Finding Memoir in Your Life Story
A Writing Retreat in Florence with Marion Roach Smith
There are stories within you that have been waiting for the right moment, the right guidance, and perhaps the right city to bring them fully to life.
Join acclaimed memoir teacher Marion Roach Smith in Florence for an intimate writing retreat devoted to uncovering the material only you can write. With Marion’s wise, practical guidance, you’ll learn how to recognize the rich and resonant stories within your own life, choose one with depth and promise, and begin shaping it into compelling memoir.
Using her clear and powerful approach to structure, Marion will help you move beyond memory alone and into craft: identifying what your story is really about, finding its emotional center, and giving it shape through a simple three-act framework.
And then there is Florence itself, a city that invites reflection almost effortlessly. In the golden morning light along the Arno, in quiet piazzas, in centuries-old cafés, and in the art-filled corridors of the Renaissance, something begins to soften and open. Florence has long been a place where artists, writers, and visionaries came to deepen their craft, and there is a particular kind of creative clarity that emerges here, spacious, sensory, and alive.
This retreat is designed not only as a writing experience, but as a creative pilgrimage into beauty, memory, and meaning. Between workshops, shared meals, and walks through the luminous streets of Florence, you may find yourself remembering parts of your own story in entirely new ways.
Come to Florence with your life. Leave with the beginning of a story only you can tell.
March 12 - 17, 2027 | Florence, Italy
Marion Roach Smith
Marion Roach Smith is the author of four books, each featuring aspects of memoir. Her most recent book is The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life. A former staff member of The New York Times, she has written for The New York Times Magazine, Prevention, The Daily News, Vogue, Newsday, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart Living, Discover and The Los Angeles Times. She was formerly a commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered, and she hosted a talk show on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius/XM 110.
A long-time memoir instructor, both in person and online, Marion has taught thousands of people to write what they know. Her students have gone on to publish books, opinion pieces and personal essays on various platforms. Marion’s signature blend of clarity, structure, and inspiration will empower participants to write the stories only they can tell. Learn more about Marion here.
"Memoir writing is the single greatest portal to self-discovery."
-Marion Roach Smith
_edited.jpg)
Find the thread. Shape the story.
Memoir is not autobiography. It does not attempt to tell your whole life story, but instead illuminates one meaningful thread: a moment, relationship, question, transformation, or experience that carries emotional truth and resonance.
Once you understand this distinction, you begin to see that your life is filled with memoir worthy material, stories rich enough for personal essays, op eds, Substack pieces, and even full length books.
Whether you are arriving with only the faintest spark of an idea, a few scattered pages, or a manuscript already underway, this retreat will deepen and strengthen your work. Through Marion’s clear and generous teaching, you’ll gain insight into the essential elements of memoir: structure, tension, voice, scene, and emotional clarity, while learning how to shape lived experience into compelling narrative.
And in Florence, with its beauty, history, and atmosphere of reflection, inspiration has a way of arriving naturally. Most importantly, you’ll begin writing what only you can write.
Write with purpose. Guided by Florence.
Before we gather in Italy, you’ll begin with a 90 minute online class with Marion designed to introduce the foundational tools of memoir and help you uncover what your story is truly about.
Then, in the luminous heart of Florence, we’ll immerse ourselves in the art and craft of memoir. A city that has inspired artists, writers, and visionaries for centuries, Florence becomes more than a setting here. It becomes a muse. In quiet piazzas, morning cafés, Renaissance corridors, and conversations over long Italian meals, inspiration has a way of rising naturally to the surface.
Through daily workshops, guided writing sessions, and meaningful conversation, you will:
-
Explore different forms and approaches to memoir
-
Learn to write with greater structure, clarity, and emotional resonance
-
Develop a sustainable and nourishing writing practice
-
Shape your experiences into stories that feel vivid, honest, and alive
Whether you are beginning something new or returning to work already in progress, this retreat offers the time, focus, beauty, and creative companionship to help your memoir deepen and take form.
Our home in Florence will be the elegant and historic Hotel Bernini Palace, a beautifully restored 15th century residence tucked into the very heart of the city, just steps from Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery. Once a noble Florentine palace, the building still carries the atmosphere of old Florence, with vaulted ceilings, antique details, and centuries of history woven into its walls.
With its timeless architecture, richly appointed interiors, and old world Florentine atmosphere, the Bernini Palace offers a sense of quiet refinement and warmth deeply connected to the spirit of Florence itself. From here, the city unfolds effortlessly around you: winding Renaissance streets, hidden cafés, artisan shops, museums, piazzas, and the golden glow of the Arno all within walking distance.
Guests can gather in the hotel’s beautiful Art Deco inspired lounge for an evening aperitivo or quiet conversation after a day of writing and exploration. The hotel’s restaurant, La Chiostrina, offers refined Tuscan cuisine inspired by regional tradition, and massage and wellness treatments can also be arranged for those seeking a bit of extra restoration during the retreat.
.jpeg)
To arrive in Florence is to step into a city where beauty and history are woven into daily life. Often described as an open air museum, Florence carries an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the world: timeless, intimate, artistic, and deeply alive. Renaissance masterpieces exist not only inside museums and churches, but alongside everyday life in sunlit piazzas, winding streets, and centuries old buildings glowing in the Tuscan light.
The city invites a slower rhythm. Church bells echo through the afternoons, café tables spill into narrow stone lanes, and the Arno River moves gently through the heart of Florence, connecting the grand historic center with the artisan filled Oltrarno neighborhood. Florence is also a city made for wandering, where some of the most memorable moments happen unexpectedly: a hidden piazza, a tiny wine window at dusk, or evening light washing across ancient stone.
For writers especially, Florence offers something rare. The city awakens the senses and quiets the noise of ordinary life, creating space for reflection, memory, and creative clarity. It is a place that encourages you not only to see more deeply, but to listen more deeply to your own inner life.
Join us for five unforgettable nights in beautiful Florence.
This intimate retreat includes luxurious accommodations at the historic Hotel Bernini Palace, daily memoir workshops with Marion Roach Smith, and a thoughtfully curated experience designed to nourish both your writing life and spirit.
Included in your retreat tuition:
-
Five nights accommodations at Hotel Bernini Palace
-
Daily memoir and writing sessions with Marion Roach Smith
-
A private guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery
-
A curated walking tour through the heart of Florence
-
A hands on Tuscan cooking class
-
Two group lunches at beloved local restaurants
-
Two memorable group dinners in Florence
-
Pre retreat online class with Marion
-
Time and space to write, reflect, wander, and be inspired by Florence
Retreat Investment
Classic Room
$5,600 USD
Superior Room
$5,800 USD
Airfare is not included.
Because of the intimate nature of this experience, space is limited. Early registration is encouraged.
