September 10-14, 2027

Join us for four sun-drenched days of eating, drinking, touring and writing in Sicily.

Dianne Jacob and I are delighted to announce our new writing workshop in Italy, September 10-14, 2027.

Dianne is a food writing coach, author and teacher. Her book Will write for food is the food writing bible for all food writers, beginner and experienced. For more about Dianne see her bio.

We’ve done several previous workshops in a countryside villa in Verona, where I live. This is the second time we will do a workshop in Sicily and enjoy the regional foods, wines and sunshine.

The Location

Hotel Gutkowski is our boutique waterfront accommodation. It is listed as the best place to stay in this Forbes article. The hotel is located on the small island of Ortigia, on the Eastern side of Sicily, a one-hour drive south from the city of Catania. Ortigia is considered one of the most beautiful destinations in Italy. It has a town center with historic stone buildings, a picturesque town square with a produce market, and a small pebbled beach.

Here we will be away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Our days will be filled with writing, excursions to restaurants, and meetings with local farmers, winemakers and artisan food producers.

Our Activities

During our four-day food tour and writing retreat, we will explore the abundant produce in Ortigia’s daily market and soak up the sunshine. Here we will get to know what Sicily is known for soft, buttery Castelvetrano olives, almonds so sweet that when raw they taste like marzipan, citrus including blood oranges and bergamots; and rich, deeply-colored red wines.

Ortigia and neighboring Syracuse are famous for fresh seafood, which we will enjoy at local restaurants. They also attract visitors to their Greek ruins.

A family farm trip features vistas of olive, almond and citrus trees. The young and passionate owners will welcome us with seasonal organic produce and traditional recipes. In their farmhouse kitchen, we will go from farm to table with a cooking class and an al fresco meal, under the green cover of carob trees.

We also visit a family-owned winery to taste their award-winning organic wines. Their red wines are made with local Nero D’avola grapes. They also make a famed floral and fruity Moscato Bianco and a gold-colored sweet Passito wine.

Dinners take place on Ortigia, steps from our hotel. At each meal we will enjoy a choice of local cheeses, salami, pasta and seafood. We can also order Sicilian classics like caponata, arancini, cannoli and more, always paired with Sicilian wines.

Our Writing Workshop

During your time in Sicily, you will be immersed in Italian culture, be part of a supportive group of peers, and you will have the space to focus on your writing.

This is a workshop for all writers, whether you are published or have never written much at all but want to do so. In a nurturing and inspiring environment, our classes and workshops are designed to ignite your passion for the stories you want to tell.

Here’s what we will work on together:

• Finding and strengthening your voice
• Writing with the senses
• Increasing your recipe writing skills
• How to pitch and publish your work
• What’s involved in publishing a cookbook

Price and Details

To be updated soon. Please get in touch with us now to be informed first when we announce the details.

Past Writing Workshops in Italy

Here’s a blog post Dianne wrote about our last workshop in Italy. Read more in these blog posts from students:

• Jillian Fae’s post: Mustard Oil and Frequency Illusions
• Lori DeFinis’s essay had these lines that made me laugh: “Dianne was waiting at the door looking exactly how I picture all writers. Small and artsy, wearing overalls and a smirk that makes you feel like the two of you already have an inside joke.”
• Mike Vrobel’s piece: Road Trip: Italy Food and Wine Writing Workshop 2018.

For questions and to sign up, email me at demetguzey@gmail.com or Dianne at dj@diannej.com.

Here’s what one participant said about our workshop:

“What a joy it was to be a part of the food-wine-writing-villa extravaganza. I thought the whole workshop was wonderful in all ways–the villa, the people, the instruction, the eating and wine tasting and food preparation. I am thankful that I had this unique experience, that my husband could join in, and I’m excited to see what writing/art projects evolve from all I learned and experienced.” – Lynn Archer, blogger, California