Barrie Keeffe will again be leading classes in creative writing at Collaldra – a 16th century farmhouse with swimming pool, gardens, vineyards and woodlands in the pre-Dolemite hills, 40 minutes by train from Venice.

As well as providing a tranquil setting for new writers Collaldra has also proved a welcome retreat in the sun for writers already at work. Said a well-known writer who finished a new play in class after staying a fortnight last summer: “The change of scenery and the hospitality of your writers’ retreat proved just the tonic and gave me the impetus, the freedom and inspiration to finish a piece of work on which I had become well and truly stuck.”

As well as mornings classes for first-time writers Barrie Keeffe is on hand for those continuing work in progress. He has taught dramatic writing at City University, London as well as three summers at the Skyros Writers Lab, Greece. He was Judith E. Wilson Fellow at Christ College, Cambridge 2003-4, received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Warwick University earlier this year and is patron of Writing for Performance at Ruskin College Oxford.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the school, leaving the afternoons free for writing in the extensive gardens and by the swimming pool. There is a badminton court and table tennis in the grounds plus a snooker table in the house.

Evenings can be enjoyed in the many local restaurants, some in walking distance of our local villages Corbanese and Tarzo where you can eat inexpensively.

The Veneto has much to offer: the wonderful historic cities of Venice, Verona (with its world famous opera) Vicenza, Padova, Asolo and Treviso are close – by car or train.

Mindful that the Writing School and Summer Retreat should also be a memorable holiday in the sunshine there are many markets and festivals to be enjoyed and since the Veneto is famous for its wines visits to the local vinecole are recommended – where they will be happy to let you sample their various products

Accommodation is provided in the farmhouse, its attached apartments and (for a small additional supplement) studios at the Ai Pini restaurant in Tarzo – a ten minute walk away. Cars are available for hire at the airport, bicycles locally.