FOOD WRITERS IN ITALY: PIEMONTE

May 18-23, 2025 (sold out)
October 3-8, 2025 (registration is open)

Food writer Kathy Gunst and I are teaming up once again for our third Food Writers in Italy workshop. In 2022, we explored the stunning area of Cilento, in southern Italy. In fall of 2023, Liguria and the Italian Riviera served as our inspiration.

 We’re thrilled to share that we are hosting two worskhops in 2025, both in the Piemonte region of northern Italy. In this five-day food tour and writing retreat, we will explore the Langhe hills, a bucolic part of Piemonte known for its sweet hazelnuts, creamy cheeses, truffles, and excellent wines. Our base will be a villa in the countryside, where we will be conducting daily writing workshops and excursions.

 As always, we will avoid tourist-traveled areas, focusing on places that are off the beaten trail. We will meet small food and wine producers, and we’ll learn about regional ingredients: precious Piemontese hazelnuts, used in both savory and sweet dishes; the creamy mixed-milk cheeses of the Alta Langa; and the grape varieties that are transformed into some of Italy’s most prized wines. And we’ll hold daily classes where we will write and share our work in a supportive environment.


THE WORKSHOP

Each day, we will focus on a different component of food writing and how to strengthen your skills for writing articles and newsletters, journaling and memoir, and more. Areas we will focus on include:

  • Writing with a strong voice, and getting at what separates great food writing from good food writing

  • Zooming in on your senses and the crucial role they play in food writing

  • The art of the interview, and what to focus on especially as a food writer

  • Recipe writing, from titles and head notes to writing clear, concise instructions

 This workshop is open to writers of all levels. Whether you’re a beginner who wants to break into food writing, a professional already working in the field, or a dabbler for your own pleasure, you will benefit from this small-group, hands-on workshop. For returning students, all of the exercises we are devising for this workshop are new.

 Want to bring a partner who isn’t interested in writing, but simply a lover of Italian food and wine? They are welcomed to join us.


THE LOCATION

The Langhe hills are located in the southern part of Piemonte, south of Alba and Barolo. The area, with its rolling green hills and terraced vineyards, is a stunning backdrop for the wine production of the region. Many prized Italian wines, including Barolo, Barbaresco, and Dolcetto, are produced here, and the area is on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites. The villa that will serve as our base is a family-owned hotel right in the heart of this picturesque landscape.


A BRIEF OVERVIEW

There will be writing sessions and opportunities to share our work every day. But we’ll also get to stretch our legs with daily outings into the countryside to meet with food producers and learn about the area’s specialties. Visits will include:

  • A small, sustainable goat cheese dairy in the Alta Langa hills

  • A family wine producer of Langhe wines, including Barolo, Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Roero Arneis

  • A fourth-generation family producer of organic hazelnuts

  • We will learn about the area’s famed black and white truffles from a local expert in our spring workshop; in our fall workshop, when truffles are in season, we will participate in a truffle hunt.

We also will take part in two cooking classes, featuring ingredients of the Langa. In one of the classes, Domenica will team up with a local chef and teach you how to prepare dishes featuring black truffles.

PRICE: €3560 double occupancy (€620 supplement for single occupancy); €3460 for the tour minus the workshop. Included:

  • 5 nights at a boutique hotel, where we will be the only guests

  • Daily writing workshops

  • Private tour at a family winery

  • Private visit to a cheese dairy

  • Private visit to a hazelnut producer

  • 2 cooking classes

  • All meals

  • All transfers with private minibus as per itinerary All meals

 Does not include airfare to Italy or travel insurance.

 Also, please note that this is not a suitable trip for people with mobility limitations.

If this sounds like your kind of food writing experience, email Domenica to learn more and to register.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or for more information.