Following the success of our 2025-26 Festive Opening we have decided to open once again for three ‘Festive Getaway‘ weeks in 2026:
- Approach to Christmas: Saturday 12th to Saturday 19th December 2026
- Christmas Week: Saturday 19th to Saturday 26th December 2026
- New Year Week: Saturday 26th December to Saturday 2nd January 2027
We prefer 7-night bookings (Saturday to Saturday), but may have some flexibility – especially if you wanted to come and stay for more than 7 nights! Contact us to check availability.
Christmas is just too Hectic – Slow Down Instead!
Would you like to look forward to something other than the usual over-commercialised Festive period? Do you think that Christmas has too much rushing around, too many onerous social commitments, and that dreadful FOMO (Fear of Missing Out – whether on parties or presents – or just the ‘good time’ that family and friends pressure us to have!)?! Then consider a relaxing Slow Christmas and/or New Year Getaway – where the mantra is ‘no pressure-no stress’.
Come and stay at Casale di Clio Writers’ Artists’ & Study Retreat for a week or more and shift into ‘the slow lane’. Italy is the country that brought the world ‘Slow Food‘, and arguably a broader approach to ‘Slow-Everything’. In Vetteglia, we soon learnt that here things are done ‘piano, piano’: slowly, steadily, with no rush and an understanding that appointments are flexible and no-one is clock-watching!
The Festive Period in the Tuscan Apennines is Special!
A previous Christmas Market event in Bagni di Lucca’s main piazza
The usual Casale di Clio facilities will be available over the Christmas and New Year Period, with quiet study/reflection hours encouraged on weekday mornings and afternoons, to accommodate those bringing projects to work on (negotiable on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve!) – but there will undoubtedly by a Festive Twist/Ambiance: the house will be decorated for Christmas, and outside of ‘quiet hours’ you might hear seasonal music and Christmas Carols in the dining room – and there will even be a 1000-piece festive jigsaw puzzle to spend time with (other non-festive jigsaw puzzles are available!).
Socialise in the Slow Lane
No ‘Big Do’ parties are planned at Casale di Clio during this time, but, as usual, we (guests and hosts) might share some aperitivi and stuzzichini to encourage the ‘festive spirit’. If we host any small social events at Casale di Clio during this period (outside of quiet hours of course) then as residents you will have an automatic invitation to join! The usual catering setup applies: beyond the welcome drink and dinner on your day of arrival, we do not usually provide meals for residents as a service, and residents will cater for themselves, with the freedom to prepare and enjoy meals jointly with others (including your hosts) – though there may be an option to have some meals provided for you, especially on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. The constellation of residents staying at Casale di Clio (and their wishes/culinary preferences) will determine the nature of any collective traditional festive-period meals during this period.
Expect the unexpected!: on New Year’s Eve afternoon 2025 we were all invited to walk the short distance to the neighbouring village for traditional Dutch ‘Doughnuts’ and aperitivi!
A Beautiful Area to Enjoy the Festive Period
Depending on your interests and gumption-level you might want to take time to visit local villages and/or our local town Bagni di Lucca to savour the festive atmosphere of small-scale traditional Italy (although we cannot guarantee snow at Christmas or New Year as in the photograph at the bottom of this page!). Local villages can be visited through a combination of walking and using the (limited) local bus service. Montefegatesi – the village ‘up the hill’ with a picturesque location and a statue of Dante – is known for its many presepi (nativity scenes) and makes an interesting festive trip.
You might want to venture to Lucca, our nearest (very beautiful) city to experience the wonderful ambiance there – you might even want to venture to Florence or Pisa for a larger-scale festive atmosphere and to see some of their big-hitting attractions – if you do wish to explore the area beyond Bagni di Lucca, though, we recommend arranging car-hire, since we do not provide a guest tour service (see our Getting Around information) – or better still, if you want to really enjoy Lucca, or other places outside walking/local bus range, and do not want to rely on car-hire or taxis, then we recommend stopping there before or after a stay here.
Of course, maybe you will just want to ‘hunker down’ here and relax – taking the occasional local walk/hike.
Fit in a Stay Here Before or After a Big City Culture or Skiing Trip!
If Florence, Pisa, or any other place in Italy – or the continent for that matter! – appeals as a place to enjoy a Big Culture City Christmas/New Year, then why not consider coming to stay here either for the ‘calm before the storm’ – or to recover and ease yourself into the New Year? Similarly, why not consider some skiing (downhill or cross-country) or snow-shoeing up at nearby Abetone before or after a residence here – we are not suitable as a base for a skiing holiday (Abetone is a 55 minute drive from Casale di Clio), but if you are adventurous and have your own transport you might want to take a trip up to Abetone for a break from your creative endeavours while staying here.
We cannot guarantee snow! – but if it comes … Photo: Villa Fiori at Bagni di Lucca in the snow (credit)
Rooms and Prices
For details of the rooms see our main Rooms and Rates page. The rates for Christmas Week and New Year Week are a little higher than for the rest of the year: €795 per week. Approach to Christmas Week (12th to 19th December) is at our usual rate, €695/week. Any stays that cross between these two rates will be costed at appropriate pro-rate day rates. There will be the option of enjoying special Christmas Day and New Years Eve meals (cost not included in room rates).
Space is limited and bookings are already coming in! We had a big wait-list last year, so secure your stay ASAP!
Are you interested? Then head to our Booking Enquiries page and get in touch!
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