Writer's Digest Writing Retreat: Florence & Tuscany 2025

DETAILS

Day 1, Saturday, May 3 Arrival 

Tour members arrange their own transportation to Florence and to the Hotel Pitti Palace in the historic center of Florence, where a reservation has been made for them.

We will gather for a welcome dinner this evening at the Hotel Pitti Palace (included in tour price). 

Day 2, Sunday, May 4: Morning: Guided City Walk; Afternoon: Palazzo Pitti; Boboli Garden 

Begin by enjoying a complimentary breakfast at the hotel. We’ll start our tour by taking a guided walk through historic central Florence to help get your bearings from the start. We’ll cross the historic Ponte Vecchio then through the Piazza degli Uffizi to the Piazza della Signoria where we’ll see incredible statues and fountains. Then we’ll head past the Bargello to the awe-inspiring Duomo. After a slight detour to see the San Lorenzo cathedral, we’ll head back toward the river, crossing the Ponte Santa Trinita with the four seasonal statues at each corner.

After lunch on your own, we’ll visit the imposing Palazzo Pitti, specifically the Palatine gallery, whose rooms contain floor to ceiling artwork—literally—many of which portray key figures and events from mythology. Then we’ll head to the Boboli Gardens behind the Palazzo Pitti for a tour of the grounds that will delight your senses with both historic and contemporary statues, ponds, fountains, citrus groves and rose gardens. Spend additional time writing in the gardens if you’d like.

At the end of the day, enjoy dinner on your own, and if you’re not too tired of walking, head up the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sunset over the cityscape.

Day 3, Monday, May 5: Morning: Palazzo Vecchio; Afternoon: Santa Croce; Casa Guidi

After a complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we’ve got another full day of sightseeing. We’ll cross the Ponte Vecchio to the Piazza della Signoria. After pausing to take note of significant spots in the square, we’ll tour the Palazzo Vecchio where we’ll see more stunning floor to ceiling paintings inspired by mythology and catch a glimpse of Dante Alighieri’s death mask.

Enjoy lunch on your own, then we’ll head to Santa Croce Opera. Before entering the cathedral, we’ll stop at the imposing statue of Dante Alighieri. Once inside, we’ll see the memorials to Galileo, Dante, Machiavelli, and more. We’ll tour the garden cloisters and learn of the continuing impacts of the November 1966 flood.

Finally, we’ll cross the Ponte alle Grazie back to the Oltrarno where we’ll visit Casa Guidi, the Florence residence of the poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. Tour their rooms and look out the windows to see what inspired some of their most important works.

At the end of the day, enjoy free time to wander the city and have dinner on your own. Listen to the street musicians or sip a glass of Chianti while jotting down notes about the day.

Day 4, Tuesday, May 6: Morning: Florence National Central Library; Afternoon: Uffizi Gallery; Vasari Corridor 

After a complimentary breakfast in the hotel, we’ll begin our day by visiting the National Central Library of Florence—the largest library in Italy and one of the most important libraries in Europe.  

Enjoy a little time to wander and have lunch on your own, but save your energy because the afternoon will be full!  

We’ll beat the morning crowds for a timed afternoon entrance to the Uffizi Galleries (which stays open late on Tuesdays!). Here, we’ll be guided through two floors of true Florentine treasures, some of which aren’t allowed to leave Italy: masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Filippo Lippi, Caravaggio, and more. We’ll see how these artists took inspiration from Greek and Roman myths to create their masterpieces and see works by artists who in turn inspired writers like Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  

After touring the galleries, we’ll venture into the newly renovated Vasari Corridor (scheduled to reopen in 2024). The tour begins behind an innocuous door in the Uffizi and winds its way above the street, across the Ponte Vecchio, and ends in a tucked away corner of the Boboli Gardens. Pause at the windows in the center of the Ponte Vecchio to look out at the Arno River and surrounding cityscape. 

Enjoy your final evening in Florence with dinner on your own. Stroll by the Arno or head to the Piazza della Repubblica to watch the carousel sparkle in the night.

Day 5, Wednesday, May 7: Free time in Florence; travel to Hotel Casolare Le Terre Rosse in San Gimignano

Enjoy a complimentary breakfast at the hotel, followed by a morning of free time in Florence. The editors of WD will provide a list of additional literary shops and sights you might enjoy. Since our hotel is right in the Centro Historico, there are plenty of options!

After lunch on your own, we’ll leave Florence and head to our writing retreat destination at the Hotel Casolare Le Terre Rosse outside the medieval Tuscan hill town of San Gimignano. After settling in, we’ll enjoy dinner together at the hotel restaurant (included in tour price).

Day 6, Thursday, May 8: Writing Day at Hotel Casolare Le Terre Rosse

After a complimentary breakfast, you’ll make use of the inspiration from the previous four days of sightseeing with a full day of writing at our retreat center. Your WD team will be writing right along with you! While you’ll enjoy lunch on your own, we’ll gather for another dinner together in the hotel restaurant (included in tour price).

Day 7, Friday, May 9: Writing Day at Hotel Casolare Le Terre Rosse

Our final full day together. After a complimentary breakfast, spend another day dedicated to your writing. Explore the grounds, refer to your notes from Florence, or consider taking the hotel’s free shuttle to San Gimignano for more inspiration (plus, a refreshing glass of Vernaccia di San Gimignano or some of the world’s best gelato!)—whatever is most fulfilling to you. Again, your WD team will be writing there with you. Lunch will be on your own, but we’ll gather for our final group dinner together in the hotel restaurant (included in tour price).

Day 8, Saturday, May 10: Departure

As our retreat comes to a close, we hope you continue to find writing inspiration from our time together. Tour members can choose to return home or continue traveling on their own.

4-star and 3-star+ relaxation and comfortable coach travel. 

Hotel Accommodations: 

After full days touring Florence and writing, we will retire to the comfort of 4-star and 3-star+ hotels. 

May 3–6: Hotel Pitti Palace 

May 7–10: Hotel Casolare Le Terre Rosse 

Coach Travel: 

Daily transportation will be provided by a modern, comfortable coach operated by an experienced driver.