When you think “mise-au-vert,” you might picture a corporate retreat somewhere remote, perhaps with team-building games involving blindfolds and trust falls. We went for a different version: three days of work, hiking, and Italian flavors. With hills, lake and olive groves as the backdrop to productive meetings and bonding conversations.
The Journey: Trains, Delays, and Belgian Determination
For two of us, Julien and Julien (we’re quite original with names) the journey started on Monday evening, 14th of October. Coming all the way from Belgium, the Juliens opted for an environmentally conscious approach to travel – the train. Now, Belgium to Abruzzo by train is not exactly a hop, skip, and a jump. It’s more like a hop, skip, several train changes and a few delays which made an already lengthy trip extra long. A bit of an endurance test, but in the end, they arrived with smiles, happy to have taken the scenic route. After all, there’s something satisfying about mastering the European rail system, even if it tries to throw you off course now and then.
Pizza in Pescara
After surviving their odyssey, the stomach’s were craving food so what better way to kick off our time together than with pizza in Pescara? The evening weather was on our side, and the mood was light as we dove into the local flavors. Porcini, tartufo and ventricina… Work discussions would have to wait for tomorrow, but Julie got the latest updates from Belgium, where the recent elections were still the talk of the town. Then as fatigue kicked in we set out on the last leg of the journey to Julie and Lucia’s home for a well deserved night of sleep in the mongolian guest yurt.
Pennadomo: Where Work Meets Nature
The next day was our first big “mise-au-vert” moment. We set off for a hike towards Pennadomo, a picturesque village perched against blades of limestone rock that cut through the landscape like a knife. While discussing the future of Champs-Libres, new members, projects and opportunities, we hiked up to the highest cliff viewpoint to enjoy a pic-nic lunch and vistas of Lago di Bomba. After lunch, we continued our way to Pennadomo’s waterfall and meandered through olive groves, all the while continuing our discussions on the go. Though less notes (or no notes?) were taken, there was something liberating about not sitting around a table with laptops all the time. At the end of the day we could say we felt ‘tired but satisfied’ rather than ‘tired but, yeah no, tired’.
Co-working with a View in Colledimezzo
On day two, we tried out a brand-new co-working space in the hilltop village of Colledimezzo. A first of it’s kind in rural Abruzzo, and while the place wasn’t bustling with people just yet (when is rural Abruzzo ever?), it is nice to see villages taking this kind of initiative. I mean, who needs office cubicles when you can work from a hilltop in Italy? The place lent itself well to an efficient morning of decision-making. Coffees and tea were consumed and notes were taken this time. Laptops could not be left to feel abandoned forever now could they? We were moving through the agenda swiftly! For lunch, we drove over to Villa Santa Maria and tucked into a hearty meal at a small trattoria. But the real highlight? A post-lunch dip in the icy waters of the Sangro river. Let us tell you, it was the kind of refreshment that wakes you up like three espressos in one. The cold mountain water gave us the necessary boost for a final afternoon of work back at the co-working space.
Evenings of Food and Conversation
The evenings were laid-back. Julie’s wife, Lucia, spoiled us with some delicious Italian dinners and over these meals, our conversations flowed from tech and agriculture to travel stories and family life. It is those moments that are often hard to find in a typical work environment, and so they are what make the whole mise-au-vert experience even more valuable. Spoiler alert: turns out all three of us are pretty in tune with ‘la bella vita’. Just something we share aside from the first 5 letters of our name.
Mapping Trees and Wrapping Up
On our last day, we decided to try our hand at using Qfield, a tool for mapping. In our case we used it to map out the trees on Julie and Lucia’s property. It was a fun little exercise that will also come in handy for their future agriculture endeavors. Who doesn’t love a good map to document the ins and outs of a place. Plus, it was the perfect way to conclude our little getaway, combining tech with nature. One does not have to exclude the other! Sadly, all good things must come to an end. The Juliens were tempted to take the train back – after all, they had made it work on the way here – but the stars didn’t quite align with the train schedules and family time is held in high regard by all of us. So, it was off to the airport instead for a speedier journey home.
Conclusion: La Vita veramente è Bella
To conclude, we really felt like we managed to find the perfect blend of ‘ings’: working, hiking, discovering, swimming, relaxing, traveling, eating, drinking, some geeking, but mostly, enjoying some shared time together. The future of Champs-Libres feels bright in this mis-au-vert’s afterglow and we seem to have stumbled upon a formula to be repeated. Marbehan, Switzerland, the French Alps, … if trains will take us Champs-Libres’ maps have limits no more.
