The Florence (Italy) Enigma for Creative People

Note from Jane: As many of you know, I recently attended my very first writing retreat in April, on a transatlantic cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2. And I’ve become something of a convert now that I’ve observed the power of writing retreats after 20 years of intense conference speaking. The intimacy and relationships of retreats (and the isolation from “real world” concerns) is powerful.

In a total coincidence: Writer’s Digest (where I was once the publisher) is debuting their first overseas retreat this year, in Florence, Italy. I asked Amy Jones, one of the retreat hosts—and editor in chief of Writer’s Digest magazine—why did she choose Florence? Here’s what she said. (This is not a paid placement; you will find no affiliate links here. I just think it’s a neat opportunity.)

Florence isn’t necessarily the most obvious choice for a writing retreat. Of course, many writing retreats happen in Italy and with the preponderance of memoirs like Under the Tuscan Sun or Eat, Pray, Love, writing in Italy has entered into the cultural zeitgeist.

But if I were asked, where’s the obvious place for a writing retreat paired with literary sightseeing, my first answer would be England. The home of Shakespeare and Dickens, Austen and the Brontës, George Eliot and Tennyson … the list is long with writers that the English-speaking literary world has long obsessed over. Paris would be a close second—where Hemingway had his moveable feast with the Fitzgeralds and Gertrude Stein.

But Florence was my first choice. Not because of those self-discovery memoirs, though I have had moments of self-discovery in Florence. My entire first solo trip in 2016 was when I simultaneously felt more alone than I ever had in my entire life and also the bravest, most fulfilled. I ate nearly every meal alone, climbed bell towers alone, and was the only solo traveler on a wine tour full of 20-something friend groups and 30-something couples. All of that also meant I explored new towns and navigated foreign transportation systems, changed my plans on a whim, and enjoyed the best people watching, food, and wine. To all the people whose first question was “Aren’t you scared of going to a foreign country alone?” (instead of “Are you excited?”), I proved my answer: “Of course not, there’s nothing to be frightened of.” I was empowered.

But none of that is the reason why Florence is my top choice for a writing retreat. The real reason is two-fold.

The city of Florence is a striking blend of old and new. It’s impossible not to be inspired.

To get from the airport to the city center, it used to be that you had to take a bus, hire a taxi, or rent a car. Now, there’s an environmentally friendly tram that stops in several suburban neighborhoods before terminating directly behind Basilica di Santa Maria Novella. Walk around the corner to the front of the cathedral and you’re transported back in time—construction on the basilica started in 1279. Centuries and mere meters separate old from new.

In moments like those, my mind runs wild considering all the lives that had to be lived and the stories that could be told to get from medieval cathedral to environmentally and socially conscious tramway.

Likewise, walk toward the epicenter of Florence to Santa Maria del Fiore. The Duomo you see on the cover of many Italy guidebooks took more than 16 years to physically build and that’s after a nearly 100-year search for an architect and design that would actually work.

From the front of the cathedral, walk to your right, and tucked between a gelateria and an ATM, you’ll see a larger-than-life-statue of Brunelleschi staring up at the dome he engineered, appreciating his biggest achievement (literally and figuratively) for all eternity.

Continue a few more doors down to a smoothie kiosk that, when the gates are shuttered, depicts Dante as envisioned by a contemporary graffiti artist. It’s the old right next to the new again—both wonderfully creative in their own right.

I make a point to see these sights each time I visit, though the images are already burned into my memory, and I have more photos than I need. These are signs of a city that doesn’t just honor the creators of its past; it also celebrates and encourages the creativity of the people there now. It’s the Renaissance city that continues to inspire innovative thinking today and, for me, it’s places like that where I feel most creative. Imagining, contemplating those lives both past and present sends my imagination into overdrive. I go back to the childlike questioning that’s perfect for storytelling: What if?

There’s something magical about Florence.

My second reason for a writing retreat in Florence seemed silly at first, but the more people I talk to, the more I realize I’m not alone in thinking Florence is magical. Traveling alone in 2016 didn’t only make me feel empowered, it taught me to be open to surprising experiences—and that’s where the magic happens. I went back in 2018 for two more solo weeks, and while I had some general plans, I chose to be flexible in a way that I’m not in my normal life.

I waited until I got to Florence before making a reservation for the Uffizi Gallery so I could pick a day and time that felt right. First entry, 8:15 a.m. on April 25. When I got inside, rather than going room by room according to the path laid out for guests, I hightailed it to the Botticelli gallery. I was the only one there. A private audience with Venus and Primavera. The rooms had just been reopened after renovations (literally the night before—I couldn’t have planned that if I tried), and I didn’t have to share them with anyone except security. I allowed myself to stand there and gape in awe in a way I’d never do if others were around. I stood front and center, then got close to inspect the details, taking up space where I’d usually move to the side so as to not block someone else’s camera view. It may seem small, but the energy in that nearly empty room was a moment of magic I’ll never forget.

A few hours later, as I exited the Uffizi via the back walkway, I heard drumming. A few steps farther and I saw it was a parade—people carrying flags representing various organizations and belief systems all marching together toward the Piazza della Signoria. I watched from the end of the walkway for a few minutes, then asked the Uffizi security guard, “What’s this for?” “It’s Liberation Day, liberation from the Fascists,” he replied. I followed the parade toward the piazza where their march ended and watched the events until they went inside the Palazzo Vecchio.

I had no idea what was being said or chanted, but simply by happenstance, I was part of celebrations going on simultaneously all around Italy. Later that afternoon I went to a cooking class at someone’s home in the hills near Chianti and this began a conversation about the role her family played in the Resistance, hiding paintings from the Uffizi in the cellar of their family church. As a person somewhat obsessed with World War II and its lasting effects (and echoes in the present), it was a serendipitous, and yes, magical, day.

These moments made me feel like I could be someone else for a little while, which allowed my creativity to expand in an entirely different way—what if I let my imagination go to the stories I’ve held back from because they’re not part of my everyday personality or lived experience? Maybe they aren’t stories I’d ever publish, but they’ll influence and grow my writing in untold ways.

When you encounter magic and history like this, it’s hard not to want to share it with others. In some ways, Florence has an unnamable quality, which may be why so many writers, myself included, find ourselves drawn back time and again, trying to understand this enigmatic wonder of a city through our writing.

Have you visited Florence? What did you discover? Let us know in the comments.

Writer’s Digest is hosting a retreat this fall in Florence, Italy, and the surrounding region, hosted by Writer’s Digest editors Amy Jones and Robert Brewer. Learn more and experience the magic of Florence yourself.

Amy Jones

Amy Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of Writer’s Digest and the former managing content director for Writer’s Digest Books. She is the editor of the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market and the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market. Prior to joining the WD team, she was the managing editor for North Light Books and IMPACT Books. When she’s not reading, Amy can be found daydreaming about Italy or volunteering at Ohio Alleycat Resource, her local no-kill cat shelter. Find Amy on social media @AmyMJones_5.