Writers’, Artists’ & Study Retreat in Tuscany

Welcome!

Welcome to the website of Casale di Clio (literally, ‘the farmhouse of Clio’), offering rooms for Writers, Artists, Creative and ‘Cultured Folk’ in the Apennines of Northern Tuscany, Italy – we also welcome Hikers and Lovers of Nature! Casale di Clio is our house in the hills above Bagni di Lucca, on the sunny south-facing side of Lima Valley. The house is named after the Muse Clio – see below – and is set within a small and picturesque hamlet with wonderful views of hill-top villages. We think it’s the perfect place to stay in Italy for those wanting some time for study or reflection; the Casale is cosy, characterful and quirky rather than sleek and modern, as some ‘high-end’ (and much more expensive!) retreats and residencies may be.

We offer short-term occasional accommodation (room rentals) for those wanting to be creative and/or to have time and space to reflect – particularly for those wanting to focus on literary, artistic, musical, historical, cultural or land-based endeavours (for more details on What We Offer look right on your desktop, or click here if viewing on your mobile). ‘Sustainable Land Use’ might appear at first to be a little incongruous, but we have an interest in the land and Permaculture, which is quite useful since in addition to the garden we have parcels of woodland that have been neglected for a little while, and a wonderfully-located parcel of partially-terraced land that we are developing as an ‘orto‘, or growing area – it is worth remembering that land and landscapes have provided inspiration in many creative disciplines!

Come to write, draw, paint, compose your ‘musical offering’, or to study; come with a specific project to work on, or come to play with new ideas and to seek inspiration; come and stay in a cosy and quiet base for a hiking holiday – maybe come with no other aim than to ‘kick-back’ and enjoy some ‘time-out’ in a lovely environment. We hope that your stay here will, paradoxically, be both stimulating and relaxing!

La Musa Clio

Our residence is named after the Muse Clio; she appealed to us because when the Muses were assigned specific literary and artistic spheres she was named Muse of History (and hence story-telling), with the specific role of ‘making famous’ and celebrating success! We hope that our residents will be inspired by Clio – and by the achievements of the various polymaths and creative icons that our accommodation rooms are named after: Leonardo (da Vinci), Dante (Alighieri) and Hildegard (of Bingen)!

Your Hosts

We are husband and wife partnership Adrian (British) and Tiziana (Italian), and we moved from the UK to Italy in late 2022. We have a breadth of experience that includes writing, organising village Art Shows, permaculture, sustainable land use and smallholding. We welcome folk to stay throughout the year – not just in Summer/High Season. Between us we speak English and Italian, and welcome those of all nationalities.

Retreat, Residence or Holiday?

We recognise the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between what might be termed ‘Retreats’, ‘Residences’ or ‘Holidays’, all of which you will find available online for writers, artists and those with areas of study or special interest. At Casale di Clio in offering occasional rooms to rent we embrace this ‘blurring’ of the lines between these experiences, and aim to provide accommodation for people seeking a little of each of these.

What We Offer

We offer comfortable rooms (each with a desk) and what we hope is an environment that will encourage and inspire your literary, artistic, cultural or other endeavours. As well as your comfortable study-bedroom you will have access to the living room, dining room, kitchen, library, garden, and various other spots suitable for work or relaxation – with amazing views that are likely to inspire you to take up pencil, paintbrush, pen, camera – or keyboard (computer or musical!).

We do not provide meals – you will have to cater for yourselves; there may well be the opportunity to share cooking with any others who might be resident at Casale di Clio. If you would like to eat out, Bar Santina at neighbouring San Cassiano di Controne is within reasonable walking or cycling distance (with other local food options available, including local stores – see our Location page for details).

We do not offer any taught courses, though it may be possible to coordinate classes of various types with your stay here – we are not far from Yoga, Massage and Outdoor Adventure opportunities at Canyon Park. Instead, we focus on providing rooms for those who have a project to work on or an area of interest to study and reflect on – as well as for those who just want to relax in an atmosphere conducive to the appreciation of art, literature, history, culture and the land. We welcome and encourage autodidacts (self-directed learners) who might wish to make the most of the interesting resources in our library.

When we have writers, artists or other ‘creatives’ resident here – or those bringing studies/research – we encourage ‘quiet hours’ at the Casale on weekday mornings and afternoons (see Terms and Conditions). Accommodation rooms do not have televisions or radios – nor is there a television set up in the living room (though one is available for watching the occasional DVD in the library). This is not a monastery, however!; we just ask residents to respect one another’s wish to enjoy a relaxing stay here.

There is wifi internet here – although we are currently also installing (ethernet) internet sockets throughout the house.

Group Bookings

We encourage you to consider coming and residing for a week or more with like-minded folk – people who share an interested in a particular literary, artistic, historical or other creative/cultural topics; maybe you are a member of a writing circle, book club, art or photography group – or even a history group. Contact us if you would like to discuss coming as a group with a shared interest – we usually have special offers available.

A Private Bathroom?

We now offer offer the option of securing exclusive use of the guest bathroom for a supplement of 100 Euros per week (on top of the rate for single or double occupancy of Rooms Leonardo or Dante); in such cases we would not let another guest bedroom for the week.

• Writing Retreat
• Art Retreat
• Musical Composition Retreat
• Photography Retreat
• Study Permaculture & Sustainable Land Use
• Write up Dissertation/Thesis
• Sabbatical
• (Small) Team-Building
• ‘Retreat with a Treat’ (concert, spa visits yoga classes)

• Local History Study & Appreciation Holiday
• Creative Contemplation/’Relax & Recharge’ Holiday
• Walking/Nature Retreat Holiday
• Italian Language Self-Study Holiday
• ‘Build-Your-Own’ Retreat
• Research the area when considering a Move to Italy!
• Reading Week
• Tennis Retreat: coaching and matches at local club
• ‘Digital Nomads’ welcome!

Our Location

Casale di Clio is in the small hill village of Vetteglia, on the sunny South-facing side of the Lima Valley – above the historic spa-town of Bagni di Lucca. Vetteglia is on the signposted Cammino di San Bartolomeo footpath that links Pieve di Controni (just a few KM down the Cammino from Vetteglia) with other local villages – and on to Pistoia, a little further afield (worth a visit in its own right); the Cammino passes directly past our front door! From San Cassiano, just a few KM up the Cammino from Vetteglia, further signposted footpaths and trails head up onto Monte Prato Fiorito (Flowery Meadow Mountain!) for great hiking with wonderful views. On a separate page we set out more reasons why we think this is the perfect location for writers’, artists’ and study retreats.

The House & Facilities

We aim to provide a welcoming and relaxing environment, especially for those engaged in creative endeavours – with ‘study and reflection spaces’, inside and outside, including a small library.

At Casale di Clio, in addition to your own study-bedroom (with desk), you will have access to the following:

• living room
• dining room
• kitchen (with allocated fridge/freezer space)
• shared guest bathroom (option to secure exclusive use)
• library/study room
• balcony with a view
• dining terrace
• garden
• the ‘orto’: south-facing growing area with a view!
• woodland and mountain walks

The Casale, with its nooks and crannies – many with spectacular views – has been described as ‘like something out of The Game of Thrones’ – not familiar with the series, we hope that is a good thing! (We think it’s probably due to the ‘tunnels’/covered passageways and internal courtyard.)