Between what was and what wants to become
The days between years create a rare kind of space. The past is still close. The new has not yet taken shape. For a few days, we do not have to move on immediately.
What wants to be honoured before this year ends? What may rest? And what may already be calling quietly, without needing to be named straight away?
At Il Convento in winter, we give these questions time. Not only in thought, but through the body, movement, silence and the landscape outside. We listen with our ears and skin, with our breath, our tiredness, our joy and everything that is still unfinished.
Perhaps we do not need to design the new year. Perhaps we can meet it.
Four threads running through these days
Slowness
We let time stretch and make room for rest, sleep, writing and doing nothing.
Movement
We listen through the body: subtle and still, wild and playful, breathing, dancing and sweating.
Community
We share daily life and meals, listen to one another and allow ourselves to be seen through the other.
Nature & ritual
Forest, olive groves and sea become companions as we cross the threshold of the year.
Silence is not the absence of connection
When speaking stops, other people do not disappear. Glances, footsteps, movement and shared meals remain. We may even notice more clearly how deeply we respond to one another long before words arise.
For some, silence is a relief; for others it may initially feel unfamiliar or restless. Both can be part of the experience. We enter gently: quieter periods begin on 29 December. 30 and 31 December are days of complete silence. After New Year, we slowly return to spoken exchange while longer silent periods remain.
Silence here is not a withdrawal from community. It is another way of being present together.
A rhythm, not a timetable
The days have a shape without becoming rigid. The specific invitations also respond to what is alive in the group and what the moment needs.
- MorningSilence, meditation, breathwork or gentle movement
- Late morningShared brunch and time to rest or take a walk
- AfternoonContact Improvisation, bodywork, nature practice or a threshold journey
- EveningShared dinner, conversation, free dance, writing or ritual
No prior experience of dance, meditation, bodywork or voice is needed. Every invitation can be adapted to your own capacities. Resting, observing or sitting out a practice can also be a meaningful way to take part.
Carrying the questions across the threshold
At New Year we are often asked about resolutions. During these days, we are interested in something deeper: the questions that do not want a quick answer.
What has carried me through this year? What has ended but not yet been farewelled? What do I no longer want to hold on to? What sense of life wants more room in the coming year?
We meet these questions through writing, movement, breath and ritual. Some rituals invite the most delicate listening. Others need fire, voice, dance, sweat and celebration together. The new does not yet need to be a vision. Perhaps it first appears as an image, a bodily sensation, a sentence or a barely perceptible movement.
The landscape becomes a counterpart
Il Convento lies among forests, mountains, streams and olive groves. The winter landscape is not a backdrop. It responds through cold air on the skin, the sound of water, bare branches, mist, wind and changing light.
On walks and a personal threshold journey, we leave familiar paths for a while. Sounds, weather, terrain and our own responses become part of the experience.
A shared trip to the sea opens our view in another way. We walk, breathe and gather where land and water meet. What becomes audible when only spaciousness lies before us?
Seeing and being seen
Some things can only be heard alone. Others become visible only in the presence of another. This is why solitude and shared spaces alternate.
In circles of listening and mirroring, we do not try to explain or fix one another. We reflect what touches us and which image or movement continues to resonate. In this way, each person can meet their own experience anew.
Community also grows in unspectacular ways: chopping vegetables, washing dishes, sitting by the fire, exchanging a glance in silence or sharing words again after several days.
The retreat will be led by Aaron and a newly assembled team. The other facilitators will be introduced once the full team is confirmed.
Perhaps these days are for you
- You sense that everyday life has become too loud or too fast and that your body is asking for a pause.
- You have carried, accomplished or achieved a great deal, yet still long for more vitality, meaning and inner connection.
- You want to spend less time merely functioning and regain a finer sense of what truly feels right for you.
- You want to meet the new year not with more resolutions, but with clarity, presence and a deeply embodied yes.
- You are ready to open yourself to silence, movement, community and the unplanned.
What you may arrive with
- Exhaustion and inner restlessness
- Distance from your own body
- The feeling of merely functioning
- Open questions for the coming year
What can be given space
- Rest, breath and renewed strength
- A tangible connection with yourself
- Vitality in movement and connection
- A quiet sense of direction for what is new
If you notice a quiet yes as you read, you are welcome to follow it.
Yes, I would like to joinCost and inclusive places
The retreat fee covers facilitation. For confirmed registrations by 10 November 2026, the early-booking fee is €350. After that, the regular fee is €400. Anyone who can contribute €450 helps support the reduced-rate places.
Accommodation per person per night costs €38 to €40 in a shared room, €46 to €67 in a double room and €45 to €69 in a standard single room. This is based on the Il Convento 2026 price list minus €43 full board per person per day. If a double or comfort room is occupied by one person, a surcharge applies depending on the room, resulting in rates of €66 to €97 per night. Simple vegetarian catering with brunch and dinner costs €180 for the entire retreat. The total price including six nights and meals therefore starts at €758 during the early-booking period and €808 afterwards, excluding travel.
Reduced-rate helper places and scholarships
For people with limited financial means, reduced-rate helper places are available for a total price of €650. The price includes the retreat fee, meals and a place in the least expensive room category. With a reduced-rate place, you commit to three kitchen shifts during the retreat, helping prepare brunch or dinner or cleaning up afterwards.
Two heavily subsidised scholarship places are also available for a total price of €290. Scholarship recipients commit to four kitchen shifts. Each shift lasts approximately one to two hours and, depending on the task, begins at 8:30 or 11:00 am or at 5:00 or 7:30 pm. During these times, participants will not be able to take part in programme sessions happening at the same time. Participants on reduced-rate helper or scholarship places need to bring their own bed linen and towels.
The registration deadline is 15 December 2026. Feel free to write to Aaron beforehand if you are interested, need a reduced-rate place or have questions about taking part.
Staying at Il Convento
Old walls, simple rooms, a shared salon and doors opening directly onto the garden: during these days, Il Convento becomes our home. Accommodation ranges from smaller rooms to more communal sleeping spaces.
Getting here
The nearest railway station is Minucciano-Pieve-Casola. A pick-up can be arranged from there; the walk takes around 30 minutes. A larger station nearby is Aulla Lunigiana. If you are looking for a lift, we will be happy to help connect you with other participants.