Thanks to Damien Seaman, I got a chance to tag along for a week’s writing retreat in this beautiful mountain location near Verona. Albergo Ristorante Leso is in the small village of Bosco Chiesanuova. I just wanted to write and somehow alpine air is inspiring — or maybe it was the cowbells. Fellow Fox Spirit author Jo Thomas was there, and the rest of the group I didn’t know but they ended up being from Glasgow so we got on like a house afire, of course.

It was nice to get away to write: but it was so much more than that!

What a wonderful experience: you get the personal touch of a family-run business but with consummate professionalism. The location is breath-taking with many places to walk and wander. The food is exquisite, a combination of local traditional fare with thoroughly modern updates. Our group included people with a wide variety of food requirements (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free) and they were not only accommodated but the kitchen used this opportunity to innovate and be truly creative. The results were delicious. Can’t recommend highly enough.

Here are some pictures to make you envious: