Our office on the island – where the treasures await

With our office in Italy, our international team has become even more diverse. It was 2 years ago when we started hiring in Catania, the island of Sicily. Our colleagues there are not only invaluable team members and do a great job. They are also thoroughly hospitable and do their best for guests to feel at ease.

Good food brings people together

Once you visit the island of Sicily, you’ll see how open people generally are. Sometimes when walking on the street, you might think they are fighting, but no. That’s just how the Italian mentality is – noisy, but very friendly. 

Besides awesome people, Sicily offers breathtaking nature where you feel summer vibes almost the entire year. What else could one wish for? Oh, yes … Food, uh, not to talk about that. Delicious pasta for sure contributes to connecting people! You have to love it!

Hiring talents in Sicily – an exciting adventure

Mindnow decided to open an office in Sicily because there is a lot of unexplored human potential: people who are talented, ambitious, and hungry for success (not only for pasta).

Many people from Sicily are moving to the North of Italy for work. Many of them would love to come back to the island but need a secure job with the recognition and pay they deserve. So we thought, let’s make it happen. When doing job interviews, a sentence that I heard very often was: “Finally, someone who’s investing here!” Local people were happy about this new opportunity in Sicily. That confirmed to me that we’d be on the right path.

On our journey to a new office location, we realized how beneficial it is to us as a company to hire in Sicily. People bring a lot of knowledge, motivation, and team spirit. We started hiring slowly but with full enthusiasm. I’m sure we made the right choices with our team in Catania. Our Italian colleagues perfectly fit Mindnow’s culture: open, straightforward, and highly motivated to learn and grow.

Here you can read more about How to communicate effectively with remote teams.

An office with workation opportunities

Can you imagine a combination between the Italian lifestyle and the Swiss way of working? In Catania, you can experience this exciting mix up close.

Our Italy office is big and bright, ideal not only for our colleagues on site but also for those who like to go on workation – one of our favorite benefits at Mindnow. The location offers a modern workplace with all the equipment you could aim for.

We live in the era of remote and hybrid work which won’t change, at least not at Mindnow. That doesn’t stop us from connecting, talking face to face, sharing private moments, working in the same room, and having fun together.

Workation tips for Catania

Many things have changed since I visited the Catania office last year. The first thing that I noticed: New faces and new desks and less other furniture like armchairs and beds. It seems like hiring in Sicily worked out! So here is a 2024 updated version of things one should know when visiting Catania.

Where to stay

It’s great news that there are so many new nice people you can meet at the office. Unfortunately, that also means that more space is needed. There are no more bedrooms and no more living room, it’s now all desks. Make sure to book an apartment well in advance because costs are getting higher and availability lower as time passes.

The office is located very centrally and I advise you to choose an apartment that is close by. Traffic is chaotic in Catania, so walking distance is certainly a good idea and not too difficult to find.

Note that big cities in Southern Italy are noisier than in Central Europe. Buildings may be old, walls may be thin, and Sicilians are not exactly famous for their quiet mentality. If you’re sensitive to noise, read the ratings carefully before booking a room.

Where to eat

My culinary journey to Catania this year started in Via Santa Filomena, ended in Via Santa Filomena, and in between I ate at another restaurant in Via Santa Filomena, too. It’s a street in the center that is fully dedicated to restaurants and it’s very popular. Our colleagues love to go there and I think they’re right in doing so. The choice of different places is big and the street itself is very cute, too, with lots of lights.

Make a reservation when going there on weekends, especially if you’re with a group. During the week it’s usually not a problem to get a table. I prefer to sit inside in winter/spring but it was warm enough to sit outside too when I visited Catania in mid-March.

Of course, there are plenty of other good places, too. Ask your local colleagues – they’ll be very happy to give you advice about food.

At the office

If you’re an early riser (I’m not, but the walls in my Airbnb were thin), make sure you get a key to the office because, before 9 am, it’s not guaranteed somebody will be here. If you’d like to drink your morning coffee with someone from the Mindnow team, I advise you to come even later. Minds like to check what’s going on before heading to the office and often work remotely for a bit before actually showing up.

The good thing about being the first is you have the full choice of where you want to sit. Everyone has their favorite desk where they usually sit and keep their stuff but the desks are not fully assigned to a specific person.

All desks are equipped with a big screen with lightning and have adjustable heights. Additional keyboards and mice/touchpads are available, too. Please bring your own headphones. There is only one separate meeting room and it’s a first-come-first-serve principle.

Give it a go

My conclusion: Don’t wait for a reason to visit Catania. The city is nice to visit, the food is delicious, the office has everything you need, and the people are very hospitable. Workation is always possible and you won’t regret the memories you make!

Special thanks to my fellow Minds Deanna, Patti, and Salvador!

If you can’t get enough workations, read my article 7 things you need to know about Belgrade.

Would you like to work for us?

At Mindnow, we’re looking for inspiring people who are passionate about developing digital products, who are adaptable to changes, and not afraid to try something new. Our Catania office has proved to be a great addition to our other sites and we’re open to welcoming more new colleagues in Italy.

If you’d like to apply, reach out to my HR colleagues at Devstry.