7-Day Italian Castle Screenwriting Retreat
Just 1 Hour from Rome – A Transformative, All-Inclusive Boutique Screenwriting Retreat in an Authentic Italian Castle for Only Four Screenwriters at a Time.
Welcome to the Mompeo Castle Screenwriter Retreat, a rare and intimate creative experience designed for writers who want clarity, courage, and the space to finally bring their story to life.
For seven days, you’ll live and work inside a medieval castle in Mompeo — a quiet hilltop village of ancient stone paths, olive groves, open skies, and complete creative silence.
Here, time slows down. Ideas surface. Stories finally take shape.
Guided personally by filmmaker and writer Adrian Bol, you’ll develop your story drawn from your deepest passions, fears, and personal truths. These include idea generation, self-reflection, and story-amplification techniques.
Only four participants are accepted per retreat to ensure personal attention, private coaching, and a truly immersive creative transformation.
Who This Retreat Is For
This retreat is designed for screenwriters who:
- Have a story inside them and want to finally shape it with clarity and confidence.
- Want personal guidance and high-level story development without the noise of daily life.
- Prefer intimate, high-quality writing environments over crowded workshops.
- Want to develop a signature concept and screenplay— an idea only you can write.
- Long for beauty, silence, and creative renewal.
If you are ready to take your writing seriously, this is the place.
Why a Castle? Why Mompeo?
Mompeo (one hour from Rome) is not just a location — it is a state of mind.
The medieval castle where you’ll stay overlooks endless valleys, stone villages, and ancient olive fields. Its walls carry centuries of stories. The atmosphere naturally invites reflection, imagination, and emotional honesty — the exact qualities required for creating screenplays.
This is where the inner world meets the outer world.
Here, you are free from all distraction.
Here, your story becomes possible.
What You'll Experience
A Fully Guided 7-Day Creative Transformation
For seven days, you step away from distraction and into focused creative clarity inside the castle in Mompeo. This is not a passive retreat. It is an immersive, structured deep dive into the foundation of your screenplay.
Each morning, you enter a rigorous workshop environment where concept, character, and structure are examined at a professional level. You will question assumptions, refine your dramatic engine, and sharpen your protagonist’s arc. Lunch is shared, but the conversation continues — ideas evolve even at the table.
Afternoons are dedicated to focused writing and personal guidance. You will have dedicated one-to-one sessions with Adrian Bol, where your project is challenged, clarified, and strategically strengthened. By the end of the week, your story will exist as a fully articulated concept, a clear three-act architecture, and a complete beat sheet.
Evenings bring the group together again over dinner, followed by guided roundtables and curated film screenings. You will analyze character arcs and structural turning points in real time, training your storytelling instincts through example.
You leave not with vague inspiration, but with a solid blueprint — and the confidence to move into drafting with precision and momentum.
In the quiet hills of Italy - only one hour from Rome - we help filmmakers discover their voice, refine their craft, and ignite a vision worth following.
Retreat Program
(7-Day Schedule)
Day #1
Arrival & Creative Reset
Afternoon — Arrival & Opening Round Table
Participants arrive at the castle in the afternoon and settle into their private rooms. There is space to unpack, walk the grounds, breathe in the landscape, and transition out of everyday life.
In the late afternoon, everyone gathers around the round table in the main hall for the official opening session.
Each participant briefly introduces themselves and the project they’ve brought — just a short snapshot of where things stand. No pitching yet. No defending. Just clarity.
Adrian then outlines the structure of the week. He explains what the program is designed to achieve: by the end of seven days, each participant will leave with a solid concept, a clear act structure, and a complete beat sheet.
He also makes clear what he expects from each writer: openness, courage, discipline, and a willingness to question their own assumptions.
Evening — Dinner & Project Deep Dive
Dinner is shared together in the castle, allowing the group dynamic to settle naturally.
After dinner, the group reconvenes for the first real working session: a guided discussion of each participant’s project.
One by one, writers present the story they want to work on — more fully this time. They explain the core idea, what excites them, and where they might feel uncertain.
Adrian listens closely and begins asking strategic questions. Not solutions yet, but pressure points. Where is the emotional engine? Where might the story collapse? Where could it become undeniable?
By the end of the evening, every writer has felt their project tested — gently, but seriously. The group understands the level of honesty and rigor this week will require.
The real structural work begins in the morning.
Day #2
Concept Clarity
Morning Workshop (with Lunch)
The day begins with a deep dive into concept design.
Adrian breaks down the difference between idea and concept, between theme and premise, between external situation and internal engine. Writers examine desire, opposition, and stakes as structural pillars.
The workshop is interactive and rigorous. Assumptions are challenged. Concepts are stripped down and rebuilt.
By the end of the morning, participants understand whether their concept truly contains tension.
Afternoon Writing & 1:1 with Adrian
Writers now rebuild their concept from the ground up. They refine the protagonist’s desire, identify the central opposition force, and clarify the dramatic question that drives the film.
Each writer meets Adrian for a second 1:1 session focused specifically on concept strength. Weak angles are removed. Emotional stakes are sharpened.
The goal is to leave the afternoon with a concept and core premise that are clear, precise, and compelling.
Dinner & Group Concept Lab
After dinner, the group reconvenes. Each participant presents their refined concept. The group responds constructively.
By the end of the evening, each project has taken a measurable step forward.
Day #3
The Character Engine
Morning Workshop (with Lunch)
The focus shifts from premise to person. The protagonist is examined as the carrier of the story’s tension. Adrian explores desire versus wound, internal contradiction, moral choice, and transformation.
Writers analyze how character arc and plot arc must interlock. The emotional spine of the story is defined. Lunch continues the dialogue, allowing space for deeper reflection.
By the end of the morning, each participant sees their protagonist more clearly — not as a figure in events, but as a human engine.
Afternoon Writing & 1:1 with Adrian
Writers articulate their protagonist’s wound, outer goal, flaw, and transformation. They define what must change by the end of the story.
In individual meetings, Adrian ensures that the character arc aligns with the concept and theme. If something doesn’t connect, it is confronted.
Adjustments are made at the structural level.
Evening — Dinner, Character Roundtable & Film Arc Analysis
Dinner is shared together in the castle.
After dinner, the group reconvenes for a Character Roundtable. Each participant briefly reflects on the work of the day and shares how their protagonist evolved during the afternoon writing session.
The evening then continues with a screening of a carefully selected character-driven film.
Participants are given a specific task: to track the protagonist’s arc. After the screening, the group analyzes the character’s transformation.
Day #4
Act Structure
Morning Workshop (with Lunch)
Now that concept and character are clear, structure becomes inevitable.
Adrian demystifies the three-act structure — not as formula, but as architecture. Inciting incident, first act break, midpoint shift, escalation, final confrontation — each turning point is examined in terms of emotional consequence.
Participants map how tension must rise and how stakes must escalate. Lunch is part of the same flow of discussion.
Afternoon Writing & 1:1 with Adrian
Writers construct a full three-act breakdown of their story.
They identify their inciting incident, midpoint, second act escalation, and final climax.
During 1:1 sessions, Adrian stress-tests the structure. Does the midpoint truly shift the story? Is the escalation real? Is the final act earned? Structural weaknesses are identified and corrected.
By the end of the day, every project has a defined act structure.
Evening — Dinner, Structural Roundtable & Film Breakdown
Dinner is shared together in the castle.
After dinner, the group reconvenes for a Structural Roundtable. Each participant briefly presents their three-act breakdown as it stands.
The evening then continues with a screening of a carefully selected film known for its strong narrative architecture.
After the screening, the group breaks down the film act by act.
Writers leave the room seeing structure not as formula, but as invisible architecture that supports emotional experience.
Day #5
The Beat Sheet
Morning Workshop (with Lunch)
The focus narrows to scene-level causality.
Adrian teaches how beats must follow one another through cause and effect.
“And then” storytelling is replaced with escalation logic. Each scene must create pressure for the next.
Writers learn how to translate structure into a living beat sheet.
Afternoon Writing & 1:1 with Adrian
Participants write their full beat sheet — typically 20–40 beats — covering the entire narrative arc.
Adrian meets each writer to tighten causality and remove unnecessary sequences.
By the end of the afternoon, the film exists on paper from beginning to end.
Evening — Quiet Writing or Peer Feedback
Dinner is shared together in the castle.
After dinner, the evening is either dedicated to quiet writing refinement or a structured peer feedback session, depending on the group’s needs.
Day #6
Refinement & Positioning
Morning Workshop (with Lunch)
The final workshop stress-tests every project.
Adrian examines theme alignment, structural coherence, emotional stakes, and positioning. Writers learn how to present their concept and structure clearly to producers and collaborators.
Lunch becomes celebratory but focused — the week’s work is visible now.
Afternoon Writing & 1:1 with Adrian
Participants polish their concept document, act structure, and beat sheet.
Each writer has a final private meeting with Adrian to define next steps and rewrite strategy.
By this point, every project stands on solid structural ground.
Evening — Final Presentations & Celebration
After dinner, each participant presents their refined concept, act structure, and key beats.
The group responds, celebrating the clarity achieved. The transformation from idea to structured story is visible.
Day #7
Departure
Breakfast Together
A quiet closing moment. Writers leave with a complete structural blueprint and a clear roadmap for writing their full screenplay.
Pricing & Dates
Retreat Fee: €3,200 — all-inclusive
Includes your private room inside the medieval castle, all meals, all workshops, one-on-one coaching, guided sessions, and all retreat materials.
Optional: Bring a Guest
You may share your private castle room with a partner or friend.
Choose the option that fits what they want to experience:
• Guest Companion — €950
Includes castle accommodation and all meals.
(Does not include workshops, coaching, or participation in the retreat program.)
• Guest Participant — €2,400
Includes castle accommodation, all meals, and full participation in the retreat program — workshops, group sessions, 1:1 coaching and shared writing experiences.
Spring 2026
Fully Booked
Summer 2026
Fully Booked
Autumn 2026
Fully Booked
We are planning an additional retreat for mid or late September.
If you'd like to be the first to know when spots open, send us a message and we’ll add you to the waiting list.
Your Guide:
Adrian's Filmography:
Legacy of Lies ranked #2 on Netflix in the USA
Produced on a $4.5 million budget, the film punches well above its weight, showcasing how precision, craft, and intent can rival far larger productions. Its international scope and contemporary relevance give it a modern edge, while its stripped-down approach keeps the tension personal and immediate.
That combination clearly resonated with audiences. Upon release on Netflix, Legacy of Lies quickly climbed the platform’s charts, reaching the #2 spot in the United States and #4 in the United Kingdom — a notable achievement for an independent spy thriller competing alongside major studio titles.
The film’s performance cemented it as a standout example of how focused, director-driven genre filmmaking can break through in a crowded streaming landscape.
Breaking Cover is bold and uncompromising
What sets Breaking Cover apart is its mythic visual language. Drawing heavily on elemental symbolism — water, fire, forest, and darkness — Bol crafts a film that feels both grounded and operatic. Each environment reflects a stage in Will’s internal journey, transforming action set pieces into moments of psychological and moral consequence.
The film goes far beyond genre mechanics, unfolding as a stark meditation on fatherhood, trauma, and the cost of violence. Set against the unforgiving wilderness of rural Oregon, Breaking Cover follows Will Fisher, a former Special Forces operative haunted by his past and estranged from his teenage daughter, Tee.
With Breaking Cover, Adrian Bol proves his ability to fuse muscular action filmmaking with thematic depth, delivering a film that is as emotionally resonant as it is viscerally gripping.
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