From the lakes of the north to the beaches of Puglia: the best company retreat locations in Italy, which airport to fly into for each, and the local tips we have learned on the ground.
From the lakes of the north to the beaches of Puglia: the best company retreat locations in Italy, which airport to fly into for each, and the local tips we have learned on the ground.
Tell your team the offsite is in Italy and nobody will complain. (Well, almost nobody.) The hard part is choosing where.
We’ve spent the last decade designing offsites and scouting venues, and Italy keeps pulling us back. In this guide to the best company retreat locations in Italy, I’ll walk you through the regions we love, what each one does brilliantly, what to watch out for and exactly which airport to fly into.
Comparing countries? Read our guides to corporate retreat locations in Spain and Portugal.
If your team is flying in from all over the world, start here. Since Northern Italy has the best flight connections in the country, it’s one of the easiest company retreat locations in Italy for international teams. In fact, within an hour of landing you can be sipping an aperitivo by the water.
Lake Como is the famous one: grand villas, terraced gardens and little ferries zigzagging between villages. Lake Iseo, however, is its quieter, better-value sister just east of Bergamo, and also the gateway to the Franciacorta wine region.
🔹 Boats instead of buses: On Lake Como, public ferries link Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio, so hopping between villages for lunch is an activity in itself. Alternatively, book a private boat (a classic wooden one if you want the team photo of the year).
🔹 An island with almost no cars: Monte Isola, in the middle of Lake Iseo, is one of the largest lake islands in Europe. Walk or cycle around it, then settle in for a long lakeside lunch.
🔹 Bubbles on the doorstep: Franciacorta, just south of Lake Iseo, makes Italy’s answer to Champagne, using the same traditional method. Cellar tours, tastings and cycling through the vineyards are just minutes away too.
🔹 Villas with history: On top of that, both lakes are lined with historic villas and gardens that make for very memorable dinners and meeting spaces.
✈️ Milan Malpensa (MXP): Northern Italy’s main airport for long-haul flights. It’s around 1 hour to Como, but closer to 2 hours to Bellagio or Menaggio.
✈️ Milan Linate (LIN): Close to the city and great for European flights. Como and Franciacorta are both around an hour away, so it works for either lake.
✈️ Milan Bergamo (BGY): The closest airport to Lake Iseo, about 40 minutes from Franciacorta, with plenty of flights across Europe.
April to October, with May, June and September as the sweet spot. July and August, however, are hot and busy. From November to March many lake hotels close completely, so this is not a winter option.
Book Lake Como early: It is one of Europe’s wedding hotspots, so the best villas and hotels for May to September are often gone a year in advance.
Use the water: The roads around Lake Como are narrow and winding, so a coach can take an hour to cover 20 km. Boats, on the other hand, are faster and far more fun.
Order like a local: Around Brescia and Lake Iseo, swap your Spritz for a Pirlo, the local aperitivo made with white wine and Campari.
Tuscany is what most people picture when they think of Italy: cypress-lined roads, stone villas, vineyards and long lunches that somehow turn into dinner.
It’s the place for teams who want to swap the city for the countryside and have an idyllic retreat with a real Italian feel, with Florence close enough for a day of art and gelato.
🔹 A villa all to yourselves: Tuscany is full of restored villas and agriturismi (working farm estates) that a team of 15 to 40 can take over completely. So you get your own pool, your own chef and no other guests.
🔹 Pasta, the team-building way: A hands-on cooking class making pici, Tuscany’s thick hand-rolled spaghetti, is one of the best team activities we know. Before long, everyone is covered in flour and laughing.
🔹 Wine country: Chianti sits between Florence and Siena, with Montalcino and Montepulciano further south. Come in September or October and you might also catch the harvest.
🔹 Culture nearby: Then add a day in Florence or Siena for art and history.
✈️ Florence (FLR): Small and close to the city, but with mainly European flights.
✈️ Pisa (PSA): Tuscany’s busiest airport, with more European routes. Florence is then around 1 hour away by shuttle or train.
✈️ Bologna (BLQ): A great alternative with lots of European flights. Florence is under 40 minutes away by high-speed train.
✈️ Flying long-haul?: Land at Rome Fiumicino (FCO), which has far more intercontinental flights, and take the high-speed train from Rome to Florence (around 1.5 hours).
April to June and September to October are ideal. However, inland Tuscany gets very hot in July and August (35°C is not unusual), which makes afternoon sessions hard work.
Distances look short on the map: In fact, country roads are slow and winding. Florence to the heart of Chianti can easily take an hour, so keep transfers to a minimum.
Think minibus, not coach: Many villas sit at the end of gravel roads (the famous strade bianche), so a full-size coach often can’t get there.
Mind the ZTL: Florence’s historic centre is a limited traffic zone, so coaches drop off outside it. Build a short walk into the plan.
Big group?: Villas work best for up to about 40 people. For bigger groups, look instead at countryside resorts with proper meeting rooms.
Let’s be honest about the Amalfi Coast. It’s breathtaking: pastel villages stacked up the cliffs, lemon groves and impossibly blue water. But it’s more of a holiday than a working retreat.
Hotels are also small, meeting rooms are limited and getting around takes time. For a reward trip, a leadership offsite or a team that has earned a few days of sun and boats, it’s unbeatable. But if you need four days of workshops, look elsewhere.
🔹 Life on the water: A private boat day along the coast or over to Capri, with swims in hidden coves, is the highlight for most groups. It’s also the quickest way to get around, because the roads are so slow.
🔹 Lemons everywhere: Limoncello tastings and lunch in a lemon grove are always easy wins, especially in early summer.
🔹 The Path of the Gods: A beautiful (and steep) hike high above Positano. Go early, before the heat.
🔹 Ravello: Quieter and higher up, with gardens and views that make a perfect setting for a farewell dinner.
✈️ Naples (NAP): The main airport for the coast, with plenty of European flights. Then expect 1.5 to 2 hours by road to Positano or Amalfi, depending on traffic.
✈️ Salerno (QSR): Reopened in 2024 with seasonal European flights, and the closest airport to Amalfi.
✈️ Flying long-haul?: Land at Rome Fiumicino (FCO), take the high-speed train to Naples (around 1 hour 10 from Rome) and transfer from there.
May, June and September are perfect. July and August, however, are hot and very crowded, while many hotels close from November to March.
Think small vehicles and boats: The coast road is famously narrow, and large coaches face restrictions at busy times. Minivans and ferries from Salerno or Sorrento are your friends.
Trainers, not heels: After all, every village is built on steps. Worth a heads-up for anyone with limited mobility.
Consider Sorrento as a base: It has bigger hotels and more meeting space, but still has regular boats to the coast and Capri.
Puglia is the heel of Italy’s boot, and it has become one of our favourite places for a sunny, laid-back retreat. Whitewashed towns, olive groves as far as the eye can see and two coastlines of clear water.
It’s more relaxed (and often better value) than the north, Bari airport makes it easy to reach from across Europe, and the season is long.
🔹 Masserie: Fortified farmhouses turned into boutique hotels, surrounded by olive groves. Many can also be booked exclusively, with plenty of space for outdoor sessions.
🔹 Trulli and white towns: Alberobello’s cone-roofed trulli (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ostuni, Polignano a Mare and Monopoli are all close by, so it’s easy to see a few in one week.
🔹 Food to fall in love with: Burrata, orecchiette, focaccia barese and olive oil tastings straight from the grove. For example, an orecchiette class with a local cook is always a team favourite.
🔹 A long beach season: The sea stays warm enough for a swim until well into October.
✈️ Bari (BRI): The best airport for Puglia, with direct flights from many European cities. From there, Monopoli is about 45 minutes away, while Alberobello is about an hour.
✈️ Brindisi (BDS): Smaller, but better for Ostuni and the southern Salento.
✈️ Flying long-haul?: There are no intercontinental flights, so international teams usually connect through Rome, Milan or another European hub.
May to October. June and September are the sweet spot: sunny and warm, without the August crowds. Winters are mild but very quiet, and many masserie close.
Avoid mid-August: Ferragosto (15 August) is peak holiday time for Italians. As a result, beaches fill up and restaurant prices go up.
Plan your evening transfers: Masserie are beautiful because they’re in the middle of the countryside, so book transport for any dinners in town.
Sicily is stunning, no question. Volcanoes, baroque towns, Greek temples and some of the best food in Italy.
But it’s an island, and for international teams that makes it harder to reach. That’s the main thing to weigh up. Still, if most of your team is based in Europe and doesn’t mind a slightly longer journey, it can be a very special retreat.
🔹 Mount Etna: Europe’s highest active volcano. First a jeep tour or hike, then a wine tasting on its slopes.
🔹 Taormina and Ortigia: Taormina for clifftop views and its ancient Greek theatre, Ortigia (the old town of Syracuse) for baroque streets and a buzzing market.
🔹 Street food: Arancini, cannoli and granita with brioche for breakfast (yes, really).
✈️ Catania (CTA): Best for the east of the island: Taormina, Etna and Ortigia. It’s also the closest airport to Taormina, about an hour away by road.
✈️ Palermo (PMO): Best for the west, and a great city for food markets too.
✈️ Flying long-haul?: Both airports have daily flights from Rome and Milan and direct flights from a number of European cities, but very few intercontinental routes, so most international teams will need a connection.
April to June and September to October. July and August can be extremely hot, especially when the sirocco wind blows in from Africa.
Pick one side of the island: Sicily is bigger than it looks. For example, Palermo to Catania takes close to 3 hours by road.
Have an Etna plan B: When Etna is active, ash can briefly close Catania airport. So keep an eye on it around travel days.
Our quick guide to which region suits your team:
Lake Como & Lake Iseo: For international teams who want easy flights, lakes, villas and wine, all within an hour or so of the airport.
Tuscany: For teams who want the countryside dream: a villa to themselves, long lunches and vineyards.
Amalfi Coast: For smaller teams on a reward trip or a leadership offsite, with more boat days than workshops.
Puglia: For a sunny, relaxed retreat with great food and long seasons, from May to October.
Sicily: For Europe-based teams happy to travel a little further for volcanoes, baroque towns and the best street food in Italy.
Florence: Compact, walkable and full of Renaissance art. Historic palazzi make meeting spaces with real wow factor, while the Tuscan countryside is 30 minutes away and fast trains reach Rome and Milan in about 1.5 to 2 hours.
Rome: The easiest choice if your team is flying in from several continents, as Fiumicino has the most long-haul flights in Italy. Think dinners in Trastevere, then evening walks past monuments. Base everyone centrally, because Roman traffic is a team-building exercise of its own.
Every one of these company retreat locations in Italy can host a brilliant retreat. It’s about finding the one that matches your team, your dates and where everyone is flying in from. For programme ideas and activities, have a look at our guide to company retreats in Italy.
Most offsite organisers face two big challenges:
That’s why we built Lá Fora: to make offsite planning pain-free. With one of our expert retreat planners at your side, you get exclusive venues, great agendas, smooth logistics and, most importantly, quick responses. Plan your retreat with us, or check our company retreat planning timelines to see how far ahead to start.
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