Withdraw from the World · Eremo Di Camaldoli

Not all retirements stem from a crisis.

Sometimes there's no visible break, no defined spiritual quest, no urgent question awaiting an answer. Sometimes what prompts withdrawal is something more subtle and, at the same time, deeper: the weariness of living surrounded by stimuli, words, and constant decisions. The desire to be, for a while, in a place where there's nothing to prove.

Withdrawing is not running away.
In many cases, it's about returning to a rhythm that the body remembers, even if the mind no longer knows how to name it.

In the Tuscan Apennines, surrounded by ancient and dense forests, the Hermitage of Camaldoli It has existed for over a thousand years as a place designed precisely for that purpose: to offer silence without promises, time without instructions, and a way of being in the world that does not demand results.

A place where time doesn't speed up

Camaldoli is not a destination in the usual sense. You don't "visit" it like you would a city or a monument. You arrive. And upon arrival, something changes almost imperceptibly.

The Camaldoli complex consists of the monastery and the hermitage itself, both belonging to the Camaldolese tradition, a branch of the Benedictine rule founded by Saint Romuald at the beginning of the 11th century. Since then, life here has been organized around an austere and deliberate balance: prayer, manual labor, reading, and silence.

There are no sets or experiences designed for the visitor. There are no suggested itineraries or scheduled activities to "make the most of your time." There are schedules marked by bells, paths that wind through the forest, simple cells, and shared spaces where silence is not imposed, but respected.

What does it really mean to do a retreat in Camaldoli?

Those who decide to spend a few days in Camaldoli won't find a structured program or a guided experience. Rather, they will find, time without filling.

• long moments of silence
• frugal meals, eaten without haste
• free walks through the forest
• the possibility of attending monastic liturgy, without obligation

No faith is required. No spiritual adherence is required.
But respect is requested for the rhythm of the place and for those who live there.

There are no motivational slogans or promises of personal transformation here. The retreat doesn't guarantee immediate clarity, deep rest, or answers. And, paradoxically, it's this absence of promises that makes the experience honest.

Silence as a physical experience

Camaldoli's silence is not abstract or symbolic. It is felt in the body.

It manifests itself in the precision of sounds: footsteps on the gravel, the wind through the trees, a door opening. In the way everyday gestures regain their significance: preparing a cup of tea, reading a few pages, sitting and doing nothing.

Silence doesn't appear suddenly. It's built up gradually. And in that process, many people discover the extent to which they were accustomed to living in constant tension, even when they thought they were resting.

Retiring is not disappearing

A retreat doesn't erase everyday life. It doesn't solve what awaits outside. It doesn't magically eliminate stress.

But it can offer something more discreet and, sometimes, more lasting: a different measure of time, a finer listening, a real pause that is not consumed like a product.

In places like Camaldoli, silence is not presented as an answer.
It is offered as a possibility.

And sometimes, for someone who arrives tired, that's enough.