News

Dear members, The center reopened on March 29 with the first retreat led by Hannes Huber, which will run through April 12, followed by the second intensive Satipatthana Vipassana retreat led by Gautam Verma.  There are still places available for several retreats. We invite you to register online at  If you have any questions or doubt, please note in addition to the email address info@piandeiciliegi.it, the secretary’s office is available from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Italian time every Tuesday and Thursday. Alternatively, we are available at other times by appointment. Events for the 30th anniversary May 1st is fast approaching—the day we’ve chosen for a celebration marking the center’s 30th anniversary, which, as many of you know, also coincides with Vesak day, a very significant occasion for the Buddhism. We will have the honor of welcoming Ven. Vivekananda, who will lead a short Vesak ceremony and offer a blessing to our center. The Center is not so big to welcome all our members and supporters, and for this reason we’ve decided to set up an online livestream that will still allow anyone who wishes to join us—even if only remotely and online—to experience this day, which is so significant for the Center, together with us. For this reason, we invite everyone to visit our Pian…

Dear members, The center is currently closed but is preparing to reopen in less than a month. We look forward to welcoming you all back. We remind you that the first retreat will be led by Hannes Huber, starting on March 29. The retreat is fully booked, but you can request to be placed on the waiting list by sending an email to info@piandeiciliegi.it. There are still places available for several retreats. We invite you to register online at  If you have any questions or doubt, please note in addition to the email address info@piandeiciliegi.it, the secretary’s office is available from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Italian time every Tuesday and Thursday. Alternatively, we are available at other times by appointment. With the purpose to accompany us in this important year, we have decided to organize also a series of online meditation meetings. We would like to thank our teachers who have made themselves available to guide us in our practice on certain evenings. Below is the calendar with English-speaking teachers:  Hannes Huber April 14 Gautam Verma May 26 The meditations are offered free of charge. If you wish, you can make a donation towards the purchase of the center at the following link:  If you want to…

Dear PdC members and friends, we have decided to purchase the center’s main building, which houses the meditation hall, dining room, and bedrooms. Until now, we have been able to carry out all our activities thanks to the generosity of those who have hosted us, but now we are facing a decisive step for the Center’s future. For this reason, we’ve launched a fundraiser, and we’re asking anyone who can, to support us in this important step, so that we can continue to provide ideal conditions for those who wish to develop their personal and spiritual growth through the practice of Vipassana meditation. Thanks to the generosity of those who support Pian dei Ciliegi with their practice, we hope this will truly allow us to grow further and carry out our work of practicing and spreading Dhamma with greater stability. The Pian dei Ciliegi board

Dear meditators, A few days ago, the option to register for online retreats changed. Previously, it was not necessary to be a member of Pian dei Ciliegi, but now, to regularize our fiscal situation, we are forced to require all participants in our activities to apply for membership, which can be done in the User area after logging in. We apologize for any inconvenience. The Board of directors

Dear Members, ​please note in addition to the email address info@piandeiciliegi.it, the secretary’s office is available from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM every Tuesday and Thursday. Alternatively, we are available at other times by appointment. It is still possible to register for many of the 2026 retreats. Please check availability at  This year, as many of you know, marks an important date for Pian dei Ciliegi: it is 30 years since the association was founded to manage a Theravada Buddhist centre and organise meditation retreats. Until now, we have been able to do all this thanks to the generosity of those who have hosted us, but now we are facing a decisive step for the future of the Centre: we have the opportunity to purchase the main building. The purchase of the main building will allow us to achieve greater stability and continuity for our projects, providing a solid and lasting foundation for the cultivation of the heart, which has already benefited many and will continue to do so for future generations. For this reason, we launched a fundraiser, and we are asking anyone who can, to support us in this important step, so that we can continue to provide ideal conditions for those who wish to develop their personal and…

​Dear Members, ​As some of you may have experienced first-hand (unfortunately), this year the opening of retreat registrations was marked by a system malfunction that caused significant inconvenience to those wishing to register for the in-person retreats scheduled for 2026. ​The opening of registration is always a critical moment because simultaneous access to the site reaches numbers that, as happened this year, caused the system to crash, preventing many of you from registering easily for the retreats. ​The platform managers and the Pian dei Ciliegi secretary’s office prepare every year to handle potential emergencies (which until now had always remained within entirely acceptable, manageable levels). However, this year the problems were severe enough to jeopardize the delicate balance of the system, which only stabilized to ordinary operating levels late in the morning. ​As the Board of Directors, we apologize to all those who experienced problems. ​We hope, however, that you still managed to register for the retreats you intended to attend. ​Metta, ​The Board of Directors ​P.S.: In addition to the email address info@piandeiciliegi.it, the secretary’s office is available from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM every Tuesday and Thursday. Alternatively, we are available at other times by appointment.

Dear members, friends, and supporters, As you may know, in 2023 the Pian dei Ciliegi Association joined the Italian Buddhist Union (Unione Buddhista Italiana). This step, which is very important for us, entails many positive aspects. First and foremost, it confirms our standing as Buddhists committed to the practice and dissemination of a meditation approach aimed at the liberation and purification of the mind, which, over time, has proven to be very effective in attenuating and eradicating mental defilements. On a more practical level, on the one hand, it allows us to actively participate in the life of this important religious Association. This takes place both through the periodic assemblies of members and through the conferences that the Buddhist Union organizes every two years, which address important topics for the member Associations. Among other things, this allows for a greater and better understanding of the many traditions that make up the Buddhist universe and for the sharing of fundamental issues. Furthermore, the Buddhist Union supports the Centers in various ways, both through regular training on specific topics related to the practical management of the Centers (accounting, volunteer management, tax legislation, etc.) and through financial contributions derived from Italy’s “8 per…

Our detailed retreat program for 2026 has been published. You can find it in the “In-Person Retreats” section. Registrations will open Sunday, January 18, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. To register, please follow these steps: If you encounter any problems, please contact assistenza@piandeiciliegi.it

ATTENTION: HERE YOU WILL FIND ONLY RETREATS IN ENGLISH, FOR THE FULL PROGRAM PLEASE SEE THE PAGE IN ITALIAN Bookings will be possible, through our website, starting from Sunday January 18th 2026 at 8.00 a.m. Those who are not yet members of the association, must have completed and sent the application form prior to their booking (see below in the useful information). As per tradition, Dhamma teachings are offered free of charge, but we invite participants to show their appreciation with a generous donation for the teacher and, if applicable, the translator (practice of Dana ). Donations are accepted in cash only. Check out our retreat calendar here ⇒ retreat calendar 2026 March 29th – April 12th Hannes Huber Satipaṭṭhāna  Vipassanā meditation retreat in the Mahāsi tradition The retreat is open to all, in English with Italian translation, and includes alternating sessions of sitting and walking meditation, regular individual interviews and Dhamma talks every evening. All participants will be asked to respect the Noble Silence and to take the eight or five precepts (see explanations on our website).  Arrival is between 2pm and 5pm on the first day; departure is after lunch on the last day. Hannes Huber is an experienced Austrian Dhamma…