2025 Writers’ Escape
October 18-25, 2025
5595 USD per person
Olive Tree Writers' Escape
Olive Tree Writers' Escape
In Tuscany’s idyllic Chianti countryside, you will work with longtime educator and published author, John Pitonzo and his literary friends to overcome your writing obstacles, find your voice, and harness the inspiration to create the stories you long to tell, whether short or novel length, poetry or prose, fiction or memoir.
Contemplation and Craft
We invite you to join us and a small group of other writers as we immerse ourselves in the heart of the Chianti wine region, exploring cities and towns of all sizes and the picturesque countryside throughout Tuscany while allowing ourselves the creative time to pursue our dreams, our fantasies, our deepest thoughts, and our most joyful and perhaps most painful experiences as we bring them to life on the page.
Writing is among those arts that require mind, heart, soul and hard work to hone the tools of expression and perfect our beautiful craft. Through various writing prompts and methods, you will have a chance to discover or develop your unique voice and writing style within the intimate setting of a small group as well as those contemplative moments in the silence of the Tuscan countryside.
Charming Accommodations
You will spend seven nights in an idyllic Tuscan setting between Siena and Florence. With commanding views of Chianti and nestled into olive groves, our home for the week is a farmhouse villa and adjacent outbuildings that have been restored into a haven that preserves the beautiful characteristics of the original structure with open beam ceilings, brick arches, and terracotta floors.
Writing, Sightseeing, Food and Wine!
Your days will include meaningful writing sessions with our distinguished faculty, not to mention an unforgettable cooking lesson at Angela’s Table (see below). Following our daily writing program, we will set out to experience Tuscany. A few sightseeing highlights include expert-led VIP private tours of cities and towns such as Florence, Siena, and San Gimignano, and a browse through their most popular markets. Plus, you will be warmly welcomed into some of our friends’ homes for a home-cooked meal while sipping wines made from the vineyards surrounding you. It’s safe to say that you will not go hungry for good food or new friends!
Truffle Hunting
We will fill your senses on a truffle hunt where we will savor the true and unique thrill of finding, smelling and touching one of the most precious and sought-after fruits of the earth. We will traverse the woods, while we are regaled with legends about this territory and the practice of truffle hunting.
Olive Harvesting
Our retreat coincides with the olive harvest, so you will get the unique opportunity to help us harvest olives on our friends’ farm. Afterward, we will enjoy an alfresco lunch in their vineyard. This is what dreams are made of and it will surely inspire you in your writing.
Angela’s Table
At Angela’s Table, we will gather together to prepare dishes that embody the flavors of the Tuscan tradition. “I will not only share some of my favorite recipes, but also explore the inevitable connections between art, literature, and the environment surrounding us. Every Tuscan dish, whether noble or humble, carries the imprint of the past. Figures such as Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Lorenzo de’ Medici and many others have left indelible marks not only in every written word, every street, and every farmhouse, but also in the air we breathe—far beyond the museums we visit today.
These legacies have found their way into a soup, a sauce, or a dessert, recognized and recreated by both the noblewoman and the peasant, in the right season with the right ingredients. It’s an ancient wisdom, a cultural heritage I hold dear and strive to keep alive and share with others.
Together, we will explore how the use of local herbs release aromas that enhance even the simplest dishes, while building depth and character in the most intricate ones. We will see how a humble vegetable can elevate a roast, and how the same fruit can evoke deep emotions when admired in a Renaissance painting. We will cook and taste dishes that embody the strong identity of the region and the season, infusing your palate with the emotions, words, and gazes of writers who have been inspired by an unparalleled past and environment.”
Our Team
John Pitonzo
John Pitonzo, born in Syracuse, New York, has lived in Italy for over 30 years. He taught literature and theater arts at the International School of Florence for most of his career. He has also worked as a freelance sports journalist, and a dialogue coach for a children’s television series, Mia and Me. He is ambassador for Italy, advisor and public speaking coach for the international organization, World Speech Day. In 2023, he collaborated in the EWTN docudrama, The Kingdom Within-The Way Of The Desert Fathers, in the role of Paul of Thebes. John published his first novel, La Taverna Dei Misteri - The Tavern of Mysteries, in 2024. His second novel, Ricercati (Wanted) will be out in the Fall of 2025. John lives with his family in the Chianti and spends his free time taking care of his olive trees, walking his dog Virgil through the vineyards and riding his bike around the Tuscan hills.
Lily Prigioniero
Lily Prigioniero received her degree in English literature from University of Michigan then moved to Florence, Italy, to be certified and worked as an art conservator on historical masterpieces. She also received her MFA in creative writing from the Università degli Studi di Siena where her novel, La Cena del Tacchino, won the international literary prize “Premio Internazionale Anguillara Città d’Arte” in Rome, as well as nominated for the literary prize “Penna d’Autore”. Her poems have appeared in various publications including the Orchard Review, Italian Americana, Grand Little Things, and Judith Duprè’s Full of Grace (RandomHouse). Her paintings have been used for The Ekphrastic Review (“The Poet”) as well as Rattle Literary Magazine (“The Seamstress”) where she was also a judge for both their Ekphrastic Challenge. She received a full scholarship for the Billy Collins poetry workshop “New Voices” at the Key West Literary Seminar and has taught writing for New York University’s Global Studies Program, Brandeis Midyear Study Abroad, as well as art conservation at the Florence University of the Arts. Her poem “Flying South” has been selected for the Polaris Trilogy: poems for the moon, launched January 2025 aboard NASA’s Falcon 9 as part of the Lunar Codex. She lives with her family in the hills of Montespertoli.
Angela Benedetti
Angela Benedetti, a longtime teacher at an International High school in Florence Italy, has always been connected to her Tuscan roots, particularly through her passion for literature, art and food.
Over the years, she has masterfully combined her passions by teaching unique cooking classes inspired by famous books and paintings offering her students a rich interdisciplinary experience.
Moreover, Angela has organized numerous charity dinners, where her menu highlighted the connection of storytelling and cuisine.
Now, she is shifting her focus to teaching cooking classes for adults both foreign and Italian.
The Details
Olive Tree | A Tuscan Escape for Writers
What's Included
Seven (7) nights {double occupancy} accommodation on a Tuscan estate. All bedrooms include a private bathroom.
Transportation, parking, and tolls to/from daily destinations
Seven (7) breakfasts
Breakfast staples will be delivered to your apartment. Examples of breakfast items include eggs, meats and cheeses, yogurts, granola/cereals, fresh fruits, bread, pastries, juice, coffee/espresso, and tea. If you want to get out and explore on your own in the morning, our accommodations are located within a quick walk to a coffee bar and bakery where you can experience authentic Italian morning specialties.
Six (6) lunches
Seven (7) dinners
Expert-guided VIP tours of Florence and Siena
Museum tickets and admission fees on guided tours
All gratuities
Personalized support from Hub & Spoke team members
Detailed itinerary, pre-trip notes & relevant reading material, and travel guidelines
Travel planning advice for pre/post-trip stays
Your Financial Responsibilities
You are responsible for airfare and transportation to and from the initial designated meeting location, passport fees, meals other than those described above, personal items, and any additional lodging nights. Unscheduled (and often spontaneous) optional activities may also be offered at an additional cost, such as bike rentals, stops at specialty shops, and additional wine and liquor purchases.
If so desired, you are responsible for choosing and purchasing a travel insurance policy that best suits your particular coverage needs. Hub & Spoke highly recommends travel insurance.
Itinerary
The order of days listed and specific activities in the itinerary may change for any given retreat, based on the availability of our team members, preferred guides, the weather, and exclusive experiences.
Payment
A deposit of $1000 USD per person is due upon booking. The final balance is due no later than 120 days prior to retreat commencement. Payment methods include Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Installments may be arranged directly with Hub & Spoke.
Registration deposit and final balance are non-refundable. Travel insurance is strongly recommended and should include Trip Cancellation, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Baggage, and Accident and Medical Insurance. There are also insurance options that allow you to "Cancel for any Reason". Travel insurance options can be found at insuremytrip.com.
Pricing Adjustments
Pricing may be adjusted in the future due to inflation and currency fluctuations. Your price is only guaranteed at the time of your deposit.
Cancellation Policy
You will receive a full refund of your deposit if Hub & Spoke must cancel your retreat.
Should you need to cancel up to 120 days prior to your retreat commencement date, your full deposit may be applied to a future retreat commencing within 12 months of your canceled retreat.
If you cancel your tour between 119 and zero days prior to retreat commencement, there will be no credits or refunds by Hub & Spoke, LLC. You will need to follow the conditions set forth in your travel insurance policy.
Responsibility Statement and Liability Disclaimer
Hub & Spoke LLC and its owners and team members do not own or operate any entity which provides, or is to provide, goods or services to any Hub & Spoke tour, including accommodations, vehicles, meals, activities, or other services. Because Hub & Spoke does not exercise any control over the personnel, equipment, or operations of these suppliers, Hub & Spoke is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such third person, or of any other third party.
Hub & Spoke is not responsible for losses, injury, damages, or expenses of any kind due to illness, pandemics, endemics, weather, strikes, hostilities, wars, terrorist acts, acts of nature, local laws, or other such causes.
Hub & Spoke is not responsible for any baggage or personal effects of any individual participating in any Hub & Spoke tour.
If in the unlikely event that Hub & Spoke must cancel a retreat or tour, the entire amount paid by the traveler will be refundable or carried as a credit toward another Hub & Spoke tour within 12 months of the canceled tour. Hub & Spoke will have no additional obligations, including costs or fees related to the issuance and/or cancellation of airline tickets or other travel reservations. This includes delays, cancellations, and any non-refundable expenses.
Individual travelers are responsible for purchasing a travel insurance policy that will cover certain trip cancellations and interruptions, emergency medical evacuation, loss of luggage or personal effects, and other such coverage. Hub & Spoke strongly encourages our guests to purchase travel insurance.