Are you an aspiring, or experienced, writer, artist, photographer (or other creative type) – or maybe a student/academic – and thinking about taking an online course of study to deepen your learning, and perhaps give impetus to a particular project? Why study your online course alone at home when you could enjoy it and make the most of the learning experience while on retreat in Tuscany, Italy?! Book some time at Casale di Clio, in a beautiful and inspirational environment, and balance creative focus with a re-energizing getaway experience; it’s a special holiday that promises creative productivity!
(NB: in-person taught courses might be enjoyed here too, as well as online courses, during scheduled ‘course weeks’!)
A Creative ‘Hybrid-Retreat’ in Tuscany!
To begin with, what do we mean by a ‘hybrid-retreat’? It’s quite simple: you arrange to access some online course material – and then book to stay at our creative/study retreat to enjoy it. When you want to focus, you close the door to your study-bedroom, log-on to your online course, work on your creative project or studies – and then whenever you feel the need to relax, socialise, or maybe take an inspiring walk, simply emerge from your room as a Casale di Clio resident and enjoy all that goes along with being on retreat in this lovely part of Tuscany. It’s much better than taking an online course at home! You can shift between focused online study and the very real benefits of a stay in our rural idyll, which can, paradoxically, both relax and re-energise you. More specifically, the benefits of this hybrid-online experience here include:
- being distanced from the usual domestic/home distractions, which might otherwise threaten to interfere with the enjoyment of the online course;
- residing in the inspirational Casale di Clio environment, with your own study-bedroom, the library, the Art Barn, terrace, balcony, garden, hikes and walks – including to the local bar/trattoria!;
- enjoying views of the outstanding natural beauty of the Lima Valley in Northern Tuscany,
- being inspired by the local cultural history, including the 1818 residences of the Romantic Poets/Writers Mary and Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron, in nearby Bagni di Lucca;
- enjoying river-swimming/the public swimming pool in Summer – and the local thermal baths year-round;
- enjoying the company of fellow creatives resident at Casale di Clio – perhaps enrolled on the same online course as you are – cooking together and socialising much in the same way as at any residential retreat!
Two Ways to Enjoy a ‘Hybrid-Online’ Retreat at Casale di Clio
- for online courses that are not interactive – i.e., which you just watch and listen to, not having to speak out loud in response – you can book to come and stay here at any available time. All we ask is that you bring effective headphones/earbuds so as not to disturb fellow residents while enjoying your course. There are a great many online courses that would be suitable for this type of creative break – the BBC Maestro series being a great example (see below).
- interactive online courses – i.e., where you will be required to speak into a microphone to interact with the course teacher/other participants will usually have to be coordinated with a dedicated ‘course week’ here, so that other guests present will either be enrolled on the same course, or be aware that other guests will be talking as part of an online course (this is important in light of Casale di Clio ‘quiet hours’, which allow guests to concentrate on their projects during certain times. We have a list of currently scheduled ‘course weeks’, which include in-person taught courses as well as online courses, here.
Arvon ‘At Home’ Writing Week courses are a good example of interactive/live online course with a good fit with Casale di Clio, and we have scheduled a trial ‘Course Week’ in April 2025, with further courses/dates likely to follow.
BBC Maestro Masterclasses/Courses
BBC Maestro masterclasses/courses are very reasonably priced non-interactive online-delivered content covering a range of topics, including many that are suitable for guests to enjoy during unstructured retreats at Casale di Clio (i.e., not needing to be scheduled in ‘course weeks’) – e.g.,:
- creative writing & storytelling
- non-fiction writing
- art
- photography
- film making
- cookery/baking
- wellness & self-help
- business
Certain other course topics – such as Sing Like the Stars, Public Speaking and Communication, or Music Production – might not fit so well in unstructured retreat time here, due to the potential for noise disturbance to other guests arising from course participation required/encouraged by the content. If you are in any doubt about the suitability of a course to enjoy here, please do get in touch to discuss it with us – we will try to work something out if at all we can!
If you have a subscription to BBC Maestro and want to access and enjoy your course here – bringing headphones along so as not to disturb other guests – get in touch via our booking enquiry form.
Suggest Other Online Courses to Enjoy Here
If there is another online course that you would like to enjoy while staying at Casale di Clio then do get in touch with us and we can discuss the possibilities – whether for scheduling as a ‘course week’, in case we can attract other guests who might be interested in the course, or for your own enjoyment while here on an unstructured retreat.