Between late September and October, the forests around San Vigilio di Marebbe blaze with reds and golds; the air is crisp, and the days are clear and bright. There are still a few mushrooms left to pick, while autumn vegetables add flavour to soups and game dishes. Certainly not the typical autumn scene you would see from your office.
But if you’re looking for a sustainable place to hold retreats or work remotely in the in the mountains – combining work with sports, training and outdoor activities – there’s only one answer: AMA Stay, the workation residence in the heart of the Dolomites. AMA has a clear proposition: not a place to escape from work, but a place that work transforms, bringing productivity into harmony with nature, leisure, and relationships.
The philosophy is called work-love-balance, and it's more than a tagline: a working day is measured not only in hours spent in front of a screen, but in the quality of new stimuli, relationships and energy regained. September and October, with foliage colouring the trails of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park and cycling routes opening up around Plan de Corones, are the ideal time of year to test the idea: the mountains stop being mere backdrop and become part of how people work, collaborate and generate ideas.
From the solo professional to the whole team
Alongside individual workation stays, AMA Stay has recently strengthened its position in the MICE market, with a focus on corporate meetings and retreats, with modular programmes built around a group's objectives, length of stay and composition.
Rooms, fully equipped meeting rooms, coworking spaces, dining and wellness all sit within the same building, allowing a seamless transition from meetings to group activities and, ultimately, to unwinding in the spa.
A dedicated concierge service supports companies in shaping their stay, drawing on first-hand knowledge of the area and arranging dinners in mountain huts, hikes and certified bike tours, without the need for an external agency.
Team building beyond the meeting room
This may be the most compelling part of the offer: working with a local team-building specialist, AMA Stay has developed tailor-made formats ranging from sport and creativity to adventure and strategy, including e-biking, rafting and cooperative challenges capped off with dinner in a mountain hut. Among the newest additions, the AMA Escape Room ties teamwork to Ladin culture, turning puzzles and challenges into an original way to discover the region while testing a group's communication and collaboration skills.
It's not a minor detail, at a time when companies increasingly view employee wellbeing and the quality of internal relationships as strategic levers rather than optional perks. In this sense, stepping outside the everyday isn't a break from work: it's what makes the work better.
Ahead of its seasonal closure, from 1 to 27 November, AMA Stay invites companies, professionals and digital nomads to experience one of the most striking moments of the year in the Dolomites. Because, as the residence's own philosophy puts it, the best ideas rarely emerge around a meeting table. They come when you allow yourself the space to see things from another angle.
Cover: Envato image