Three Weeks in Tuscany: Inside the Nostos Retreat
Somewhere between the rooftops of Arezzo and a glass of chilled wine at the Lumpy Lemon, I remembered why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place.
In June 2024, I spent three weeks at the Nostos Screenwriting Retreat in Italy — and it wasn’t just a holiday. It was a full creative reset: serious writing in the mornings, story workshops in the afternoons, and just enough wine, food, and fiercely competitive card games to balance it all out.
Writing Mornings Are Sacred
Every morning at Nostos, we wrote. No procrastinating, no distractions (except maybe the occasional temptation to admire the Tuscan skyline). Showing up every day reshaped my relationship with my work.
Workshops Are Where the Real Magic Happens
Afternoons were for workshopping — eight writers and incredible mentors gathered around a table, pulling stories apart gently, fiercely, always supportively. Good workshops aren't about proving you're clever — they're about becoming brave enough to fix what isn’t working.
Life Between Pages Matters
Evenings and weekends were for sightseeing, meals, and swapping ideas. Stories need oxygen. The long conversations, laughter, and fierce Scopa battles filled the creative well.
Mentorship Done Right
The mentors at Nostos weren’t gurus issuing proclamations. They were guides — listening, challenging, believing — helping us trust our instincts without losing our voices.
Final Thought
Leaving Tuscany wasn't easy. It wasn't the scenery or the food — it was the rare space where storytelling wasn’t a lonely battle but a shared passion. Writing isn’t something you do when everything feels perfect. It’s something you do — stubbornly, joyfully — even when the ground is a little uneven beneath your feet. And if you can do it with a cold drink, a deck of Scopa cards, and a few friends who understand what it means to care too much about fictional people? Even better.
Inspirational Tuscan Countryside - the view from our villa
Afternoon Workshop
A final farewell photo with the group after three amazing weeks
If this doesn't say Italy I don't know what does
Downtime at a local vineyard with food trucks and jazz