Stories from Hermitage
Postcards from Hermitage
Stories of the house, the island and the people who have shaped life at Hermitage.
A family collection
Small Stories from a Small Island
“Postcards from Hermitage is where I write down the things I notice, remember and am told — stories of the house and gardens, of Nevis, of food and weather, weddings and Christmas, neighbours, guests and the odd monkey passing through.
Some are memories. Some are things happening now. Others are stories I was told as a child and never quite wanted to lose.
I add another whenever there is something worth sending home.”
— Richie Lupinacci
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The House That Has Always Been Here
Built like a cross and laid out on cardinal points, The Hermitage faces the ocean to the front and the mountain to the back.
The Postcards
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The Seasons Change in a Night
When I was in school I heard about four seasons, winter, spring, summer and fall, and I was told that it was different for us in the Caribbean…
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Colors of Christmas
The Colours of Christmas come with Moko Jumbies walking on long sticks with big strides, on 10-foot tall stilts, and covered in a patchwork of bright billowing fabrics…
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Of Life and Love
Nevis is alive! Her people, her friends, our family, our guests, all are finally able to come back home and life got big again.
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The Houses We Built
The Pink House is one of the first cottages we built at Hermitage, in the gingerbread style of local Nevis chattel houses, celebrating Caribbean life.
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Old Travels
The airport runway on Nevis runs directly along the beach, and halfway down the middle reaching off into the sea is an old wooden pier with a rusted crane.
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Copper Pots
We have ponds of water throughout our garden where the waterlilies grow, where the herons perch, where the wild donkeys and roaming livestock come to drink when the yard is still.
More About Hermitage
These stories are only one way into Hermitage. You can read about the old Great House and the family that came to live here, find your way through the rooms, cottages and villas, or see what is happening around the table.
Our Story · Stay · Dining · Gatherings