Cheeseheads in Tuscany: Event Planning in Italy

[+CaseysPeeps]

My wife and I will be traveling in Italy this fall and are interested in hosting an event so that we can meet some local geocachers.  We were thinking of having the event on Thursday, October 11, perhaps in or near Montepulciano as we will be staying in the Buonconvento area at that time.  Having never been to Italy before, we really don't have a clue as to where to hold the event, what time would be best for the meet and greet, etc.  If there is anyone here that can help with some suggestions, we'd greatly appreciate them!

[+IceColdUK]

I’d look for any events already organised in the area, preferably hosted by a local, and reach out to them for recommendations.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

4 hours ago, IceColdUK said:

I’d look for any events already organised in the area, preferably hosted by a local, and reach out to them for recommendations.

 

Good luck with that.   A search of that town for events revealed only one event within 50 miles and it was hosted by someone from Vienna.

 

Small parks, restaurants, or even hotel lobby's might work.   There are a lot of places where there just aren't' very many local geocachers.

[+cerberus1]

Guess I just don't understand why you'd hold an event in another country, when you already state you don't know where to begin. 

Contact COs of any caches in the area for ideas, maybe.  

 

Remembered This post in another thread, kind of explaining why the outcome may not be as expected.

Noteworthy (I thought) was , "Of course, often these sorts of traveler hosted events are at odd hours on weekdays, where anyone who has a job can't make it. Whereas the locals host weekend, or weekday evening events ".    So make it in the evening and take a chance I guess. 

 

 

[+EggsTheBest]

1 minute ago, cerberus1 said:

Guess I just don't understand why you'd hold an event in another country, when you already state you don't know where to begin. 

 

It's a good way to meet local cachers, ask for recommendations (for best caches or tips for caching in that area), exchange trackables (much safer than just dropping them in a cache) and just have a great time.  

[+The A-Team]

16 minutes ago, EggsTheBest said:

It's a good way to meet local cachers...

...if there are any local cachers, of course. Looking at the number of caches in the vicinity of Montepulciano and Buonconvento, it doesn't look like there are many local cachers (if any) in the immediate area. Even the closest larger towns are pretty sparse as far as caches, which implies a lack of resident cachers.

 

Like cerberus1 said, think carefully about when to hold the event. We get a lot of tourist events where I live, and a lot of the locals can't get to the events because they're held during typical working hours or immediately after that. I've been unable to get to a bunch of events because there simply isn't enough time for me to get home from work, have dinner, and then make it to the event. I'm not familiar with the typical working hours in Italy, but if it's somewhat similar to North America, I wouldn't plan for any earlier than 7 pm in order to give potential attendees enough time to get there.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

16 hours ago, The A-Team said:

...if there are any local cachers, of course. Looking at the number of caches in the vicinity of Montepulciano and Buonconvento, it doesn't look like there are many local cachers (if any) in the immediate area. Even the closest larger towns are pretty sparse as far as caches, which implies a lack of resident cachers.

 

Like cerberus1 said, think carefully about when to hold the event. We get a lot of tourist events where I live, and a lot of the locals can't get to the events because they're held during typical working hours or immediately after that. I've been unable to get to a bunch of events because there simply isn't enough time for me to get home from work, have dinner, and then make it to the event. I'm not familiar with the typical working hours in Italy, but if it's somewhat similar to North America, I wouldn't plan for any earlier than 7 pm in order to give potential attendees enough time to get there.

 

Coincidentally, 7 to 9pm is generally when Italians partake in an apertivo.  Although similar to what we call Happy Hour in the U.S., it's more than that.  Here's what one site has said about apertivo:

 

"Today, the simple drink has evolved and spread south to encompass those glorious couple of hours all over Italy — generally between 7pm and 9 pm — when Italians meet to relax over a glass of wine or a light cocktail and finger foods. Since most people eat lunch around 1 or 2pm, and dinner around 8 or 9 pm, it’s also a good way to kick start metabolisms and work up an appetite for dinner."

 

Geoapertivo anyone?