Appsvio Out of Office, Italy Edition

Buongiorno everyone! As January comes to an end, and the current weather does absolutely not resemble the winter wonderland you would expect, our minds go back to our days in Italy, in the beautiful city of San Leo. Despite the fact that this trip happened a couple of months ago, we still hold it dearly in our hearts. 

With ambitious plans, we packed our suitcases, headed for the airport and, of course, we slept through the flight like babies. Energized, geared up - we were ready to give our all: relaxing, exploring and eating as much pasta as we could fit into our stomachs. However, this trip was not just about our, somewhat immoral, eating desires - we wanted to actually get to know each other. As we are scattered across the country and work together mostly through screens, there’s only so much we can learn about one another. So, despite the fact that we may keep saying ‘what happened in Italy, stays in Italy’, we are going to let you in on our secrets and tell you about some of our adventures.

We may have planned each day with great care, but it did not mean that we were not about to enjoy some more surprises along the way. From the weather not giving us sunshine vibes until our last day, through forgetting about siesta, to learning the hard way that some of us were actually seasick - despite all of these shortcomings, we still had a blast and created meaningful memories. We have been together through the good and the bad, which only brought us closer.

How did we attack the day?

Mornings were filled with home-cooked breakfast - whether you had your coffee with a picturesque view or during some quiet talks, you couldn’t have had a bad time. Sometimes we like to think we know most of our colleagues, but it does not mean we couldn’t have been amazed, when we learned that some of our team members could actually sleep through the end of the world. And as any normal human being, we envied them this superpower of heavy sleeping nature.

Whether you had it in peace or in chaos, alone or with a group - each coffee morning was unforgettable, along with the majestic views!

Undoubtedly, we took the days by storm with a wide array of different activities - roadtrips, hiking, sightseeing, trainings and a catamaran cruise at the end - all of these were on the table. It wouldn’t be an Appsvio team, if we did not have an individualistic approach, so naturally we got lost at the first chance that presented itself - the roadtrip. Thankfully, it all ended well, with our communication skills better than ever. 

Sightseeing in San Marino helped us awaken our inner-explorers. Walking through the town, we admired stone-built infrastructure and managed to meet our new addition - Francesco, the dog. Although he only joined us for a short period of time, he is still in our hearts. As we reached the castle, the stone constructions were beginning to mix with green landscapes, we couldn’t do anything else than be in awe, the fog only adding more of the mysterious atmosphere. 

It was Magda who first met Francesco. She always has an eye for new recruits! Walking up to the castle we couldn’t help but look down, suddenly feeling like we were visiting the Great Wall of China.

Some of us may have been, to say dramatically, scarred by the cruise and the newly discovered seasickness, but as things calmed down, we could say it was a time of relaxation. As we soaked up the sunshine, we also got to explore our music tastes (and of course we ended up sharing our, occasionally questionable, childhood playlists and musical hits of each decade).

With hair wind-swept and smiles always on, our lucky survivors of the cruise can be a voucher for time well-spent.

Food - the binding glue in every relationship

Italy and pasta always go together in our minds, so it would be a crime if we did not taste the authentic cuisine. Our Italian skills were put to test during the ordering process, but we like to think we came out unscathed. Although, what we termed a success may be subjective and frowned upon by a real Italian connoisseur, we are still proud of ourselves, including the surely spoken “Si Si” (especially when we did not know what’s going on). And as we are mentioning food, we have to admit it became one the most bonding activities, however not just as ‘ordering in’. Suddenly, everyone unleashed their secret culinary skills and each meal prep became almost an event. Undoubtedly, the kitchen was our main meeting point - filled with chatter, lively discussion and sounds of enjoyment. No matter if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner - everyone wanted to contribute something at every stage of the process, whether it was small help-offerings or dazzling us with their Masterchef abilities. It was at these times when we felt like we were home, at ease, our minds free of tasks, deadlines and worries.

From small lunch breaks to big dinners and desserts, we enjoyed each meal together.

Getting to know each other
on a personal level

Being together as a whole are very rare occasions for us, so we knew immediately that during our trip we had to organize at least one training session and we landed on the topic of non-violent communication. If you are imagining a very boring, yawn-inducing presentation, spoken with a flat tone, get that out of your head and let it be replaced with intense discussions, sometimes even disagreements and most important of all - tons of jokes. It was an incredible and exhilarating experience to see everyone participate in such an active way, eager to talk about emotions. Gender did not play any role here, as every single person wanted to share their own views, but also listen and understand what others had to say. In the spirit of honesty, we also set up a Q&A session with our CEO, Chris. With each answered question, curiosity was slowly satisfied but it also opened a new box of ideas for us, as we got to think about the future plans and projects. 

The laid-back atmosphere allowed us to be even more honest with each other, no question was inappropriate.

Best ways to end the day

No matter who you ask, we unanimously agree that evenings were our favourite time. Even though we spent whole days together, we did not have enough. With full stomachs, the chatter continued, whether it was over the table or in the jacuzzi. And as we learned, some of us are specialists in the bonfire department, so we did not need volunteers for heating up the baths (although that passion also made us reach a boiling point that one time, so maybe let’s not go overboard in the future). We also played a very memorable mafia game-sessions, during which we had to reveal who belongs to the group of bad guys. Each session was conducted by our Support, Witek. His acting skills and engagement, along with foggy landscapes surrounding us, definitely helped us transport into our roles. 

We may have been tired, but it did not mean we were not ready to give our 100% during the game.

Would we change anything?

Looking back, we see how bananas actually this trip was, especially from a logistic point of view. The idea of gathering 13 people, who are spread across the country, is tougher than it seems. But we also believe that it takes a bit crazy bunch of humans to make the impossible possible, and that’s who we are at Appsvio. We take our passion and humor, and put it not only into work, but also to our relations. We do have some pointers for our future selves such as more pizza, more training sessions and perhaps creating a more laid-back schedule, but every memory of this excursion makes us smile, so in our minds we have accomplished what we wanted. We got so many opportunities to get to know each other in ways that computers and sprints don’t allow us to. And even though the whole trip happened back in October, the energy it gave us carried all the way to the start of 2025. We are looking forward to our next outings and sharing them with you!