November and December 2026 at Il Cerro
Dear Friends,
Some of you know, many more have asked: so how was Halloween this year? Fantastic! It was our 29th, and the smallest Halloween party since we were shaken up by earthquakes in 2012, but spirits were high. Forty-five people attended the party, and 22 slept here on every mattress we own.
In many ways, the day after was just as fun as the scaring and screaming and dancing, because we ended up grilling brunch and watching a dramatic storm and rainbow pass through the hills. Then, in the afternoon, we headed 15 minutes downhill to Castell'Arquato to stroll through what I promise you is one of the most beautiful towns in Italy.
In 1997 and 1998, when I lived in Budrio, I explored many of the most beautiful hill towns of Emilia-Romagna, following an Italian guidebook, I Borghi Più Belli dell'Emilia e della Romagna — texts by Paola Emilia Rubbi and Aldo Ferrari, photographs by Stefano Monetti and Giampaolo Zaniboni. My favourite place was in the hills above Piacenza. I took many photos that day (35 mm film, remember that?), including a series of images that I taped together to make a wide panoramic view of a gorgeous piazza with a huge castle, the apse of a Romanesque church and a medieval town hall.
The cars date the collage of snapshots, but nothing else has changed. It has basically remained the same for hundreds of years: the 14th-century castle, the Palazzo del Podestà from the late 13th century, and the church built in the 8th century and rebuilt in the 12th. Perhaps you've seen this town without even knowing its name: Castell'Arquato appears in the 1985 movie Ladyhawke.
Here at Il Cerro we are still working on getting thousands of books organized on shelves and paintings on walls. It will take a while. We also have to update the heating and kitchen, so if you're not in the mood for roughing it a bit, please come back in 2027. For nearly thirty years, I have been living in incredibly old, cold and “rough” buildings, so by comparison to the castle and villas, this house seems almost too normal and modern, but I must confess, I'm ready for a bit less adventure.
Save the date! Sunday 13 December, 7 pm
Reading Retreats in Rural Italy turns 30!
As a classical music fan, one concert program that might be the perfect way of celebrating our 30th anniversary is a piano recital featuring the aria and thirty Goldberg Variations BWV 988 by Johann Sebastian Bach, published in 1741. My Polish friend, Jakub Tchorzewski, has offered to perform this incredibly demanding program for us, so we can relax around the fireplace for an hour as his fingers, brain and entire body and soul get a serious workout.
Originally composed for a double-manual harpsichord, the variations include notoriously challenging crossovers for hands when performed on a single piano keyboard. Only a virtuoso would even make such a generous offer, and I was delighted to accept it. Cocktails and buffet before the music, dessert after. Seating in the living room is limited to forty, so please reserve your spots soon. Rooms in the house will fill up very quickly, and then we can suggest local B&Bs for friends who would like to stay in the area and return home Monday morning. Read more about Jakub Tchorzewski.
Reserve for the 30th anniversary
New Year's Eve — December 31st, 2026, 9 pm
We're having another “bring your own” picnic — informal, inexpensive, inimitable atmosphere! Girls and Pearls (and Swine) welcome. This will be a party for the whole family!
We're asking everyone who hasn't yet renewed their membership for 2027 to do it before the party, and those who are already members to please give a €15 donation all the same, to help us cover the costs of keeping our new home heated and cozy! Thirty-year anniversaries are sometimes celebrated with a gift of pearls, so wear them if you have any. Nobody will check to see if they are real.
“To Cast Pearls Before Swine” is the theme this year, and I'm not sure where that might lead to other than strands of plastic pearls alongside prosciutto or coppa piacentina, but that's a good start.
Clark