book. Participate in this ancient tradition in an inspirational location for your story in Italy.
- Lunch at our favorite restaurant “Trattoria Il Leone” which the chef and owner is also a great painter! Time to relax.
- Afternoon in Urbino, ekphrastic writing workshop inspired by the art and culture of the area. Jen will meet with a few writers 1:1 after the session. (1.5 hours)
- Back at the “Braveria” restaurant. By this point, you will know why!
DAY 5
- Morning mindfulness practice and creativity boosting writing exercise (30 minutes).
-Full studio day with break for lunch.
Today, we will spend some time writing based on a series of prompts. Then we will dive deep with a focused workshop on the magic of revision. You will look at examples and learn how to revise and shape your writing to create a compelling narrative. Each writer will have the opportunity to submit their revised work to Jen for personalized feedback later in the day.
- Evening open-mic session, during which writers can share their work.
Another delicious dinner at our favorite restaurant!
DAY 6
- Morning mindfulness practice and creativity boosting writing exercise (30 minutes).
- Final workshop on submitting work for publication, writing goals, and how to find creative inspiration in day-to-day life.
- Lunch at local Hosteria then relax.
- Afternoon TRUFFLE HUNT with a professional local guide. Our seasoned truffle hunter, Andrea, along with his dog, Pialla, will lead us on an autumn walk through the forest in search of truffles. Mud boots provided. If hiking isn’t your thing, spend the afternoon shopping, relaxing in a café and exploring local treasures in the village.
- Evening open-mic session, during which writers can share their work.
- Meet that evening for a farewell dinner where we will raise a glass (or two, or three!) to our week in Le Marche. Cin-cin! Cheers! And a warm salute until next year!
DAY 7
- Departures (*Please arrange departures for after 2:00 p.m.).
Time Stipulations
-Pick-ups at BLQ Bologna airport and Bologna Centrale Train Station will be offered between 12:00-3:00 p.m.
-Departures at BLQ Bologna airport and Bologna Centrale Train Station will be offered from 12:00 noon onward. In order to arrive for your flight with ample time, we recommend scheduling departing flights after 4:00 p.m.
- Pick-up and Departures from other locations, or at times outside these parameters can be arranged at an additional fee.