AGPI 2025 Convention • Panicale, Italy
October 16-20, 2025 • at the World Puzzle Center
It's time to think about the great event to come: the AGPI 40th anniversary, offering a great escape to Italy. A couple of years ago, famed mechanical puzzle collectors Roxanne and George Miller took a world cruise, which stopped, among other places, at a port in Italy. They had been told about a castle that was for sale in nearby Panicale—only kilometers away. They hired a taxi, were driven to the village, met with the owners, and bought the castle. (You’ll hear the whole story at the 2025 convention.) They are our hosts.
Now then, if you are unable to buy your own castle, you can still visit one for 3+ days, and even stay in one! With Valentine’s Day coming up, this is a great opportunity to treat yourself, your friend or your loved one to a trip to Italy.
The overall facility, called the World Puzzle Center (WPC), consists of the castle, a connected Puzzle Palace (formerly a hotel) and a House of Games (Casa dei Giochi). Some of the puzzle display rooms—as well as the sleeping rooms—require walking up and down long corridors and sometimes up and down steps and stairs. There is a small elevator between two floors of the multi-floor castle, and another elevator in the hotel. Except for the House of Games, mechanical puzzles are on display in every room—puzzles that you are encouraged to look at, handle, and even take apart—provided you don’t leave until you’ve put them back together. Children are not permitted in any of the puzzle rooms; they are welcome to spend the time in the House of Games.
On 2 February 2025, a Convention Registration form will be posted online and sent to members via email. The form will identify the costs for registration and for the optional trip on Monday, which you will need to indicate on the form.
Flying time from Florence or Rome to Perugia = 39-40 minutes
Train from Rome to Chuisi = 2 hr. 15 min.
Train from Florence to Chuisi = 2 hr. 30 min.
Italy: Distances by car (100 km = 62 miles):
Florence → Panicale: 135 km
Rome → Panicale: 175 km
Perugia → Panicale: 35 km
Chuisi train station → Panicale = 16 km, 30 minutes
Plan to arrive on Thursday, October 16, or sooner, if you want to travel around a bit first or visit Rome or Florence. You will be shown to your rooms. There is nothing scheduled until the opening welcome reception in the evening. (Remember, 6 pm in Panicale will be noon, U.S. Eastern Time.) There will be hors d’oeuvres (meat, cheese, and bread), but you can go out afterwards for dinner (or lunch, if you will) on your own. The evening will be one of recovering from jet lag, playing games, and putting together jigsaw puzzles. Plus, you’ll be surrounded by mechanical puzzles.
And one of the “requirements” of this convention is that you put at least one puzzle piece (or at least try to) in the unfinished 42,000-piece jigsaw puzzle Roxanne bought and started and will have laid out on one of the tables; she hopes it will be finished by the time the AGPI leaves.
Friday morning will begin with a tour of the rooms of the castle. Then we’ll begin the informal formal program. Included is the following:
Slated Speakers
Ulrich Schädler
Recipient of the 2025 AGPI Outstanding Achievement Award, archaeologist and ludographer
“Folding Game Boxes: A Success (Hi)Story”
Yannick Deplaedt
Games researcher and publisher
and Sybille Whitehill
Games researcher and writer
"The Very Special Features of the Japanese Game Market"
Élise Plessis
Illustrator, flying in from her home in Iceland
“On Board with Art”
Cosimo Cardelliccio
Games historian
"The Games of Alex Randolph: Intricate Board Games, but Fun Playthings as Well”
Spartaco Albertarelli
Game company owner
"Monopoly in Italy, Where Winning Means Losing: the story of Editrice Giochi company’s Monopoly in Italy, and how they won in court against Hasbro but lost Monopoly at the same time"
(photo • Wikipedia)
Preliminary Program
Friday • October 17, 2025
Orientation. Tour of Panicale village, streets and shops; and a scavenger hunt. Speaker(s).
Saturday • October 18, 2025 • Proposed Visits
Puzzle store in Castiglione del Lago, l'Enigmista
DV Games, Perugia
Chocolate factory and museum (Casa del Cioccolato Perugina®) near Perugia center
Lunch in Perugia or Panicale
Saturday Dinner
Masolino Restaurant in Panicale. Speaker: recipient of the AGPI Achievement Award, Ulrich Schädler.
Sunday • October 19, 2025 • Excursions
Orvieto (includes the antiques-&-collectibles market)
Museum of Glass (Museo del Vetro di Piegaro), Via Garibaldi, 20, 06066 Piegaro PG
Monday • October 20, 2025 • Post-Convention Day Trip
Fabro, with its castle offering a wonderful panorama of the surrounding lands
La Scarzuola (or Sunday)
Accommodations
OK, now here’s the tricky part. There is no Grand Hotel, Marriott or Hyatt to house everyone in the same place. Some of you can stay in the castle (least expensive option) while others can spend a few nights in a small hotel or B&Bs in the village.
Staying in the World Puzzle Center
There are limited rooms available, so they will be assigned in the order of reservations received. But be advised (remember, part of the structure is a 15th-century castle):
- Only a few sleeping rooms have their own bathroom! Some sleeping rooms have a shared bathroom, and other sleeping rooms require a short walk. (You’ll get specifics at a later date.)
- All the beds in the WPC are pull-out couches.
- All the bedrooms, like every other room in the WPC, are filled with cabinets stocked with mechanical puzzles. That means that when we’re all roaming through the castle, for part of the day the rooms need to be left open for people to see the puzzles therein; therefore, beds should be turned back into couches, and luggage should be moved out of the way (or placed on the couches); “Do Not Disturb” (Non disturbare) signs will be provided in case someone needs to lie down or have some privacy in the afternoon.
The lowest price room is the beanbag room—no bed, just a very comfortable beanbag—suitable for one adaptable adventuresome person, for just $37 per night. Rooms with shared bath will begin at $42 per person per night, and en suite rooms (those with private bathroom), will start at $47 per person per night; a couple or family or AGPI member traveling with friend(s) can reserve only one room. On February 2, Groundhog Day (my favorite holiday), you will receive a detailed list of available rooms (each room has a name) and the price, and you will be asked to make a reservation; rooms will then be assigned on a first-reserved-first-served basis. [or “first replied-first reserved”]
People who want to arrive early can stay up to one week in the castle (!) until Tuesday, October. 21, when some people will head to Essen SPIEL, some will tour Italy, and others will fly home. (Those going to Essen will receive information and tips from Sybille.)
The three buildings of the WPC have a total of 13 rooms that have double beds, 1 room with a 15th century single bed for a short person, 1 room with two single beds, and a beanbag room. Some of our speakers will be occupying those rooms.
On 2 February 2025, a detailed list of available rooms (each room has a name) in the World Puzzle Center will be posted online and emailed to members along with the costs for staying in them. You will be asked to make a reservation; rooms in the World Puzzle Center will then be assigned on a first-requested, first-reserved basis.
Rental Cars and Parking
There are lots of rental car agencies in Italy, including Budget and Enterprise. We paid €133 for one week with Alamo through booking.com. Parking in Panicale will be explained later.
Travel Hints for Those Coming from the US • Flying Times
From New York to Florence • 8 ¾ hours
From Boston to Florence • 8 ½ hours
From LAX to Florence • 13 ½ hours (no direct flights)
From New York to Rome • 9 hours
From Boston to Rome • 8 ¾ hours
From LAX to Rome • 12 hours (no direct flights)
—Bruce & Sybille Whitehill, convention organizers
