Location: online
No booking required

Keen to make contacts before Mantua? Meet council members and other volunteers online in September. This informal event is open to all attendees but recommended for anyone new or newish to METMs.

Location: Caffè Sociale
Address: Piazza Felice Cavallotti, 16
No booking required

If you're arriving a day early, join your fellow METM23 attendees for an after-dinner drink. First time at METM? Fear not: our welcome team will be on hand to greet you and make introductions.

Meeting place: Casa di Rigoletto, Piazza Sordello, 23
Max: 25 people per tour
Booking required

Join us for a spot of sightseeing on a 90-minute guided tour organized by MantuaTours for MET and sponsored by Cosnautas and memoQ. Choose the time that suits you best. You can also visit the Teatro Bibiena (€1.50, cash only, for group entry ticket).
Note: Mantua's weekly market will be taking place at the same time, so some streets may be busy.

Location: Conference centre (Sala Pievi e Castelli + Sala L'Abbazia sul Po)
Group leader: Francesca Matteoda
Booking required

Francesca Matteoda will guide us through a session of chair-based asanas (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). Everyone is welcome, back-bending yogis and beginners alike. Wear comfortable clothing.

Location: Conference centre (Auditorium "L'Ottagono")
Slammers: Clare Vassallo and Oonagh Stransky
Moderator: Hayley Smith
Direction: Italian into English
No booking required

One source text. Two translators. Endless possibilities. Where will our translators find common ground? How will their approaches differ? Join us to find out.

Share a table with like-minded colleagues at one of our themed meal groups. We book the restaurant, you split the bill.

All tables are for six people and have vegetarian/vegan options unless otherwise specified. Booking required.

Mantuan cuisine – The Italians have a saying "speak the way you eat!" So come learn some Italian by savouring a few of Mantua's signature dishes, including mostarda, tortelli di zucca, stracotto and torta elvezia, all washed down with Gran Rosso del Vicariato di Quistello. Omnivores only. It might not be possible to cater for all intolerances.
Group leader: Michael Farrell
Table size: max. 18 people
Fixed price: €45 set menu including wine, water and coffee
Restaurant: Lounge Bar Umberto I
Address: Corso Umberto I, 47/49

Food and wines of Lombardy – Will you start things off with a Lambrusco Mantovano? Maybe a Croatina with your agnolini? Or how about a Pinot Nero with tortelli di zucca? And for dessert, why not try some bubbly Franciacorta with a torta delle rose? Discover what Lombardy has to offer! Omnivores only. It might not be possible to cater for all intolerances.
Group leader: Karin Rockstad
Table size: max. 18 people
Fixed price: €35 set wine-pairing menu including four glasses of local wine
Enoteca: Vino Esclamativo !
Address: Via Pietro Fortunato Calvi, 36/b

First METM? We’d love to meet you! With a packed programme, it can be hard to fit in a good chat with new colleagues. Come along to dinner with other first-timers and a MET council member. We can talk about what we do and what drew us to METM23. Who knows where the conversation will take us?
Table size: three tables for 6 people each
Table 1 led by Hayley Smith:
Osteria della Fragoletta
Piazza Arche, 5a
Table 2 led by Emma Goldsmith:
LaCucina
Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 17
Table 3 led by Louise Normandière:
LaCucina
Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 17

Sustainable travel – Keen to cut your carbon footprint but still need to scratch that travel itch? Let’s share experiences and travel tips for satisfying our wanderlust while living sustainably.
Group leader: Vicky Porter-Burns
Restaurant: Carlo Govi
Address: Viale Gorizia, 13/b

Outdoor enthusiasts – For all hikers, cyclists, climbers, skiers, wild swimmers and anyone who enjoys the great outdoors. Come and share your love of nature, get ideas for your next challenge or holiday destination and maybe even discover a new passion – paddleboard yoga, anyone?
Group leader: Pam Barnby
Restaurant: LaCucina
Address: Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 17

Photographers in Mantua – They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and a place as photogenic as Mantua has many stories to tell. At a time when everybody has equipment that can take wonderful photos, let’s meet up and talk about what we see through our lenses.
Group leader: Paul Appleyard
Restaurant: Tiratappi
Address: Piazza Leon Battista Alberti, 30

Blast from the past – Are you a history buff? Would you love to visit the Renaissance, or do you enjoy watching documentaries about the Mesolithic era? Whether you work in the field or are just an aficionado, come share your favourite period of history. All eras welcome!
Group leader: Siru Laine
Restaurant: Pizzeria Bella Napoli
Address: Piazza Felice Cavallotti, 14

Tame that endless stream of information! Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information you need to track and act upon at work and at home? We’ll draw on Tiago Forte’s Building a Second Brain personal knowledge management system and trade tips and tricks for effectively managing the information that actually matters and letting the rest go.
Group leader: Wendy Baldwin
Restaurant: Carlo Govi
Address: Viale Gorizia, 13/b

Translation troubles, editing evils, scope creepy crawlies... Bring your own horror story! Did it all go horribly wrong for you? Have you been having a total ‘mare? You’re not alone! Come and let off some steam. It’s time for a pat on the back and a bit of well-deserved closure. There, there: it’s over now!
Group leader: Katherine Major Patience
Restaurant: Scalco Grasso
Address: Via Trieste, 55

Where is your home? Let’s talk about the things that make your adopted country your home. Or is your country of origin always going to be your real home? How do things change over time?
Group leader: Jackie Senior
Restaurant: Osteria del Campione
Address: Corso Umberto I, 15

Friday rehearsal location: Conference centre (Sala Pievi e Castelli + Sala L'Abbazia sul Po)
No booking required

Ruth Simpson is back to lead us through two numbers. We’ll be serenading the crowds with a two-part version of Blue Moon, complete with backing track. We’ll also be getting our tongues around a fast-paced Lombard folk song, Se g'han de dì.
If you have any questions, please write to Ruth.
Rehearsals: Friday lunchtime and Saturday before the closing dinner.

Share a table with like-minded colleagues at one of our themed meal groups. We book the restaurant, you split the bill.

Note that our lunch groups are at the same time as the Friday choir rehearsal.
All tables are for six people and have vegetarian/vegan options unless otherwise specified. Booking required.

First METM? We’d love to meet you! With a packed programme, it can be hard to fit in a good chat with new colleagues. Come along to lunch with other first-timers and a MET council member. We can talk about what we do and what drew us to METM23. Who knows where the conversation will take us?
Group leader: Heather Hamilton
Restaurant: LaCucina
Address: Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 17

Beyond Romeo and Juliet – Do your travel plans influence your reading choices? If so, come and share your picks at this table for book lovers. Tell us about your favourite Italian writers and novels set in Italy.
Group leader: Kit Cree
Restaurant: Osteria da Bice la gallina felice
Address: Via Antonio Carbonati, 4

Get up, stand up! Sitting for too long is bad for you. But how do you stay fit and healthy at work? Share your tips on how to keep active with a desk job. High-tech, low-tech and no-tech suggestions welcome.
Group leader: Alice Lehtinen
Restaurant: Giallozucca
Address: Corte dei Sogliari, 4

Your hill to die on – Air your unpopular opinions. Tell us about garbage that is – inexplicably, to you – overrated by society. I’ll go first: chocolate, Star Wars, dogs and small children. All these things are vastly overrated, and yes, this is the hill I want to die on.
Group leader: Kelly Dickeson
Restaurant: Umberto I
Address: Corso Umberto I, 47/49

The quips, quirks and oddities of English – Why is English spelling so weird? Did you know “nice” once meant “silly” or “foolish”? Food for thought will be drawn from Prof. Anne Curzan’s course “The Secret Life of Words: English Words and their Origins”.
Group leader: Rob Lunn
Restaurant: Porta Pradella Osteria
Address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 144

The only certainty in life is death – Inspired by METM22 keynote Sally OJ’s recommended read All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell, let’s talk about death. Join us to lift the veil off this often-taboo topic.
Group leader: Dana Szabados
Restaurant: Carlo Govi
Address: Viale Gorizia, 13/b

What is meaningful CPD? As professionals, it’s crucial we track industry developments and keep honing our skills. But how can we make the most of our training time and where should we focus our energies and investments?
Group leader: Jenny Zonneveld
Restaurant: Carlo Govi
Address: Viale Gorizia, 13/b

You’re not a tree... so you can move! Relocating or setting up a business in another country can be tough. Let’s talk about what worked for us and what didn’t. Share your tips with those who are considering a move.
Group leader: Ana Carolina Ribeiro
Restaurant: LaCucina
Address: Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 17

Location: Ca' degli Uberti Palace Hotel
Address: Piazza Sordello, 13
Event open to all conference attendees and pre-paid guests.

Toast the end of the first full day of METM23 in the frescoed rooms of Cà degli Uberti Palace overlooking Piazza Sordello and the Palazzo Ducale. See what food is available.

Location: Conference centre (Sala Pievi e Castelli + Sala L'Abbazia sul Po)
No booking required

See Friday rehearsal for full details.

Location: Ristorante Rigoletto
Address: Strada Cipata, 10
Menu: see choices
Event open to all conference attendees (except those who have opted out) and pre-paid guests.

Wrap up your METM in style at the closing dinner across the lake at Ristorante Rigoletto. There’ll be options for vegans, vegetarians and omnivores. Public transport won’t be running after dinner, so bring your walking boots or a taxi number for your ride home. And don’t forget your dancing shoes!

Taxi numbers: +39 0376 368844, +39 335 5959285 (both Radiotaxi Mantova), +39 342 15 04 101 (Giannino Malpetti), +39 388 699 8170 (Mirco Bertoldi), +39 335 687 2844 (Cesare Pellai), +39 347 229 0443 (Rinaldo Legati) or +39 342 797 4862 (Giannina Turola)

Join Laurence Fogarty and Paola Riboldi for our traditional post-METM walk. Leave from Bar Mulina at 9:00 (point A on the map) or go straight to Porta Giulia (point B) where the walk proper will begin at 9:20 sharp. We’ll circle Lago di Mezzo, crossing over Ponte dei Mulini, returning via Ponte di San Giorgio.

Hop aboard a boat and round off your METM on the water. Walkers: the Navi Andes pier is beside your finishing point.

*Boat tickets: Sign up via My METM and we’ll send you a link where you can buy your ticket in advance. The trip is open to the public. If available, last-minute tickets can be purchased on the pier.