Deep Focused Writing
A Villa In The Tuscan Hill
February 2027
Immersion and Momentum
We invite you to take a journey into deep winter. To a room in a villa perched high in the Tuscan mountains, where an open fireplace crackles and warms the room with a golden glow… it’s time to write.
As the days quieten and the evenings close around you like the arms of old loved friend. We Invite you to a luxury villa in the middle of aTuscan vineyard to collect your thoughts and find inspiration.
Protected Time and Space
Is it time to step away from the distractions of everyday life to let your writing breathe and give yourself the freedom to truly immerse yourself in your story. This Retreat offers you a week of uniterrupted writing, no distractions, no obligations, nothing demanding your attention, just you, your story and a beautiful view.
Nestled in the Stunning Tuscan Country Side The Retreat offers peace and a gentle rythmn to life encouraging you to slow down and listen to your thoughts and for those moments of contemplation or the need to take a break from your writing, you’ll find country walks and a local village to inspire and explore
The Retreat
1:1 Feedback and Mentoring
Before you arrive at The Villa we’d love you to share your work in progress, you don’t have to so please don’t feel that this is obligatory, but if you are ready to discuss any blocks or problems you’re having with your story a pre read of your work before the retreat better prepares us to help you. This gives us a chance to really understand what it is you’re trying to achieve and tailor our feedback to you. Our hope is that you’ll arrive feeling supported, and leave with a fresh perspective, renewed confidence and a clearer sense of where your story wants to go.
Find Inspiration and Support from a Community of Writers
Evening conversations over dinner and wine or on a walk with fellow writers who understand the challenges and joys of the writing life.
On arrival …
…will be about settling in, we’ll be there to meet you, find you a cup of tea, coffee, a glass of wine and something to eat. Once you have found your room, rested and unpacked then feel free to look around the property and find your bearings. Dinner is at 7pm where you’ll meet the other writers, no formal introductions just dinner and chat.
Your days with us will have a natural daily rhythm focused around quiet time for writing, for discussions as well as downtime.
A typical day on your retreat
Wake up and feel the beauty of being surrounded by 500 hectres of ancient woodland, olive fields and rolling hills. A wintry morning walk will be hard to resist in this landscape and perfect for awakening your senses and readying your thoughts for the day ahead. The Retreat offers many walking trails to enjoy on your own or share with fellow writers.
Mornings begin with a generous breakfast of freshly baked bread and homemade pastries, alongside fresh fruit, granola, coffee and delicious seasonal dishes. Breakfast is prepared and served between 8am and 10 am which you are welcome to take in your room or at the communal table there’s no specific time just when you show up when you’re ready. Not all of us are morning people and need a coffee before we speak to anyone.
Workshops or Booked Time with a Mentor
The Workshops are from 10:00 - 13:00 in the cosy commual area in front of the fire place. We’ll come together with expert facilitators to explore the craft of storytelling and the creative process behind bringing a story to life. We’ll talk about the elements that can help strengthen your writing — from character and voice to structure, setting and the details that make a story memorable.
These sessions are relaxed and conversational, with plenty of opportunity to share ideas and ask questions. The aim is to spark ideas, open up new possibilities and give you something to take with you into your writing time each day.
Most importantly, the mornings are about connection, encouragement and inspiration — creating a supportive space where you can explore your own story and make the most of your time with us.
Booked Time with your Mentor this is your opportunity to get some constructive feedback and advice on your work from someone who has the knowledge and experience to share with you.
Lunch
Lunch is relaxed and convivial — the perfect pause between writing sessions — with fresh salads, homemade focaccia and simple, satisfying dishes to enjoy in front of the fire.
Free Writing Time (After Lunch)
Find yourself a secluded spot, somewhere with a view of the winter landscape or curl up in a corner with your writing, play with some of the techniques we discussed in the morning or simply continue to connect with your story.
One of the greatest gifts of a winter retreat is the silence the time and the space to hear your voice, to strip away what you think you should sound like and discover what you actually do sound like.
Self governed focused writing will help you to develop skills to keep your work moving, through the hard middle of a draft, through doubt, through the days the words won’t come easily and allow the time and space to sit with your characters, to find the emotional truth beneath the plot, and to let your themes emerge organically.
So here is your moment to silence your inner critic and indulge your inspiration with The Tuscan landscape stretching out before you.
Dinner
As evening falls, dinner becomes a chance to gather around the table and enjoy creative interpretations of Italian classics, with the menu changing according to what is fresh and in season. Think beautifully prepared vegetables, homemade pasta, local cheeses, herbs from the garden and delicious little surprises, accompanied by carefully chosen Tuscan wines. It’s food made to be savoured slowly, shared generously and enjoyed in good company.
Deliciously Tuscan
The Food is an important part of the Villa Lena experience, and throughout the retreat you’ll be treated to delicious, seasonal meals inspired by the flavours of Tuscany. Much of the produce comes from the villa’s own organic garden, where vegetables, herbs and fruit are grown using natural, sustainable methods and picked at their best before making their way into the kitchen.
Excursions
Any excursions to nearby cities like Florence, Pisa or Lucca can be arranged for you but not included in The Retreat.
A Gentle Rhythm To Your Day
Your Mentor
To be announced
Our mentor for the Deep Focus retreat will be announced as the programme takes shape. Expect an established author with a deep understanding of craft and the writing life.
If you would like more time with a mentor or would like a reader to read your manuscript this is available at the your cost. If you would like a mentor to read your manuscript before attending the retreat please get in contact so we can have a chat and book this for you. You would like to work with a Mentors, who is a published author will be available throughout your stay for guidance and advice. a private, one hour, one to one session with a mentor is included in the cost of this retreat.
The Location
Nestled in the Tuscan Country Side The Villa for the Retreat (still. in the planning process) offers peace and a gentle rythmn to life encouraging you to slow down and listen to your thoughts and for those moments of contemplation or the need to take a break from your writing, you’ll find country walks and a local village to inspire and explore.
You’ll be staying in a private room with an ensuite and heating for those cool wintery nights in the hills.
Meals
zero-mile menu made with seasonal produce from our organic gardens and local producers. The half-board option includes a four-course set menu in the evening, or you can choose à la carte. The menus offer dishes designed with simplicity and honesty, rich in seasonal vegetables, spices, olive oil, truffles, wine, and honey.
Your meals are prepared by a local chef and those lunches and dinners not taken at the Villa will be at a local restaurant.
Cost and Booking