I sat in the lounge of the Hotel Continentale in Arezzo, reading Lynn Barber’s 1990 interview with Muriel Spark. The hotel is still there, just off the main piazza, and I could picture the seventy-two-year-old novelist in a neat armchair, deflecting questions about marriage. That moment sums up her Italian life: fierce independence, sharp wit, and a refusal to apologise for putting writing first.
“I’m too interested in my writing: I couldn’t work at a marriage.”
Yes, Arezzo is absolutely worth visiting for Muriel Spark fans. You can see where she lived, walk the same streets, and visit her grave in the hilltop village of Oliveto. The exhibition in nearby Civitella adds a fresh layer of context.
Literary pilgrims
Slow travellers
Tuscany off the beaten path
Muriel Spark in Arezzo: a life of her own
Spark moved to Tuscany in the 1970s and settled in the province of Arezzo with her companion, the artist Penelope Jardine.
She chose the area partly because Jardine had already bought a house in the medieval village of Oliveto. The two women lived together for decades, sharing a creative life that ignored the conventions of the time. Spark told Barber that men resent a successful woman, and she had no intention of being anything less than successful. That honesty runs through every interview she gave from Arezzo.
Her son Robin, then in his early fifties, lived in Edinburgh and had taken up painting. When asked if she was a good mother, Spark replied: “Oh, I think I was a good mother, but I’m sure my son wouldn’t think so.” She explained that her own mother had taken over the everyday role so she could write. That tension between motherhood and vocation appears in her fiction too, especially in the character of Sybil Greeves in the short story “Bang-Bang You’re Dead,” who asks herself: “Am I a woman, or an intellectual monster?”
The exhibition at Civitella in Val di Chiana
In December 2024, the town of Civitella in Val di Chiana opened an exhibition dedicated to Spark and Jardine.
Organised by the Civic Administration in collaboration with the Muriel Spark Reading Circle, “Muriel Spark & Penelope Jardine: due artiste a Civitella” runs at the Palazzo comunale in Badia al Pino until 31 January 2025. It’s open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 13:00, and on Thursdays also from 9:00 to 18:00. You can find it on the first floor of the building.
During the inauguration on 14 December, Marco Erbetti introduced the event with a personal connection to his great-grandfather, and members of the Reading Circle read passages from Spark’s novels. The exhibition is small but thoughtful, tracing the parallel lives of two artists who made their home in this corner of Tuscany.
Spark became an honorary citizen of Civitella in 2005. Only three honorary citizenships have been awarded in the past forty years — the others went to Prosecutor Marco De Paolis and Senator Liliana Segre.
Her grave in Oliveto and the artistic legacy
Muriel Spark is buried in the cemetery of Oliveto, the medieval village where Penelope Jardine first settled.
Jardine arrived in Oliveto many years before Spark, and the novelist later joined her. The cemetery sits on a quiet hillside with views over the Tuscan valleys. It’s a fitting resting place for someone who spent her final decades rooted in that landscape.
Spark’s literary output while living in Italy includes some of her most celebrated works. She completed Loitering with Intent (1981), whose protagonist Fleur Talbot describes recovering a stolen manuscript with the words: “My Warrender Chase, mine. I hugged it. I kissed it.” That novel draws on Spark’s own experience of being a woman who prioritises art above everything else. In The Comforters, Caroline Rose leaves her loved ones to write a novel dictated by a phantom typist. These “intellectual monsters” are not villains — they are women who follow their calling.
Planning your visit to Muriel Spark’s Arezzo
A literary pilgrimage to this part of Tuscany requires a little advance planning, but it’s straightforward.
Arezzo is about an hour from Florence by train. The city itself is known for its frescoes by Piero della Francesca, a monthly antique market, and a well-preserved historic centre. Outside town, the hamlet of Oliveto is best reached by car. The cemetery is open during daylight hours; there is no official signpost, but locals can point you to it. The exhibition in Civitella is a short drive from Arezzo, but note the limited opening hours.
Pair your visit with a stop at the Palazzo comunale in Badia al Pino in the morning, then drive to Oliveto after lunch. The road up to the cemetery is narrow but paved.
The exhibition closes at 13:00 on most days and is entirely shut on Sundays. Check the official announcement for any date changes before you go.
I brought a lightweight drone with me to capture the Tuscan hills around Oliveto. The combination of aerial shots and ground-level photographs helped me recreate the view Spark must have seen every day from her home. If you’re into travel photography, a small drone is a game-changer for this kind of landscape.
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I used the DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo for its 4K HDR camera and three-battery flight time, which gave me about 114 minutes of airtime. The built-in screen on the controller stayed bright even in the strong Tuscan sun, and the vertical shooting mode was perfect for social media clips.
Before you go to Arezzo for Muriel Spark
Where exactly is Muriel Spark buried?
She is buried in the cemetery of Oliveto, a small village in the comune of Civitella in Val di Chiana. The cemetery is on a hillside with views of the surrounding countryside.
You can drive to Oliveto from Arezzo in about 20 minutes. Park near the village centre and walk up to the cemetery. There’s no entrance fee.
Is the Hotel Continentale still open?
Yes, the Hotel Continentale is still operating in Arezzo’s historic centre. You can book a room or simply walk into the lounge for a coffee.
It’s a good spot to read a passage from one of Spark’s novels. The interview with Lynn Barber took place in that same lounge in 1990.
Is the exhibition worth a detour?
It depends on how much you care about the interplay between Spark’s life and her art. The exhibition is small, but it includes photographs and documents that connect her to the local area.
If you’re already in Arezzo, it’s a worthwhile half-hour stop. Just watch the limited hours — it’s open only weekday mornings and Thursday afternoons.
What’s the downside of visiting Arezzo for Spark?
The literary trail is not signposted. There is no official museum or guided tour dedicated to Spark. You have to do your own research and be comfortable with a self-guided approach.
Many visitors come to Arezzo for the Piero della Francesca frescoes and the antique market, not for Spark. If you want a polished literary pilgrimage, head to Florence instead.
Can I visit Penelope Jardine’s house?
Jardine’s home in Oliveto is a private residence. There is no public access.
You can see the building from the outside, but respect the privacy of the current occupants. The same goes for Spark’s former home.
Why Muriel Spark still matters in Tuscany
Walking through the quiet streets of Oliveto, I realised that Spark’s choice to live here was a statement. She didn’t need the literary circles of London or New York. She needed space to write, a companion who understood her, and a landscape that didn’t demand she be anything other than the intellectual monster she was proud to be. That’s a lesson I’ll carry home from this trip.
For more on finding quiet corners of Italy, read Italy Limits Tourists — Find Quieter Seaside Towns.
Sources and further reading
Barber, Lynn. “An Intellectual Monster: Why Muriel Spark Never Married.” Literary Hub, 2025. 🔗
Wilson, Frances. “Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame Muriel.” The New York Review of Books, 2026. 🔗
Arezzo24. “Muriel Spark & Penelope Jardine: due artiste a Civitella.” 2024. 🔗
Related reading on Emily in Italy
Italy’s Affordable Coasts beyond Amalfi — For travellers who want to see Tuscany without the crowds, this guide highlights quieter seaside alternatives.
See Florence’s Art History – Duomo’s Dome View — A practical companion piece if you’re combining a trip to Arezzo with a stop in Florence.
Italy’s Historic Castles and Palaces — Tuscany is full of historic sites; this post covers the region’s best preserved castles and palaces.
When Florence, Alabama Heard the Call of Italy — A lighthearted look at how Italian culture has inspired places far beyond its borders.