Lessons from Lucca

Rethinking Management from Inside the City Walls

Spend time in Lucca, a small city in western Tuscany, and you’ll soon understand its charm. Surrounded by walls once built for protection, today those same walls are now used for afternoon strolls, weekend markets, and moments of connection.

As I walked the walls myself, watching people pause for a mid-day break or chat with friends, I noticed how differently the workday seemed to flow there. It felt deliberate but universally understood. Italians call it a Riposo, which translates to rest – not a nap, although I’m sure you could, but more time set aside at midday to slow down, reset your priorities and connect. It wasn’t rushed or optimized, but still energizing.

It got me thinking: what would it look like to manage a team with the same spirit I saw in Lucca?

  • What if our roles as managers weren’t about defending KPIs
  • What if our job was less about enforcing direction?
  • What if, instead, we created open space to explore, trust, and grow?

In Lucca, I saw how walls once meant for defense had evolved into gathering places. Could the same be true for our leadership style?

What would it look like to manage with Riposo?

At the startup I lead, we help people transition into new careers. We often hear from our participants their reason for seeking a change is because of the way they’ve been managed. Developing employees is good management.

One of the most important shifts I’ve seen in effective managers is moving from gatekeeper to facilitator. A great facilitator makes space for conversation, exploration, and even rest. A great manager does the same: not by pulling back, but by showing up with trust, clarity, and understanding. It’s not passive. It’s intentional.

A great manager creates an environment where people feel trusted.

I wasn’t expecting to come back from Italy with a plan to overhaul everything. This trip was a vacation and celebration. But I did return with a clearer sense of how to look at the way management is applied in the U.S. and how I can help people create the kind of environments that can be effective using a more Riposo approach.

Riposo doesn’t mean taking a nap at your desk. It means designing environments rooted in trust. In human pace, not optimized hustle. In shared responsibility, and not rigid control. For those of us leading teams or guiding transitions, there’s real value in slowing down, opening up, and thinking differently about what leadership looks like.

The walls are still there – we just don’t have to use them to keep people out anymore.

What if your next 1:1 felt more like a walk around the walls of Lucca?