Creative Writing Residencies in Italy

Cascina Dell'Arte

Crescentino, Italy

Cascina dell'Arte is an artist retreat housed in a restored 16th-century farmhouse in the Piedmont countryside of Northern Italy, offering live-work studio spaces combining historic charm with contemporary artistic facilities. The residency provides artists across all disciplines with time, space, and freedom to focus on meaningful creative projects in a quiet, culturally rich setting.

Frenkiel and Ponti (Frenkiel & Ponti)

Montenero Val Cocchiara, Italy

The Frenkiel & Ponti Foundation, located in Montenero Val Cocchiara, offers a self-led artist residency program in a serene mountain setting. The foundation, continuing the legacy of Frenkiel and Ponti, who were deeply involved in the music and art scene in post-war U.S. and Italy, provides a space for artists to create without financial or time pressure. Residencies range from two to four weeks throughout the year, with specific deadlines for each session. Applications for the residency are open two months in advance and close one month prior to the start date. The program covers accommodation, work/project area, local transportation, food, and drink, but participants must arrange their flights and transfers from Naples. The residency hosts up to four creatives at a time, including artists, writers, sculptors, photographers, and musicians. Montenero Val Cocchiara, a small town with less than 300 residents, offers a tranquil environment for artists to explore new or existing practices. The residency includes a mix of traditional local cuisine and opportunities for cultural exploration in the surrounding areas. The foundation emphasizes a relaxed and supportive atmosphere, encouraging creative exchange among residents.

La MaMa Umbria International

Spoleto, Italy

La MaMa Umbria International is a non-profit cultural center and artist residence founded in 1990 by legendary theatre pioneer Ellen Stewart, housed in a restored 700-year-old monastery in Spoleto, Italy. For over 25 years, it has fostered cross-cultural and international exchanges through residency programs, intensive workshops, and symposiums led by internationally renowned theatre professionals. The center welcomes artists from around the world to create, collaborate, and experiment in a spiritually enriching environment.

Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center

Bellagio, Italy

The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency Program, located in Lake Como, Italy, offers leaders including artists, scholars, and practitioners a four-week stay to advance breakthrough projects through focused work and interdisciplinary exchange. Since 1959, it has hosted over 5,000 changemakers from more than 140 countries, fostering connections in a serene environment that sparks new ideas and collaborations. Artists and writers create works addressing global issues, joining a network of alumni committed to positive impact.

Santa Maddalena Foundation

Donnini, Italy

The Santa Maddalena Foundation in Donnini, Italy, is a writers' residency program established in 2000, offering fellowships to established and emerging writers, including those exploring humanity's relationship with the natural world. Located in a restored historic house and tower in Tuscany, it provides a supportive home-like environment with studio space, accommodations, and meals during residency periods from March 1st to June 30th (Spring/Summer) and October 1st to November 15th (Autumn). Fellowships last six weeks, are by invitation only, and cover all costs without fees for the writers.

Tenuta Valente

Capaccio Paestum, Italy

Tenuta Valente is an artist residency program located in Capaccio Paestum, Southern Italy, welcoming professional artists of all disciplines to work in a peaceful, bucolic environment surrounded by the Cilentan Coast countryside. The program offers residents private en-suite bedrooms and access to a shared 200-square-metre studio to develop individual projects and engage with the local art community.

Villa Medici

Roma, Italy

Villa Medici, home to the French Academy in Rome since 1803, is a prestigious artist residency on Rome's Pincian Hill that welcomes nearly 70 artists, writers, researchers, and craftspeople annually for stays ranging from two weeks to one year. The program provides fully funded residencies with accommodation, studio space, and support across diverse disciplines including visual arts, music, literature, architecture, and crafts, maintaining a legacy of artistic patronage dating back to 1666.