Published by O Castro Art Village · Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain

Autumn and Winter at O Castro: Why the Quiet Season Is the Best

In September, two things happen in Ribeira Sacra at once. The travellers head home. And the valley comes back to itself.

The loud village festivals go silent. The towns empty. What fills the space left behind is something you had to wait for all summer: the sound of birds, the rustling of leaves, the particular silence that settles over a river valley when the crowds have gone. It is in September that our Creative Residency programs begin again. And it is, in our view, when the best period of being here starts.

The harvest

Each morning in September, neighbours come together to harvest the vineyards. The steep slopes and narrow terraces of Ribeira Sacra limit the use of machinery, so most of it is done by hand. You work hard. You also drink, joke, and laugh. Multiple breaks punctuate the day. The host prepares a long lunch in pure Galician style: starters, main course, dessert, coffee, and a round of Licor Café, the signature drink of rural Galicia, made for digestion and conversation.

At O Castro, we organise work days when creative residents step away from their computers and join the neighbours in the vineyard. For the residents it is an experience they have rarely had. For the neighbours it is invaluable help. For us it is giving back to the community we depend on.

Harvest in Ribeira Sacra, with its extraordinary views over the river canyons, is something you do not forget.

What the landscape becomes

When October and November arrive, the valley turns. Copper oak leaves, red and crimson vine leaves, yellow and purple at the edges. The breeze carries the smell of fallen leaves and damp earth. The light changes too, becoming more delicate, more considered, falling differently over the terraces and the water.

Walnuts fall from the trees and we collect them. The chestnut, staple nut of Galicia, begins to ripen and drop. Neighbours harvest both, and so do we. The chestnuts will be dried and later roasted over the fire, eaten in the evening after dinner with wine and conversation, close to the flames or gathered in the kitchen.

The forest is at its most beautiful in this season. Walks through it feel like moving through something alive and slowly exhaling.

The rain

e must mention the rain. Autumn and winter bring the rainy season to Galicia, and Ribeira Sacra gets its share. If you are a pluviophile, you will be in joy. You fall asleep to the sound of raindrops on the dome. Cold outside, warm and comfortable inside, in a well insulated, climate controlled space.

During working hours you will be in the studio loft with rain falling beyond the panoramic windows. Hot drinks within reach. New friends cooking in the kitchen downstairs. And as they say in Galicia: if you do not like the weather, wait a moment. When the rain pauses, those intervals are your invitation to walk in the forest, look for mushrooms, breathe in the scent of the damp trees, and catch the views when the clouds lift.

The long evenings

As winter deepens, the nights grow longer. That excess of evening time is one of the quiet gifts of the season. Film screenings, board games, skill sharing workshops, and cooking classes find their natural place here. The community, smaller and more intimate than in summer, pulls closer together.

Or you simply recline in your dome with a good book, listening to rain or to nocturnal birds, and let the contemplative mood of the season do what it does.

This is not southern Portugal or Andalucía. It is not bathing suit weather. But for those who value stillness, creative focus, and the privilege of being inside a small and genuine community during the most beautiful season of the Galician year, there is nowhere quite like it.

O Castro Art Village runs Creative Residency programs from September through summer. Stays from a few days to several months. Find out more on our Find out more on our creative residency page.