12 Aug Team Building near Milan: Lake Como
The area around Milan offers many alternative destinations. A large number of companies and other groups will flock to the city and surely, among many things, they will ask themselves: is there a particular place where they can organize new incentive activities and motivate their staff? Ours is intended to be a special column that attempts to answer this simple question, to discover with you new places suitable for team building around the Italian fashion capital. Each time we will see a new location, with its historical, artistic and natural background, which we can learn about and appreciate. Follow us on this fascinating journey, and let us know what you think!
Lake Como: the most beautiful lake in the world!
Let’s discover a beautiful place, full of charm and enchantment: Lake Como. Not far from Milan, it allows one to enjoy a breathtaking panorama around the splendid body of water, surrounded by striking mountains, enchanting valleys and magnificent caves.
Created by deep river excavations in the Miocene and shaped by repeated glaciations in the Pleistocene, the lake presents an extraordinary natural scenery, for which it was named the most beautiful lake in the world by the online newspaper “The Huffington Post” in 2014. A whole dotted with an equally extraordinary architectural backdrop of castles, villas and villages of medieval origin. So let’s take a look at a few examples.
Among the most important and famous villas we find Villa D’Este in Cernobbio, a true jewel rich in works of art. Several times in the hands of the Church, its history dates back to the 15th century. The villa reached the height of its splendor in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when it belonged to Princess Catherine of Brunswick.
Also noteworthy are Villa Oleandra and Villa Margherita in Laglio, which recently became famous because of their purchase by George Clooney. The love between Clooney and Laglio began in 1995, when the American actor went there for a vacation;
George was so fascinated by the place that he decided to buy Villa Oleandra, the first of his properties, where he filmed parts of the movie “Ocean’s Twelve.” The villa was soon followed by a second property, Villa Margherita, and two other mansions. But the charm of the estate impressed other Hollywood stars.
The Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie couple had considered holding their wedding at Villa Oleandra, while it is very likely that Tom Cruise will be the next tenant of Villa Margherita after renovations.
If you are planning to hold an incentive event at this fascinating location here are some of our formats we want to suggest.
Team Building CSI
There’s no denying it: with a location like this there are endless places to see. It would be great to discover them together with a bit of imagination and a good dose of fun. With CSI Investigative Team Building, the game is immediately organized: after being given a set of information and equipped with forensic tools, you can solve the mystery of a crime scene. Attention to detail, a sense of cooperation and the ability to separate fact from supposition will be the key factors in getting to the killer.
Non c’è che dire: con una location come questa ci sono infiniti posti da vedere. Sarebbe bello scoprirli insieme con un pizzico di fantasia e una bella dose di divertimento. Con CSI Investigative Team Building il gioco è immediatamente organizzato: dopo aver ricevuto un set di informazioni ed equipaggiati con strumenti forensi, potrete risolvere il mistero di una scena del crimine. L’attenzione per il dettaglio, il senso di cooperazione e la capacità di separare i fatti dalle supposizioni saranno i fattori chiave per arrivare all’assassino.
Orienteering
Lake Como is also known for its fortresses and castles, such as Castel Baradello, built in the 12th century with the help of Frederick Barbarossa, or Vezio Castle, a fascinating fortress turned a training center for birds of prey. But moving from one castle to another may not be so easy. In the Middle Ages, forests, country roads and valleys offered an ideal hiding place for ambushes, but now they can be used as locations to organize an incredible incentive experience.
Orienteering is perfect for the case: with only a map, a compass and hiking shoes, we must reach the final line in the shortest possible time, following a series of previously chosen checkpoints in a specific order. Technical leadership, collaboration and communication will help us find our way, in a circumstance where it is very easy to observe the decision-making process.
Survival Team Building
Very similar to Orienteering, Survival Team Building is the ideal format for replicating the difficulties of a critical situation. Certain skills are fundamental to this incentive experience, such as communication, coordination, cooperation, and resource and time management, practiced under particularly stressful conditions-a perfect way to learn to manage our skills along with our emotions.
Urban Game
Similar to a treasure hunt, another alternative for visiting Lake Como is to start from the city of Como itself. Visiting the city with an Urban Game activity means having participants discover the city’s most interesting sights and its most beautiful historical monuments even from the most peculiar perspectives. But all this will not take place in the form of a tour with explanations provided by a guide, but rather in a playful, interactive and fun way!
Treasure Hunt
Of course, the Treasure Hunt could not be missed! It would be extremely inspiring to use the architectural background of Lake Como for our incentive activity. Treasure Hunt is a perfect tool for this purpose: as we search for a hidden treasure, we get acquainted with the historical, artistic and cultural aspects of the place and have the opportunity to get to know and collaborate closely with other team members.
A particularly suitable location for this team building is the Brunate Lighthouse, a 29-meter octagonal tower built in 1927 to commemorate the centenary of Alessandro Volta’s death, where we can enjoy an exceptional view of the entire landscape-an experience that will remain in our memories for many years to come.
Another wonderful location for a team building Treasure Hunt on the lake is Comacina Island. Team building on an island means having an experience that has very little in common with the usual sightseeing tour. It is an experience outside the city limits, outside the boundaries and outside the box. It is a way to forget the usual references, to go and discover the beauty of the area in an adventurous and original way, accompanied by your own intuition and that of your companions. Treasure Hunt on Comacina Island is to take a plunge into the past and immerse oneself in a small reality, ancient and full of meaning, without giving up the proximity and splendor of Lake Como.
Do you have other locations around Lake Como to suggest? Contact us
Movie Making
Another engaging tool to take advantage of architectural richness is Movie Making Team Building. Lake Como has been chosen as a movie set for many films in recent years. How can we forget the love scene between Anakin and Padmé in the second episode of Star Wars? With this format we can shoot and be the stars of our own movie!
It is an extremely useful team building because of the reduced commitment in terms of cost, time and organizational complexity, achieving in a few days what could be achieved in weeks of work.
Cooking Team Building
But to build our team building experiences we can also use one of the formats from the Cooking Team Building series. The local culinary culture offers a wide choice from which to draw. With the help of experienced chefs and bartenders and provided with the appropriate ingredients and tools, we prepare our own customized menu. The main goal of the format: to enjoy time spent together. A very efficient way of building trust and close relationships while encouraging creativity.
Preparing something that will be eaten for real creates on the one hand a sense of responsibility, and on the other a pleasant gathering together with a simple but important common goal: to eat! One location we are very fond of where we can eat and enjoy lake-view dining experiences is Filo D’Olio Restaurant in Carate Urio.
A lunch, dinner or team-building event at Il Filo D’Olio Restaurant is an unforgettable experience to be fully enjoyed at any time of the day! During the day, from the large, bright veranda overlooking one of the most striking views of Lake Como, it is easy to get lost in the enchanting shades of blue that shimmer in the sun’s rays. In the evening, however, it is the sunset that lights up the landscape, framed by the gentle mountains. The gaze embraces such wonder in endless emotion.
Wine Team Building
With Wine Team Building we can discover the culinary art of Lake Como with its wines, such as “Domasino Bianco” and “Domasino Rosso.” The creation of wine for many of us remains shrouded in mystery. Would we like to discover its secrets and the intricacies of its creation? If the answer is yes, this is the format for us. We learn to recognize the distinctions between secondary aromas, add ingredients in the right doses, and discover the mysterious tricks behind wine making. A task fit for an alchemist!
Cocktail Challenge Team Building
With the Cocktail Challenge Team Building, on the other hand, we can take advantage of the beautiful view from the balconies of lakeside restaurants with a popular format. Participants gather at the end of a hard day’s work to enjoy the view of the setting sun in a warm and festive atmosphere.
The task: create the proposed cocktail following the instructions of an experienced bartender. Extremely effective for improving creativity, communication and team spirit, Cocktail Team Building is one of the best ways to motivate your employees and improve their morale.
Social Cooking
As a final addition to our short list, we want to mention a format that is very dear to us: Social Cooking. Expertise gained in the workplace, or practiced in a fascinating location like Lake Como, can be of great benefit in other circumstances as well. What if we use them for those in difficult circumstances? Let’s think about it: our skills in the service of those who need help. Participants must cook for people in need with the help of qualified chefs.
Working with CAF in Milan, an institution that helps minors with shocking experiences behind them, was a great experience for us. The smiles of the children at the end of the event was a clear sign of the great work done together. A touching and at the same time extraordinary experience, capable of giving unique emotions.