Bitcoin, cardio, and camaraderie: The wild ride of BEA Torino
Once upon a time (read: two weeks ago), in a charming northern Italian city, Turin, surrounded by mountains and buzzing with Bitcoiners, something beautiful happened. It was called Bitcoin Educators Academy, and no, it wasn’t a pasta festival (although the food was chef’s kiss). It was the second BEA we pulled off in Italy this year, because apparently, one Bitcoin Educational Adventure in Italy wasn’t enough. And between you and me – it might not even be the last (spoiler alert at the end, stay tuned).
So, picture this: Campus Sanpaolo, a sleek student residence turned crypto convention hub. When we arrived, it looked peaceful. Little did it know we were about to bring in dozens of Bitcoiners, two full workshop tracks, daily energizers, and a whole lot of enthusiastic noise.
Now, if you’ve ever organized an event with two parallel tracks for the first time, you’ll understand the chaos. And if you haven’t – imagine organizing two parties at once, one in your living room and the other in your attic, with guests sprinting between the two. Only in our case, there weren't just stairs between them. It was seven floors. SEVEN. FLOORS.
Yes, dear reader, one workshop room was on the ground floor and the other at the very top of the building. So what did that mean for us, your ever-dedicated organizers? Let’s just say Diana and I could have registered BEA as an official Olympic training camp. We clocked more stairs in three days than most people do in a month. If cardio were a side hustle, we’d be rich.
But honestly, it was worth every sweaty sprint. The view from the seventh floor? Mountains. Actual, majestic mountains. Turin, you beauty.
While we were busy getting our glutes in shape, our participants were being spoiled in other ways. Our golden partner, Plan ₿ Network, brought the heat (and a lot of brainpower), while our hardware partner, Trezor, gifted every participant with a shiny new Trezor Safe 5.
Between sessions, we didn’t just sit around. No, no, this is BEA – we moved! Energizers were hosted out in the courtyard, in the fresh Turin air, where we got our blood flowing with games, stretches, and the occasional awkward icebreaker that somehow led to genuine friendships. Bitcoin AND bonding? Yes please.
And speaking of bonding, every day at lunch, we faced the same hilarious problem: we couldn’t all fit at one table. So what did the lovely folks at Campus Sanpaolo’s restaurant do? They pushed every table in the place together like it was one giant Bitcoin family dinner. Pass the pasta and the seed phrases, please.
Saturday brought a special treat. The wonderful BitPolito crew invited us to a teambuilding afternoon in Valentino Park, where we discovered that Bitcoiners are surprisingly competitive at volleyball. We also tried our luck on a monocycle (some of us with more grace than others), and ended the day dancing like no one was watching – except for a few confused park-goers and one curious dog. A typical day in the life of BEA.
By the time we packed up our flipcharts, notebooks, and slightly overworked calf muscles, one thing was clear: Turin has a fantastic Bitcoin community. Open, welcoming, full of ideas, and heart. We made new connections, met inspiring people, and laughed more than we thought possible at a “professional” event. It wasn’t just an educational event. It was a gathering of kindred spirits with a love for decentralization and good espresso.
And yes – we’re coming back. Of course we are.
BUT WAIT. The adventure doesn’t stop here.
We’ve done Milan. We’ve done Turin. And now, for the grand Italian finale, we’re heading to the city of canals and gondolas. That’s right –
🎉 BEA Venice is happening July 4–6 🎉
We’re going for the Italian Bitcoin hat trick, and you can join us. Registration is open until June 10, and the earlier you sign up, the more pasta we can plan for.
👉 Click here to register and come to BEA with us – again.
Because at BEA, we don’t just talk Bitcoin.
We live it. We run for it.
And sometimes… we dance for it too.
