Travel the Write Way Presents
Word/Play Week
May 23 – 30, 2011
(The writing workshop week that’s not just for writers!)
Hosted by Linda & Tim Jenkins
Word One
Have you ever written in a real palazzo? Or eaten in a restaurant that still features recipes from the Middle Ages? Or marvelled at buildings with Palladian windows — that were actually used by Andrea Palladio? We’ll do this and much more on our Word/Play Week in May.
Join us for six nights in Verona, Italy for an unforgettable experience. Our small group (no more than 15 people) will stay in a boutique hotel right near Piazza Bra, one of Verona’s most vibrant and historic neighborhoods. And we’ll be just a five-minute walk from the spectacular Palazzo Castellani, where we will let our creative juices flow in three morning writing workshops and enjoy a grand farewell dinner. But I’m getting ahead of myself . . .
During the week, we’ll have some amazing adventures, including trips to Padova (Padua) and Vicenza. This is the Italy that most Americans don’t get to see. And we’ll see it in comfort, together, with our writers’ eyes and a passion for fine food and unique exploration.
Highlights of the week
- Daily writing prompts and three morning-long workshops with guided exercises and sharing
- All breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners (with wine) included
- One day devoted entirely to local food & wines, including a cooking class
- A visit to two wineries
- Guided tour of Verona, including Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe, the Arena and more
- Guided tour of Vicenza, including Palladio’s Rotunda and Valmarana
- Guided tour of Padova, including the world-famous Scrovegni Chapel
- A visit to the storybook village of Valeggio sul Mincio
- Guided tours with local English-speaking guides
- Van transportation to all sites
- Six nights in a comfortable, well-situated hotel with private baths and Wi-Fi
- Welcome dinner and farewell dinner
- Time to explore Verona on your own and enjoy a few meals of your own choosing
This one-of-a-kind week costs only $1,950 per person, based on double occupancy in a double room with private bath. (Airfare not included.) Single supplement is $300, bringing the total to $2,250 for a single.
Proposed Itinerary
(subject to change, based on openings, schedules, etc.)
Monday, May 23
- Arrive at your home away from home — Hotel Torcolo — in the afternoon
- Take some time to explore your environs or rest up after your flight
- Join us for a festive welcome dinner with wine at a nearby restaurant. Meet your fellow travelers and get a preview of what’s in store for the week.
Tuesday, May 24
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our first writing workshop at Palazzo Castellani
- Lunch at a local restaurant with our guide
- Guided walking tour of Verona
- Free time in Verona before dinner
- Dinner on your own — or a surprise!
Wednesday, May 25
- Breakfast at the hotel
- A day devoted to local food and wines: we’ll leave around 9:00 and head for the Valpolicella hills
- At the historic Trattoria Dalla Rosa Alda, Signora Alda will open her kitchen to us and lead a lively and informative cooking lesson
- We’ll have lunch together, eating the traditional dishes that we prepare
- In the afternoon we’ll visit two wineries
- Back to the hotel — if we feel like dinner, we’ll find something on our own
Thursday, May 26
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our second writing workshop
- Around noon, we’ll leave for Borghetto Valeggio sul Mincio, a truly charming and historic village along the Mincio River
- We’ll have lunch (weather permitting) outside, along the river at the fabulous Antica Locanda Mincio (the setting, rain or shine, is to die for)
- After lunch, we’ll tour the Parco Giardino Sigurtà, just a stone’s throw from Lake Garda
- We’ll return to the hotel and either have dinner on our own — or a surprise!
Friday, May 27
- Breakfast at the hotel
- A day devoted to two great cities of the north: Vicenza and Padova
- We will first go to Vicenza to meet our guide and tour Palladio’s masterpieces, La Rotunda and Valmarana, as well as other notable sites
- We will have lunch on our own in Vicenza
- Then we will visit the university town of Padova, have a guided tour and see Giotto’s incredible frescoes in Cappelle degli Scrovegni and the Basilicia del Santo
- Back to the hotel and then to a Veronese resturant for dinner
Saturday, May 28
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our final writing workshop
- Lunch together at a nearby restaurant
- Free time in Verona, pack for tomorrow’s departure
- Gala farewell dinner at Palazzo Castellani & sharing of our writing work
Sunday, May 29
- Depending on your departure times, breakfast at the hotel
- Check out time 10:00 a.m.
Additional Information
Transportation
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our first writing workshop at Palazzo Castellani
- Lunch at a local restaurant with our guide
- Guided walking tour of Verona
- Free time in Verona before dinner
- Dinner on your own — or a surprise!
Wednesday, May 25
- Breakfast at the hotel
- A day devoted to local food and wines: we’ll leave around 9:00 and head for the Valpolicella hills
- At the historic Trattoria Dalla Rosa Alda, Signora Alda will open her kitchen to us and lead a lively and informative cooking lesson
- We’ll have lunch together, eating the traditional dishes that we prepare
- In the afternoon we’ll visit two wineries
- Back to the hotel — if we feel like dinner, we’ll find something on our own
Thursday, May 26
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our second writing workshop
- Around noon, we’ll leave for Borghetto Valeggio sul Mincio, a truly charming and historic village along the Mincio River
- We’ll have lunch (weather permitting) outside, along the river at the fabulous Antica Locanda Mincio (the setting, rain or shine, is to die for)
- After lunch, we’ll tour the Parco Giardino Sigurtà, just a stone’s throw from Lake Garda
- We’ll return to the hotel and either have dinner on our own — or a surprise!
Friday, May 27
- Breakfast at the hotel
- A day devoted to two great cities of the north: Vicenza and Padova
- We will first go to Vicenza to meet our guide and tour Palladio’s masterpieces, La Rotunda and Valmarana, as well as other notable sites
- We will have lunch on our own in Vicenza
- Then we will visit the university town of Padova, have a guided tour and see Giotto’s incredible frescoes in Cappelle degli Scrovegni and the Basilicia del Santo
- Back to the hotel and then to a Veronese resturant for dinner
Saturday, May 28
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our final writing workshop
- Lunch together at a nearby restaurant
- Free time in Verona, pack for tomorrow’s departure
- Gala farewell dinner at Palazzo Castellani & sharing of our writing work
Sunday, May 29
- Depending on your departure times, breakfast at the hotel
- Check out time 10:00 a.m.
Additional Information
Transportation
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our second writing workshop
- Around noon, we’ll leave for Borghetto Valeggio sul Mincio, a truly charming and historic village along the Mincio River
- We’ll have lunch (weather permitting) outside, along the river at the fabulous Antica Locanda Mincio (the setting, rain or shine, is to die for)
- After lunch, we’ll tour the Parco Giardino Sigurtà, just a stone’s throw from Lake Garda
- We’ll return to the hotel and either have dinner on our own — or a surprise!
Friday, May 27
- Breakfast at the hotel
- A day devoted to two great cities of the north: Vicenza and Padova
- We will first go to Vicenza to meet our guide and tour Palladio’s masterpieces, La Rotunda and Valmarana, as well as other notable sites
- We will have lunch on our own in Vicenza
- Then we will visit the university town of Padova, have a guided tour and see Giotto’s incredible frescoes in Cappelle degli Scrovegni and the Basilicia del Santo
- Back to the hotel and then to a Veronese resturant for dinner
Saturday, May 28
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our final writing workshop
- Lunch together at a nearby restaurant
- Free time in Verona, pack for tomorrow’s departure
- Gala farewell dinner at Palazzo Castellani & sharing of our writing work
Sunday, May 29
- Depending on your departure times, breakfast at the hotel
- Check out time 10:00 a.m.
Additional Information
Transportation
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Our final writing workshop
- Lunch together at a nearby restaurant
- Free time in Verona, pack for tomorrow’s departure
- Gala farewell dinner at Palazzo Castellani & sharing of our writing work
Sunday, May 29
- Depending on your departure times, breakfast at the hotel
- Check out time 10:00 a.m.
Additional Information
Transportation
Airfare is not included in the price of $1,950 ($2,250 for single) and, since you will be coming from various parts of the world, you will have to find your way to either Milan’s Malpensa airport and take a train to Verona’s Porta Nuova station or fly directly into Verona from a European city and take a taxi to the hotel. Additional transportation information will be provided when your down payment is received. It is strongly advised that you purchase travel insurance, and your travel agent can recommend some reputable companies.
Payment
To reserve space on Travel the Write Way’s Word/Play adventure, a non-refundable deposit of $750 is due by March 15, 2011. Checks or money orders are accepted, payable to Travel the Write Way, LLC. Completed registration forms will be required along with your deposit. The balance of the cost will be required no later than May 1, 2011.
For more information, or to book your space on this unique Italian journey, please complete the contact form.
About Linda Dini Jenkins
Linda is a freelance business writer, author and writing workshop facilitator. Travel is her passion, so writing stories about her travels just comes naturally. She loves to bring old friends and new friends to Italy and show them the unexplored and unusual and she writes an almost-weekly blog about travel and writing.
She is the author of Up at the Villa: Travels with my Husband (that would be Tim) and Journey of a Returning Christian: Writing Into God and has been published in a variety of books, newspapers and literary magazines. She is also the author of the one-act play, “Things I Never Told My Mother” and is co-author, with Barbara Worton, of the highly acclaimed play, “If I’m Talking, Why Aren’t You Listening?”
Linda travels around a lot but currently lives in Midlothian, Virginia with her husband, Timothy and Maxine, the Wonder Dog.
Hope you can join us for this Word/Play adventure!
Buon viaggio!
Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…
Recent Comments