Creative Retreats in Calabria, Italy

Creative Retreats in Italy

The Amphitheater of Scolacium on the Ionian Coast in Calabria, just outside of the city of Catanzaro.

“Nothing can be compared to the new life that the discovery of another country provides for a thoughtful person. Although I am still the same, I believe to have changed to the bones.”

J. W. von Goethe, Italian Journey

The magic of Italy has been famous for centuries throughout the world.

Whether you are wanting to explore its amazing art, exquisite cuisine, geographical beauty, or opportunities for quality time at the beach, a visit to Italy will leave you with memories for a lifetime.

Calabria, the very tip of the toe of the Italian Peninsula, is a less explored area, and contains some incredible treasures, all the more beautiful because they are largely unknown throughout the rest of the country and the world.

I lived here for many years, and have been returning the last few years for extended stays, where I enjoy time to reconnect with my old friends, rest, recharge, eat, swim and walk…and also create a special space to devote to my creative endeavors.

In years past I offered experiences focused on more tourism type activities; going forward I have decided to shift my focus and offer more low key experiences for those who are wanting to slow down, connect with themselves, nature and an area overflowing with history.

Creative Retreats in the Gulf of Squillace

Full Immersion Intercultural Experiences while Taking Time for Yourself and/or your Art – even if that art is … you!

Personal growth and evolution through rest, geographical beauty, beach time along the Mediterranean (depending on the season), good food, and an easy-going encounter with another cultural reality

Send me more info about creative retreats please!

Calabria is the most southern region in Italy – the very toe of the Italian “boot”.

Once home to wise kings such as the legendary King Italus, who developed one of the earliest forms of democracy and whose name was taken for the entire nation when it was formed in 1860, and famous Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras, today Calabria is a magical land, full of a kind of beauty that is less polished and obvious than the more famous areas in Italy, but is nonetheless just as inspiring.

These pictures are from the Gulf of Squillace, on the Ionian Coast near Catanzaro, one of the three larger cities in Calabria.

Said to be the place where Ulysses washed ashore and found the friendly Phaecians, who finally helped him return to Ithaca, it abounds with natural beauty and interesting things to see, taste, and experience.

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, in the USA, but moved to Italy for a one year sabbatical when I was 21 …. which ended up becoming an entire chapter of my life lasting 24 years.

For 20 of those years I lived in Calabria, at the very toe of the Italain peninsula.

I have always been fascinated by the incredible beauty and complexity of this region’s culture and vast history, traces of which remain scattered throughout the variegated natural landscape and within the towns perched strategically on the tops of the hillsides. Built there to help protect the populace from the many different invading armies that have come through over the centuries, they remain testaments to a way of life that is fading…. but that also offers to those of us living in the fast-paced modern world a bit of respite, peace, and soul-nurturing connection with the good things in life.

Including, of course, delicious food and gorgeous beaches, both of which are also abundant and varied, all throughout the region.

With over 700 km of coastline, Calabria is a paradise for anyone who loves the sea, but it is also a wonderful place to hike in the hills and mountains that make up the interior. It has gained increasing popularity as a destination for longer treks, for example on the Kalabria Coast to Coast trail, that crosses from the Ionian sea on the eastern side, over the mountains to the Tyrrhenian sea on the west side.

I have always enjoyed sharing my deep love for and intimate knowledge of this beautiful place with friends and family. It is not as well known as the more northern areas of Italy but, but for precisely that reason, it holds an even more special kind of beauty.

It is an area that has a long history of being ravaged by foreign invaders, and due to its impervious mountainous interior and its somewhat initially standoffish and fiercely proud and independent people, it has never had a reputation for being a particularly easy place to travel to. It is also not as organized and polished as the more northern regions, and its offerings for tourists are not as sophisticated.

But although it can be fraught with inefficiency, and seem scruffy and unkempt and sometimes unfriendly, there is an authenticity that is often lost in areas more heavily developed by industrial society and mass global tourism.

The rhythm here is a bit more attuned to nature, and opportunitiea to find truly quality food at reasonable prices, relatively unspoiled beaches and forests, and locals who love to share stories about their history and culture over a coffee or a glass of local wine abound.

If you are interested in coming to Calabria and having a unique, highly personalized intercultural experience, while spending focused, restful protected time on your creative pursuits, this just might be the right experience for you.

I am not posting prices because the ultimate cost depends on what exactly your needs are. Every offering is personalized and organized specifically for you.

Contact me at martha@marthabw.com for more information regarding the 2026 season, and come back here to check for details as they develop!