News

Dear members, The long month of August has just come to an end and like every year, it proved to be a truly intense month, allowing those who wished to extend their practice through several consecutive retreats. As always, we thank our teachers for their guidance and teachings.We joyfully look forward to the return of the Venerable Chandapalo to our center after last year’s hiatus. We are pleased to inform you that the Italian Buddhist Union (UBI) has approved the projects submitted last March by the Pian dei Ciliegi Board. Specifically, the approval covered two projects. The first concerns the renovation of the pavement in front of the reception area, including the installation of a small restroom for the office and a corresponding wastewater disposal system based on phytodepuration—similar to the existing one—which will also serve the building’s bathrooms and kitchens. Work is scheduled to begin in mid-December and be concluded at the end of March. The second project involves the renovation of the Pian dei Ciliegi website which, even if it has been recently renewed, has already been showing significant issues. Work on the new website began in June, and it is expected to be finished by the end of October. As members of the PdC Board, we are very grateful to the Buddhist…

Dear members, we are pleased to inform you that the Italian Buddhist Union (UBI) has approved the projects submitted last March by the Pian dei Ciliegi Board. Specifically, the approval covered two projects. The first concerns the renovation of the pavement in front of the reception area, including the installation of a small restroom for the office and a corresponding wastewater disposal system based on phytodepuration—similar to the existing one—which will also serve the building’s bathrooms and kitchens. Work is scheduled to begin in mid-December and be concluded at the end of March. The second project involves the renovation of the Pian dei Ciliegi website which; even if it has been recently renewed, has already been showing significant issues. Work on the new website began in June, and it is expected to be finished by the end of October. As members of the PdC Board, we are very grateful to the Buddhist Union for the grant awarded (covering 70% of the project costs and non-repayable).

Dear Members, following the retreat led by Massimo Bonomelli, which concluded on July 28, we welcomed meditators who arrived at the center to follow the teachings of Hannes Huber. August, as every year, promises to be a truly intense month for practice, allowing those who wish to do so to engage in continuous practice, as it will be followed by retreats led by Jan de Wurstemberger & Henrich Dahm and Piero Urban, both already fully booked. Information on in-person retreats can be found at the link:  We’d like to highlight an important opportunity for online practice in September: from the 8th to the 15th, there will be an online retreat led by Ariya Baumann. The theme of the retreat will be “The Path to Inner Freedom.” In this vipassanā meditation retreat, we will explore questions about how we can become free. What hinders the development of inner freedom? What fosters and strengthens the development of inner freedom? The retreat will feature daily online sessions with instructions, Q&A, Dhamma talks, and group meetings. In addition, there will be a Metta meditation session, including some Metta chants. You can register at the following link:  If you have any questions or concerns, please note that the office can be reached…

Dear Members, The retreat led by Venerable Sayalay Daw Bhaddamanika is coming to the end, and we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Venerable for her teachings. Please be advised of a change regarding the upcoming retreat originally scheduled with Luisa Lazzarotto. Due to a situation that cannot be resolved in the short term, the teacher will not be able to lead the retreat, which will instead be led by her assistant, Luca Baffigi. Luca has extensive experience both as a Dhamma practitioner and as a therapist and gets the full confidence of the Board of Directors and the Center’s spiritual leader. His reference teacher is Bhante Sujiva, from whom he received authorization in 2023 to begin his teacher training. Please note that we are still accepting registrations in order to confirm the annual retreat dedicated to young people.  From July 12 to 16, the Pian dei Ciliegi Meditation Center is offering a few days dedicated to boys and girls aged 15 to 19. A simple and welcoming experience, nestled in the natural beauty of the Piacenza hills, to cultivate listening, calm, mindfulness, and kindness through meditation, yoga, nature walks, creative activities, and moments of sharing. There are still places available for several retreats. We…

Dear members, this link leads to a documentary filmed by Roberto Montanari—a practitioner and member of the Pian dei Ciliegi Board of Directors—for the celebration of the Association’s 30th anniversary, which falls this year. The title is Let the Insight come.

Dear members, The Mettananda retreat is currently underway, kicking off a month of June that is truly full of opportunities for practice. The upcoming retreat, led by Giuliano Giustarini and Gautam Verma from June 10 to 16, will be a unique opportunity for the study and practice of Vipassana meditation. This will be followed by a retreat led by Venerable Sayalay Daw Bhaddamanika, for which a few spots are still available. 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. Fundraiser: Help Us Purchase the Pian dei Ciliegi Building As many of you know, we have decided to purchase the center’s main building, the one that houses the meditation hall, the dining room, and the bedrooms. So far, we have been able to carry out all our activities thanks to the generosity of those who have hosted us till now, but we are now facing a decisive step for the future of the Center. Purchasing the main building will allow us to…

Dear members, The retreat led by Ven. Vivekananda has just concluded; this was the third retreat in April, marking the start of the in-person retreat season here at the center. Like the previous retreats led by Hannes Huber and Gautam Verma, this one was conducted with full participation and satisfaction of both teacher and meditators. We are now preparing to welcome Ayya Virañani, who will stay with us for 20 days, leading a Metta retreat followed by a Vipassana retreat. There are still places available for several retreats. We invite you to register online at  Ariya Baumann will lead a series of three online sessions on June 2, September 22, and December 1, from 8:00 to 9:30 PM Italian Time.The evening will begin with a Dhamma talk of about 30 minutes, followed by silent meditation. Afterward, there will be time for questions and discussion. The meeting will be in English with Italian translation. Registration on the website:  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 The month of May began…

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