PRICE FROM $4,099 per person double occupancy $4,699 single occupancy $700 deposit | CHECK AVAILABILITY |
📅 DATES
May 29-June 5, 2027
🗓 DURATION
8 Days/7 Nights
👤 GROUP SIZE
Max 12
🏅 ACTIVITY LEVEL
Daily walking, stairs, gentle hikes
📍 LOCATION
Begins in: Rome
Ends in: Rome
Join fellow writers for a week of writing workshops, culinary discovery and local excursions in the Umbrian countryside.
For one week, we’ll be based in Allerona, our 11th century hilltop village. Each day includes a workshop on food, travel or nature writing, and time to work on your own projects. When you’re not writing, there’s a guided walk in the woods around the village, an underground tour and wine tasting in Orvieto, an afternoon at a thermal spa in Tuscany and a lakeside lunch at Lake Bolsena.
All excursions are optional, so if the writing is going well and you’d rather stay put at Six Keys, you’re more than welcome to!
On our last afternoon, everyone has the chance to read some of their work to the group at our writing salon, and then we’ll celebrate at a farewell dinner with our Allerona family and friends.
Dana Zartner, retreat leader
Dana is a global explorer, nature lover and advocate, and a certified nature writing instructor. Her work has appeared in Terrain, The Conversation and The Environment, and her travel essays have been published in Travelers’ Tales, BATW Magazine and Confetti Travel Cafe. She also writes the Roaming Wild Substack, about where travel, food, culture and nature meet.
Elizabeth Heath, local host
I own and manage Six Keys Guesthouse, our retreat base, and I run Villaggio Tours with my husband, Paolo, whose family has been in Allerona for generations. I’ve been a travel writer for more than 25 years, with stories in National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, Discover Magazine, The Washington Post and plenty of other places, and I’ve written several editions of the Frommer’s Italy guidebooks.
What’s not included:
Airfare or train fare to or within Italy, travel insurance (strongly recommended), optional tips for drivers, guides and housekeeping, individual spa treatments, food and drinks not included in the itinerary, souvenirs and incidentals
Where you’ll stay:
Our retreat base and communal writing space is Six Keys Guesthouse, a restored village home from the 1400s. Six Keys has six rooms, each with its own bathroom, set up for singles or doubles. Once it’s full, we’ll put guests in comfortable lodging elsewhere in town, and rooms are assigned first-come, first-served.
One thing to know before you book: at Six Keys and elsewhere in the village, rooms are on the second or third floor and there’s no elevator. We can usually arrange help with your luggage, but it’s a good idea to only pack as much as you can manage on your own.
Your driver will meet you at Rome Fiumicino airport (FCO) for minibus transfer to Allerona (about a 2-hour drive).
Accommodations: A private room in Six Keys Guesthouse
Meals: Lunch, dinner
A morning of writing, then an afternoon in “the big city,” 20 minutes from Allerona.
Accommodations: Six Keys Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
A guided nature and history walk in the woods, a nourishing lunch and a nature writing workshop.
Accommodations: Six Keys Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
A food writing session, then a luxurious spa afternoon
Accommodations: Six Keys Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Depending on seasonal conditions, we’ll harvest, forage or visit a local farmer.
Accommodations: Six Keys Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, evening snacks
A pitching workshop, followed by outdoor time and inspiration in the Umbria’s green heart.
Accommodations: Six Keys Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lakeside reflection, an afternoon sharing session and a festive farewell party.
Accommodations: Six Keys Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
We’ll say our farewells and, depending on your onward schedule, we’ll get you transferred to Rome airport or Orvieto train station.
Meals: Breakfast
Download Liz’s free guide:
5 Roadblocks to an “Authentic” Italy Trip
(…plus how to avoid them, from someone who’s lived here for 17 years).