Lunch and Sting’s Villa
First course lunch: fennel salad Wine tasting at Sting’s villa winery. Tuscany, day 4.
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Lunch Today
Spinach and ricotta Plin ravioli served on a butter sage sauce and sprinkled with beet sprouts. Photos by Graseilah Coolidge Writer at work. Suzanne Kronisch
The Truffle Hunt
We spent our late morning following the truffle hunter Diego and his two specially trained truffle hunting dogs, Nutella and Lightning, through the woods, waiting for the dogs to alert and sniff out truffles for Diego to pry out of the rich soil. After observing the hunt, we returned to the il Sole di Nebbliano
On my way to breakfast . . . at the Bonsi Villa in Tuscany
Click the image above to watch the video. When you miss your dog back home, there’s always Kenny. All the dog lovers on our trip LOVE him. Photos by @Suzanne Kronisch. I just taught her how to airdrop! An unexpected moment of exquisite beauty. A field of perfect Flanders Poppies while we were following Diego
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A Magical Little Notebook
I don’t know why, but even after teaching thousands of classes for 25 years, and dozens of retreats around the world, I’m still always nervous before a first class, with a brand-new group of writers. But as soon as we settled in and began, the magic was there. That first sense of trust and connection,
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Arrival at the Villa
Click the image above for a quick tour of the outside of the Villa at the start of the retreat.
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So Many Gifts About to Be Opened
Just a few hours from now, we’ll be meeting with our group participants at a nearby spot in Central Florence (close by, but with luggage, still requiring a taxi to get there) to catch our shuttle to the Villa. On our group What’s App thread, people have been checking in, sending pictures of negative Covid
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Moments in Florence
Sniffing the roses. Rose garden, Florence. Perfect spot for a jet-lag induced catnap. This is my favorite moment in Florence so far. I just love street musicians with absolute talent. He didn’t have his name out front but I left him a generous tip! TURN UP THE SOUND! He has a fantastic voice. Another shopping
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I Didn’t Get a Pedicure, But I Am in Florence!
Well, too many fires burst into flame in the days leading up to our departure and my toes remain unpainted, my usual travel ritual woefully incomplete, my toes bare, but we did get on the plane and arrived in Florence last night. I am doing my best to get in this time zone right away.
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Compostable in Paris
Made it on the overnight flight to Paris. Waiting for our connecting flight to Florence. Both with or Air France breakfast on the plane and with the piece of flan I just bought, we were given compostable bamboo silverware. Why don’t they do it everywhere?
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All I want is a pedicure.
It’s my ritual for getting ready to go overseas on a long trip, something I like to do before any big event (like a wedding) or before teaching a major retreat. I’m leaving for Tuscany tomorrow and “get a pedicure” has been on my list for several days now. But it has dropped off my
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Italy, Here I Come!
A week from today, Karyn and I will be heading to the airport to fly to Tuscany for the 2023 Write, Travel, Transform retreat at a 15th century villa. This morning, I got up early and had a couple of hours before my morning class, so I went to my closet and started pulling out
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Writing as a Pathway: Re-entry Into Real Life
In the little rap I give my students about re-entry into “real life” after retreat, one of the things I recommend is not to talk too much about the experience, but rather to practice their newly-honed listening skills on their loved ones back home. I caution them not to make any hasty decisions—like quitting their
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Writing as a Pathway: Farewell
After last night’s celebration and Claire’s wonderful chocolate cake, it’s finally the last morning of the Writing as a Pathway Through Grief, Loss, Transformation and Change retreat. And what I see around me is laughter, hugging, connecting and yes, some tears. The tough part of a retreat is always when it’s over. So we always
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Writing as a Pathway: Meditation Hut
Before I left Commonweal, I had to take one last trip out to the Meditation Hut, aka the Chapel, aka the Shrine and probably a dozen other pet names. I like to lay on the straw mats out there, flat on the floor and talk to my mother. It’s one of the places I hear
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