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Discover our 15 exclusive experiences for your unique events

Looking for something fresh and new for your next event? Consider Escapade's curated selection of 15 Exclusive Experiences designed to highlight Italian excellence. From immersive village Sagras celebrating local communities to private concerts amidst trees that birthed Stradivarius violins, each experience promises a unique blend of culture, adventure and luxury. Whether it's delving into Italy's fashion scene or living the Ferrari dream, let us craft your next Italian affair.

 

An authentic Sagra

  • Celebrate community like an Italian
  • Local variations across Italy
  • Fun, feasting, and new friends

In villages across rural Italy, the evening street party, or Sagra, is a traditional, and important part of village life. Escapade will craft your novel ideas to create an authentic Sagra that will long remain legend at your company.

The common factor at village parties, no matter which region, is great food, fine wine and warm hospitality, all the while making new friends. One of our favorites is the hilltop village of Castelmola, in Sicily, that exudes the meaning of living like an Italian, but we’ll work with YOU to create your own authentic Sagra wherever you’ll be.

Artisan Treasure

  • A fun shopping adventure
  • Meet local artisans
  • Donate if you wish

As any experienced shopper will tell you, Italian village markets are the best places to find local treasures. We can enhance the experience to provide a local connection by arranging casual or private meetings with artisans, producers or farmers. 

Usually, purchases are intended as gifts for the folks back home, or a splurge on something special for yourself. Alternatively, the event can be geared towards purchasing items needed by an appropriate local charity.  

The Beauty of the Tree

  • Music in nature
  • Rare Stradivari experience
  • Private concert like no other

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there can be few among us who remain unmoved listening to a private concert among the Red Spruce trees of the Dolomites, the source of the wood for the very same Stradivarius that now enthralls us. It is beauty indeed. 

Antonio Stradivari lived close to Milan in the 16th century and made nearly 1,000 violins, those remaining valued at $1 million each. The expert luthiers of today continue making beautiful stringed instruments in the very same place as their forefathers before them. 

Mille Miglia

  • Legendary sports cars
  • Cars of enduring design
  • Personal Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia was held annually, except for the war years, from 1927 to 1957, and pitched luxury cars like Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ferrari, Maserati, and Porsche against each other in a public road race. Even though closed to general traffic, it was not for the faint hearted - Giannino Marzotto, winner in 1950 and 1953, said: “Bringing our cars to 300 kph is not difficult. The problem lies in bringing them back from 300 to 0!” 

Your Mille Miglia is not a race, but a sports car adventure in beautiful cars at your own leisurely pace stopping for delightful cuisine and to explore the sights and sounds of the region.

Grottos, trains and Vino

  • Personal tour of the aging cellars
  • Novel vintage train
  • Tasting menu, regional wine and food

Italian wines age and evolve well with time — sometimes up to 70 years. One reason elegant Italian wines age so well is that they have more structure, plus a primary function of an Italian wine is as an accompaniment to food so that even as the wine gets older, its body and flavors continue to pair perfectly with food dishes from the native region. 

To experience the aging wines your novel journey begins by vintage train through UNESCO World Heritage sites, stopping to experience local arts and crafts and interacting with artisans. On arrival at the cellars, you’ll enjoy a very personal tour followed by a tasting menu of locally grown foods paired with wines from the region.

Pagentry of the Palio

  • Unique Sienese event
  • Specially arranged viewing
  • Join a contrada’s celebration

The Palio di Siena is a ten-horse race run twice a year in Siena. The jockeys, who ride bareback, lap the earth-covered Piazza del Campo, three times. Races usually last about 90 seconds and on July 2 is in honor of the Madonna of Provenzano and on August 16 the Assumption of Mary. The Corteo Storico, a colorful pageant, precedes the Palio, and is world famous.

The atmosphere is uniquely Italian, exciting and a lot of fun. There’s also a lot of people sharing the fun, so for your comfort we arrange exclusive watching areas from the windows of a private palace overlooking the Piazza del Campo and arrange good wine and good food to enhance the experience.

Digging for Oro

  • Prospect for gold
  • Opportunity to donate to charity
  • Picnic feast

Italy’s northern Piedmont region has long been acknowledged locally as Italy’s Klondike. It is currently experiencing a gold rush revival attracting prospectors seeking small gold nuggets the size of breadcrumbs flowing down the Elvo River. 

There’s no guarantee that you’ll find gold, but gold is out there, and we’ll do our best to make sure it’s you who finds it. We’ll set you up with all the equipment you need plus a picnic feast to keep you well-sustained. If you would like to pledge all or part of the gold you find we’ll assist you in donating to a charity of your choice. 

Classic Venetian Masquerade

  • Custom themed or traditional Ball
  • Exclusive event
  • Chance to dress up elaborately

The Masquerade Ball was a feature of Carnival in Italy from the 15th century, and then extended into costumed public festivities during the 20th century. Generally, they were elaborate dances held for the upper classes and were particularly popular in Venice. 

Although Carnival is a set date relative to Easter, it can be fun to stage at any time of the year in most of the hundreds of beautiful palaces across Italy. It’s the perfect opportunity for a corporate sponsor to recognize extraordinary achievement at a classical event and Escapade will work with you to arrange elaborate attire and masks for all.

An unexpected Serenade

  • A quintessential Italian evening
  • Private choir performance
  • Backstage at the opera house

Most visitors leave Italy with an appreciation of the finer things Italians do so well. But other than food, wine, history and culture, many miss the melodic sounds made great by the famous tenors like Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Enrico Caruso, Mario Lanza. We are here to change that. 

Imagine, before proceeding to your gourmet dinner, stopping first at La Fenice – one of the most famous and renowned Italian theaters – under the guise of a tour, to be surprised by a choir singing exclusively for you, perhaps with a glass of prosecco? This moving experience can be organized at any number of iconic theaters and opera houses throughout Italy.

Exclusive Master Chef competition

  • Interactive
  • Educational
  • Team Building

For those who like food, this is a must-do. And even more critical for those who aspire to raise their culinary skills. “If only we knew who to ask”, you say, which is when we refer to our unique range of top chefs to share their skills, and their kitchen, with you.

Each event is designed exclusively but usually based on the chef discussing one particular meal, its structure and its ingredients. The chef will demonstrate preparing and cooking each stage. Then the group will be split into small teams and each team will elect a captain. Each team will be given Euros in cash and dropped off at one or more markets to buy the freshest, most desirable ingredients. On return to the kitchen, the teams will prepare the meal under the watchful eye of the chef.  

The best Soccer in Europe

  • Rare opportunity
  • Thrilling
  • A big talking-point back home

On June 10, 2023, Inter Milan lost 1:0 to Manchester City, of the English Premier League, in the European Champions League Cup Final. It could have gone either way and it puts Inter Milan and Italian soccer among the very best in the world. Inter plays alongside AC Milan, Napoli, Torino, Roma and Juventus and others in Italy’s Series A League which is in the top tier of Italy’s prestigious soccer program.  

Little compares to being at a live soccer match, soaking up the atmosphere of the beautiful game. We make it extra special for you, providing deluxe transportation to and from the stadium, preferential seating for the match, stadium tour, dining and interacting with local soccer personalities behind the scenes

Bobsleigh Track competition

  • Being an Olympian
  • The thrilling Bobsleigh
  • Exclusive chalet dinner in the Alps

The 2006 Winter Olympic Games were held in Turin, southeast of the Alps in northern Italy, and home to one of the Winter Olympics’ most enthralling events – the Bobsleigh. Together with the luge, they are now part of the Torino Olympic Park. 

Be an Olympian and experience the thrill of the Bobsleigh track competition followed by an exquisite dinner of fine food and wine in an Alpine chalet, perhaps in anticipation of you competing in the next Winter Olympics in 2026 when the two main host cities will be Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.‎ 

Exclusive Fashion

  • Exclusive access to leading fashion
  • Walk the catwalk!
  • Shopping will never be the same again

Milan (and Lake Como) is an ideal incentive destination. One reason (and one that can be fine-tuned to match the group’s demographics) is Fashion. From the 19th century, when Milan was known for simplicity of design and quality of fabric, until the present, it is repeatedly recognized as the fashion capital of the world.

No wonder, when designers like Dolce & Gabbana; Prada; Versace; Missoni; Giorgio Armani; Marco Rambaldi; Moschino; Marta Ferri (wedding dresses); and Valentino, among many others, are based there. Escapade will create an experience for you that casts you as a doyen of the fashion world. Arrive by private limo, meet senior people to understand the elements of design, hear how fashion has evolved …and walk the catwalk if you wish. An amazing experience crafted especially for you. 

Stargazing, city or country

  • Blending stars with dining and music
  • Stargazing in the city or countryside
  • Surprise recognition of sponsor’s stars

No matter if you’re experiencing Italy’s pristine countryside or the very best of city life, Escapade will create a surprise stargazing event, including an astronomer who will be briefed to recognize your company’s brightest stars.    

Italy is the oldest stargazing site in Europe, when in 1610, Galileo, from tranquil Tuscany, discovered the Moon’s mountains and Jupiter’s satellites. Additionally, the Starlight Foundation has certified the Saint-Barthélemy Valley in northern Italy as perfect for stargazers as the surrounding mountains shield it from light pollution. We’ll provide fine wine and cocktails to light up even the brightest star followed by dinner of fresh, local produce. Alternatively, in the city we’ll WOW! you at an observatory with private stargazing followed by dinner and stargazing followed by an inspiring choir performance.

Red Ferrari Surprise

  • A Ferrari love affair
  • Once in a lifetime driving experience
  • Red surprise dinner

You don’t just drive a red Ferrari, you have a love affair with it, and Escapade will create a Ferrari love affair exclusively for you. Enzo Ferrari, 1898 - 1988, a legend who will for eternity be synonymous with fast, stunningly designed sports cars. After successfully driving initially for Alfa Romeo, Enzo devoted his life to building increasingly faster and more powerful cars and a championship racing team until resigning as president of the company in 1978.  

Ferrari is located in Maranello, in Northern Italy, but we will create an exclusive red Ferrari driving experience for you, be it over windy mountain passes or lush green countryside, that ends at a glorious palace for a “red surprise” dinner.  

 

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