Casa Ecco

The Villa & Grounds

Casa Ecco is a historic 19th century villa, on a sixty-acre estate in the town of Griante on Lake Como, Italy. The building is an English Gothic Revival style villa, set in a large park that extends up towards the slopes of St Martin Stone. Originally called Villa Maresi, the current structure was built upon the ruins of an ancient medieval castle dating back to the Franco-Hispanic war. Pompeo Maresi bought the ruins and entrusted the project to Giacomo Mantegazza and his son Carlo, first sending Giacomo to Britain to study this architectural style. The reconstruction by Mantegazza then took place between 1895 and 1905. Under her ownership, Drue Heinz renamed the house Casa Ecco after Ecco Press, the literary press she ran.

Beginning in the late nineties, it has been the site of years of “Conversazioni” among writers, roundtable discussions on literature, many of which were published in The Paris Review as the series “Como Conversazione.” Her legacy continues on now, with the villa functioning as a retreat for invited authors to complete a literary work in progress.

The Residencies

Hawthornden Foundation offers residencies at Casa Ecco throughout the year. Writers are provided with three meals per day and private accommodations with a work space for a six-week stay. There are usually six–eight writers in residence at any time, representing different disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The residency provides a stipend to each writer, but does not provide any direct assistance arranging travel. As guests of the residency, the writers receive full room and board for the duration of their session.

No demands are made on their time during the sessions. Nor are writers expected to give any account of their work. The aim is to provide a refuge from the distractions and duties of daily life to allow the writers to concentrate fully on their writing.

While meals will be provided, including a daily evening meal in the dining room of the Casa, writers may elect not to attend organized meals, and may arrange readings or other entertainments amongst themselves, but there is no prescribed social activity. Wi-Fi is available at Casa Ecco.

The residency is international in character and welcomes writers from all over the world. The residency is administered as a nonprofit, the mission of which is to foster creative writing in all languages, and creative writers of many kinds – poets, novelists, short-story writers, playwrights, scriptwriters, essayists, creative nonfiction writers, translators – are eligible for residencies.

Applicants with any physical disabilities are advised to consult the staff about their required accommodations before applying. Casa Ecco is a historic property, and as such, though we may be able to make certain accommodations, it may not be suited to all needs. Within your application, there is also an opportunity to describe other needed accommodations.

Casa Ecco Staff

Marilena Ortelli, Head Housekeeper
Terezie Jenisova, Manager of Finance & Operations
Ugo Venini, Gardener

Conversazioni

HISTORY OF THE CONVERSAZIONI

Conversazioni are held at Casa Ecco a few times per year. The meetings, to which neither the public nor the press is invited so that the atmosphere remains convivial and the conversation freewheeling, take place over two days, with a free day offered to participants to enjoy the surroundings. The purpose of these gatherings is to promote an outcome that is shared, either locally or globally, in the service of literature and the reading public more generally.

Hawthornden Foundation is committed to diverse programming in the Conversazioni, including the work of individuals and organizations based outside of the United States, the UK and Europe. We are committed to the inclusion and support of organizations and individuals that are diverse in racial, ethnic and gender identities, economic capacity and geographical origins.

Eligibility

Each year, the Hawthornden Foundation provides residencies at Casa Ecco on Lake Como, Italy, to a small number of selected writers. To be eligible for the Residency, applicants should demonstrate significant achievement in their genre. Residencies are awarded through a two-tiered process of nomination, followed by jury selection from among those who are nominated. We do not accept open applications.

Eligibility requirements differ by category. Residencies will be offered to established writers who have published (and not self-published) at least two books. Poets who have published one book and/or won a notable prize shall be eligible for a residency. Playwrights who have written one play which was performed on broadway or off-broadway shall be eligible for a residency. Screenwriters with one screenplay made into a commercial movie will be eligible.

The residencies accept literary writers of all kinds, and in all languages. The eligible genres are novelists, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, short story writers, translators, essayists, and creative non-fiction writers. (Please see more on applications in from writers working languages other than English below.)

If you have been a Hawthornden Writer in the past, you are eligible for any other Hawthornden site after a one-year hiatus. After a hiatus of five years, you will be eligible to return to the site where you have already been a Writer.

Applications for Residency

Residencies are awarded through a two-tiered process of nomination, followed by jury selection from among those who are nominated. We do not accept open applications.

Translations of Writing Samples

Applications from writers working in languages other than English are required to include English translations of their work sample as well as the text in the original language. Such applicants should be reasonably fluent in spoken English in order to participate in the life of the residency.

Beginning in 2024, any applicant who writes in a language other than English may ask for their writing sample to be translated into English for the purposes of their application. This is a service provided by Hawthornden Foundation through the literary organization Words Without Borders. (Please note that in some cases, Words Without Borders may not be able to secure a translator working in the applicant’s language.) Please also note that while the applicant will have a chance to review the translation before submitting it to Hawthornden, they will not have the opportunity to correspond with the translator.

Should you choose to take advantage of this translation service, you will be asked to sign an agreement with WWB that commits you to providing the proper translation credit.

2026 Session Dates

Please note, session dates are provisional and may vary. Please refer to this page for the most accurate session information. Should dates change, we will continue to update them here.

Casa Ecco

Session I: Saturday, 28 March – Saturday, 9 May
Session II: Saturday, 23 May – Saturday, 4 July
Session III: Saturday, 11 July – Saturday, 22 August
Session IV: Saturday, 29 August – Saturday, 10 October
Session V: Saturday, 17 October – Saturday, 28 November