Our time at WordCamp Europe in Torino, Italy was bellisima! The people of Italy were kind and welcoming. The food was deliziosa. The location was truly magnifico.

And the WordCamp itself – well it totally rocked!

To purposely misquote Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times. It was the best of times.”

Things were so good – we can’t even rank them. So in no particular order…

Matt Cromwell Was on the WCEU Stage with Katie Keith

We’re always proud when a Stellarian (yes, I coined that phrase, and I’m keeping it) speaks at a WordCamp.

Matt and Katie started the WP Product Talk podcast back in 2022, and have been interviewing product owners and marketers ever since. Their session at WCEU “We spoke with over 50 different WordPress product owners. Here’s what we learned” showcased audio clips from several of their guests, highlighting important considerations for product owners for caretaking of their customers and consideration for growth.

WP Product Talk curated a Twitter/X thread including the sound clips and advice from their guests. It’s definitely worth a look and listen.

Time as a Team in Torino

One of the many pleasures of attending and sponsoring a flagship WordCamp is getting to spend time with our team. As a fully-remote company, we are often “talking heads” on Zoom and Meet calls. Time together is relaxed, fun, and enriching. It gives us a chance to know each other more deeply and form deeper work relationships.

In Torino, we were treated to a wine tasting and food pairing event with Italian wines, pastries, and pizza, followed by an authentic Italian meal.

We all sound like wine connoisseurs now because we can tell you how the white wine tastes like “citrus with floral overtones” and how wine legs indicate the alcohol volume. Red wine has “plum and dark cherry” aromas. But what we really learned was how much we enjoyed tasting it!

The most fun was definitely hanging out with the team, strengthening our bonds and sharing plenty of laughs. Wine tasting was also a great experience —turns out some of us are better at drinking it than describing it!

Kasia Zukowska

Meeting So Many WordPressers Was the Real Highlight

No WordPress company would stand where they do without the community and customers – and we met a lot of you in Italy.

WordCamps are a great way to meet with community members, share what we do, and learn about you, too.

In Torino, at WCEU, we had a fun and interactive booth, where attendees could choose their WordPress power, and make a badge/button to display it.

The Sights and Sounds of Torino, Italy

The WCEU venue was part of the Lingotto Centro, formerly a Fiat plant in Torino. The main building now houses a mall – but the spiral ramp from the rooftop test track to the main floor still exists (and is in use). The test track itself is now a walking venue and part of the Fiat 500 museum. Torino is surrounded by Italian mountains.

My Track Record

Allow me a bit of self-indulgence when I show you how I was able to ride my mobility scooter on the test track. Hat tip to Devin Walker for the idea, Nilo Velez and Jeff Betancourt for the video, and my friend Mark Westguard for the editing.

Thank You, WCEU!

Finally – a humongous thank you to the organizers, volunteers, speakers, attendees, and other sponsors for an amazing WordCamp.

Getting together with all of you, recognizing the work that everyone puts in, and sharing time, talent, ideas, and wine – was worth everything it took for each of us to get there.

See you next year!