Join Randy Miritello for a 7-Day Sketching Retreat in the Heart of Umbria - June 21-28, 2027
Songs Across the Mountains: An Umbrian–American Songwriting Retreat — Whether you have been writing songs for years or simply carry stories, melodies, and memories you would like to shape into music, you are welcome in the circle. Join singer-songwriter Randy Miritello for a week of writing, sharing, and developing original songs in the medieval village of Vallo di Nera, where American songwriting traditions meet the music, stories, and rural culture of Umbria.
Songwriting here isn’t about polished perfection; it’s about listening closely, finding the heart of an idea, and letting place, memory, and tradition guide the work. Randy will lead focused morning workshops in the Casa di Legno, with sweeping views of the Valnerina, helping participants strengthen lyrics, explore melody, shape stories, and bring new songs to life. The week will include informal song circles, cultural excursions, shared meals, encounters with local tradition-bearers, and collaborations with Umbrian guest artists. All are welcome to join us for eight days of music, community, and creative discovery at Casa della Zia in Vallo di Nera, just 35 minutes from Assisi.
Randy Miritello
Oneonta Singer-Songwriter Randy Miritello
New York-based guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader, Randy's music blends vintage country, honky-tonk, blues, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Raised in rural Upstate New York, Randy began writing songs in 1987 and developed a storytelling style shaped by travel, road life, and the musical traditions of the American countryside.
He is the founder and frontman of Randy Miritello and the Hop City Hellcats and a co-founding member of the Horseshoe Lounge Playboys. Known for his warm Americana voice, original songs, and lively performances, Randy has shared stages with artists including Steve Earle, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the Levon Helm Band.
Randy also feels a deep connection to his Italian heritage and has begun visiting Italy as a way to strengthen those roots. This retreat brings together many of the things that matter most to him: songwriting, tradition, storytelling, community, and the shared musical spirit of both America and Italy.
Inside the Retreat
More than a songwriting workshop — it’s a curated immersion in music, storytelling, Umbrian tradition, and the mountain culture of the Valnerina.
Vallo di Nera: Your Living Songbook
When you enter the medieval gates of Vallo di Nera, you are stepping into a village filled with stories, echoes, and songs waiting to be found. Built in 1100, this remarkably preserved stone village offers inspiration at every turn — from the 14th-century frescoes in the Church of Santa Maria to the ancient stone fontana where villagers once gathered.
Beyond the songwriting sessions, you will form genuine connections with the local community, including visiting our neighbor Franca for coffee in her home and meeting tradition-bearers who keep the stories of the Valnerina alive. As we walk through weathered stone streets, mountain views, and quiet corners of village life, you’ll begin to hear how place, memory, and tradition can shape a song. Here, Vallo di Nera isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a place to listen, connect, and find your voice.
Casa di Legno: A Workshop Above the Village
Each morning, we’ll gather in the Casa di Legno, perched above Vallo di Nera with sweeping views of rooftops, stone lanes, mountains, and open sky. It is a simple, inspiring space where the village sits just below us and the Valnerina stretches out beyond — the perfect setting to slow down, listen closely, and begin turning experience into song.
Here, Randy will lead focused songwriting sessions designed to spark ideas, strengthen lyrics, shape melodies, and help each participant develop original work inspired by place, memory, and tradition. With guitars and an electronic keyboard available, the mornings will feel both structured and relaxed — part workshop, part song circle, part creative retreat.
The Casa di Legno gives us room to step away from the noise of everyday life and into the rhythm of the mountains. From this quiet place above the village, songs can begin with a view, a phrase, a remembered story, or a sound carried up from the valley below.
Culinary Inspiration: Food, Song, and the Spirit of Umbria
Songwriting is best accompanied by good food, good wine, and the kind of conversation that lingers long after the meal. At Casa della Zia, every gathering is part of the creative experience — a chance to slow down, listen, share stories, and let the rhythms of Umbrian life find their way into the music.
One afternoon, we’ll gather in the garden around a 200-year-old stone oven as Vallo natives Giacomo and Anastasia prepare traditional focaccia over an open wood fire. The glow of the flames, the scent of rosemary and olive oil, and the simple joy of sharing food together will offer the kind of moment songwriters understand well: ordinary life made unforgettable.
Throughout the week, you’ll enjoy traditional Umbrian meals, local wines, and the flavors of the Valnerina — from handmade pasta, truffles, and mountain specialties to relaxed dinners in nearby towns. We’ll dine at beloved local restaurants, gather around long tables, and experience the hospitality that makes this region so memorable.
From focaccia in the garden to a final celebration at La Lecceta horse farm, food becomes part of the retreat’s creative rhythm — nourishing the body, opening conversation, and reminding us that some of the best songs begin around a table.
Assisi: Sacred Stones, Stories, and Song
Assisi offers a different kind of inspiration — quieter, older, and deeply felt. With our guide Maura, we’ll walk through one of Umbria’s most meaningful hill towns, exploring the winding medieval streets, broad stone piazzas, and the spiritual heart of the Basilica of St. Francis.
For songwriters, Assisi is more than a beautiful excursion. It is a place layered with devotion, poetry, silence, and human story — the kind of place that invites reflection and opens space for new ideas. From ancient stonework and sweeping countryside views to the details of everyday life tucked into narrow lanes, Assisi offers countless moments that can become a line, a melody, or the beginning of something unexpected.
After our guided visit, we’ll gather for dinner in Assisi, carrying the day’s impressions with us — the bells, the light, the history, the quiet — and letting them settle into the creative rhythm of the week.
La Lecceta: A Final Sharing in the Umbrian Hills
We’ll bring the week to a close at La Lecceta, a beautiful horse farm tucked into the Umbrian countryside, where music, food, friendship, and the spirit of the week come together. In this relaxed and intimate setting, participants will share the songs, collaborations, and stories developed during the retreat, joined by Randy, Gary, and the people who helped shape the creative journey.
Hosts Daniela and Roberto will welcome us in true Umbrian fashion, with generous hospitality, local wine, seasonal food, and the warmth of a long afternoon spent in the countryside. Surrounded by horses, hills, olive trees, and open sky, the final sharing becomes more than a performance — it becomes a celebration of the music created, the traditions encountered, and the friendships formed along the way.
On the return to Vallo di Nera, we’ll stop at the historic Ponte Fonnaia, an ancient Roman bridge over the Nera River, for one last moment of reflection on the beauty, history, songs, and memories of the week.
