The French open-air glamping group Sandaya has opened new offices in Italy.

Four campsites in Veneto and Tuscany

After acquiring four campsites in Veneto and Tuscany from the PGIM group last June, the French company has just opened its first foreign branch in Italy.

Optimizing synergies between France and Italy

Managing director of the company will be Roberto Franchi, who will lead the integration and launch of the recent acquisitions, developing the accommodation chain through external growth and optimizing synergies between France and Italy. 

Expanding throughout Europe

Sandaya's Italian moves are part of the group's growth strategy in Europe. Since 2013 the company has acquired two campsites in Spain and one in Belgium. In France, there are fourteen new locations for the 2024 season, bringing Sandaya's offer to a total of 65 destinations, all located by the sea or in the heart of nature.

There is a bit of Basilicata at Bari airport: the Lucania territorial promotion agency has opened a new information desk in the arrivals area of Bari’s Karol Wojtyla airport.

The Puglia and Basilicata regions join forces

“The presence of Basilicata in our airports,- said the president of Aeroporti di Puglia Antonio Maria Vasile, “honours us while reinforcing the Puglia-Basilicata macro-region. This desk is not only an important step forward in the cooperation between our regions, it is also important for travellers who want to discover the wonders of Basilicata, as well as our territory and its excellences.

Promotional material for arriving visitors

“This is a promotional opportunity for our entire region,- says Aeroporto Basilicata director general Antonio Nicoletti. - Travellers arriving at Bari airport will receive material on all the municipalities in our region, the protected areas, our historical and architectural landscape and our cultural heritage, as well as the many ways to discover our region.”

“Bari Airport is the main gateway to Basilicata” 

“They will also receive information on public transport from the airport to Matera, the Ionian coast and the rest of Basilicata. Bari Airport is the main gateway to Basilicata for both Italian and international visitors. In the first six months of 2024 we had an increase in arrivals from abroad of 63% compared to the same period in 2019 while travellers from Puglia remain our leading market."

The municipality of Erice in Sicily has launched its new virtual tourist portal, the Erice website and virtual tour, in both Italian and English. 

Aerial, street and interior views

The project, financed with funds from the NRP Services and Digital Citizenship Measure 4.1, was launched in August and offers an immersive experience to explore the historical and cultural riches of the city. The portal has three levels: an aerial view with high-definition footage of the municipal area, interactive navigation of the historic centre at street level, and virtual access to the interiors of monuments and historic buildings, including the Ettore Majorana foundation.

Suitable for all kinds of devices

The platform is designed to be universally accessible on desktops, mobile devices and in VR mode, with optimized functionality for users with motor disabilities. The virtual tour includes recently restored areas, such as the Elymium Walls and the Balio Gardens.

“The site, in English, amplifies our global reach” 

“This portal provides potential visitors with an in-depth digital preview of our cultural heritage,-  say Erice’s mayor Daniela Toscano, and tourism councillor Rossella Cosentino. -The fact that the site is already translated into English greatly amplifies our ability to reach a global audience.”

Cavecation is the latest trend; brought on by this year’s extreme Mediterranean heatwave.

Cooler air and high humidity

The caves of Pertosa-Auletta, in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and the Alburni National Park, a UNESCO natural heritage site in the province of Salerno, are the first to propose a new and intriguing trend: cavecation, the name is a contraction of cave and vacation and the idea is to explore places that have cooler temperatures. Places in the heart of the earth, underground, where constant temperatures are of around 15 degrees and the high humidity guarantees just the right amount of cool air, contrasting with the summer sultriness.



“Peaks on the hottest days and hours” 

"This is a phenomenon that we have been recording over the last month, with peaks in demand on the hottest days and hours,- explains Maria Rosaria Carfagna, president of the Mida foundation that manages the Pertosa-Auletta caves. -This is an excellent sign for our area, because it confirms the variety and complementarity of what our caves and surrounds can offer. In fact, tourists who flock to the Cilento coast in these months, can take a break from the heat and discover the unique natural beauty of our underground areas.” 

Mont Blanc, in the Vallee d’Aosta region, has an invisible forest with 142 trees thanks to Acrobatica and Reair technology.

An innovative and far-reaching project

The trees are invisible to the human eye, but capable of improving the quality of the air and the environment. They are the trees in Skyway Mont Blanc's Invisible Wood, the result of maintenance and cleaning carried out by Acrobatica, a group led by CEO Anna Marras and specialized in the outdoor renovation sector. The innovative products used come from Reair, a company that develops and produces eco-technologies for the purification of air inside and outside buildings.



Similar to having planted 142 deciduous trees

Acrobatica chose to use eCoating on the more than 600sqm of outdoor area between the Pavillon (at 2,173 metres) and Punta Helbronner (at 3. 466 metres). This transparent, nanotechnological, ecological, 100% green coating patented by Reair is activated by means of photocatalysis, an oxidation process that combines light and air, continuing proactively over time to decompose pollutants present in the air such as nitrogen oxides (Nox), organic pm powders and other harmful pathogens, as well as moulds and fungi. This reaction transforms pollutants in the air into harmless by-products such as salts, carbon dioxide and water, eliminating, in the case of the Skyway operation, up to 59 kilos of Nox per year, the equivalent of what 142 deciduous trees would do.

“We are ready to grow virtual forests all over Italy”

“We started from the roof of Europe, and now we are ready to grow virtual forests all over Italy,- comments Acrobatica's Northern Italy sales manager, Jacopo Rossi. -On the Mont Blanc Skyway in the Valle d’Aosta with the invisible forest we have succeeded in demonstrating that our technology can be applied not only to large urban centres, but also to accommodation facilities in environments of incomparable beauty, which can serve as an example for a careful and respectful use of our extraordinary natural heritage,- adds Reair co-founder Nicola Parenti.

The Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa in Friuli has partnered with Saturnia and the Purobeach Clubs. 

The first Saturnia spa outside Tuscany 

The official opening of the first Terme di Saturnia spa outside the Tuscan complex is the Friulian Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa, which soft opened some time ago.  The 3,600sqm wellness area is to be inaugurated later this year and will include eight treatment rooms, including a panoramic spa suite for couples, a large indoor and outdoor swimming pool with a view of the sea, as well as saunas and a Turkish bath.

The Purobeach beach clubs are also a partner 

But the partnership with Terme di Saturnia is not the only new development for the resort, which is also opening up to collaboration with the international Purobeach beach clubs. Already operational, the Portopiccolo club includes a selection of lounge areas: one by the pool near the restaurant and bar with sun loungers and DJ sets by Puro music; there are also two terraces with infinity pools, sun loungers; a white pebble beach with jetties jutting out over the water and a  green beach area, which is perfect for families, with its pool and sun loungers by the sea. The food on offer at lunch and dinner is a 3M (Melbourne, Marrakech and Miami) ethnic-inspired menu, with salmon poke, nachos with guacamole and club sandwiches, along with local favorites such as pasta, risotto, fresh fish and seafood.

A mix of rooms, suites and apartments 

Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana has 58 rooms, including 20 suites, and 30 apartments. Located in the hotel's main building on a terrace overlooking the marina, the Ocyan Restaurant serves gourmet Mediterranean cuisine. The Azur Lounge Bar serves light snacks and lunches such as salads and sandwiches, ceviche, tartare, pasta or fried local fish and the bar terrace is perfect for glamorous sunset aperitifs with panoramic views of the marina and the sea.

Magnificence and history combine in the Castle of Grinzane Cavour which stands on a hilltop above the little town of the same name in the province of Cuneo. 

A castle museum in the heart of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato 

Just a few kilometres from the truffle capital of Alba and on the road that leads to the home of the world-famous Barolo wine, Grinzane Cavour is about 75 kilometres by car from the regional capital, Turin.   Built in the middle of the 11th century, the Castle dominates the beautiful Langa hills which, together with the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato wine-growing region are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today the Castle is home to the Langhe Museum and has fascinating historical rooms that reveal the arts and crafts of times long gone with an exhibition of the tools of rural life while fascinating memorabilia from the times of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, who was Italy’s first prime minister, is kept in what were his private apartments.

Beautiful landscapes and an annual truffle auction

Strolling through the charming streets of the little town with its low houses and its little squares, the atmosphere is one of tranquility. The surrounding landscapes are some of the most beautiful in Italy with the Langhe’s rolling hills, perfectly aligned vineyards and medieval villages perched on hilltops. Since 1999, every year at the beginning of November, the Castle of Grinzane Cavour hosts the “World Alba White Truffle Auction,” an event that draws great chefs and celebrities to the non-profit event. In fact, the proceeds from the sale are donated to charities in Italy and around the world, and to date have raised well over €5million. 

Italian excellence and esprit français in the restaurant

Chef Marc Lanteri's Cucina di Confine restaurant in the Castle takes its inspiration from his childhood spent in the small village of Tenda, just over the border in France.  The restaurant's rooms have exposed brickwork, terracotta floors, and coffered ceilings, and Lanteri’s cuisine, with true esprit français, is inspired by Piedmontese and Provençal traditions; a border cuisine that blends the best of both  styles with locally grown products of excellence.   For information: https://www.castellogrinzane.com

The skies of Paestum will be tinged with spectacular colourful hot air balloons from 28 September to 6 October.

Activities for young and old

The International Festival of Ballooning will paint the horizon with bright colours and spectacular shapes. In addition to the possibility of admiring from above the historical and natural wonders of one of Italy's most fascinating archaeological areas, the festival will offer a series of side activities to involve and fascinate young and old.

A 9-day festival with special events

Among this year's novelties, acrobatic shows and performances by street artists will animate the area, while a large green area will be dedicated to inflatable games and kites, making the event ideal for families. During the 9-day festival, visitors will be able to take part in a variety of activities: from free flights to acrobatic displays, from giant kite shows to special events for families and children. 

Free hot air balloon flights

Every day, at 5 p.m., it will be possible to take off for a free flight, perfect for enjoying the golden sunset hour over Paestum. On Sundays 29 September and 6 October, as well as on Saturday 5 October, there will also be flights at 7.30 am, offering the opportunity to see the sun rise over the sea, with the ancient ruins illuminated by the first rays of daylight. The duration of the experience can vary from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the type of flight chosen.

Stays in the Ara Maris Hotel in Sorrento

After a day spent in a hot air balloon over the ruins of Paestum, the experience can then continue with a stay at the Ara Maris Hotel in Sorrento, a 5-star hotel located in the heart of the Sorrento peninsula. The property has 49 rooms and suites, as well as a wide range of amenities, including a panoramic swimming pool, a solarium, the Thala spa, the Cora Bistrot and the Lumi Sky lounge.

An important piece in the history of tourism on the Romagna Riviera, the Ricci Hotels in Cesenatico are 70 years old. 

There are five Ricci hotels

It all started in 1954 with grandfather Augusto Ricci when the Adriatic Riviera was still undiscovered, and he bought the La Sportiva Guesthouse. Today the group has five properties, four of which are near the sea: the Sport, Valverde, Nettuno and Villa Mia hotels. Then there is the country farm house Podere la Fattoria di Canonica in Sant'Arcangelo di Romagna.

The original Sporting Hotel was enlarged

Augusto’s grandchildren Giuseppe and Clemente Ricci now own the company. “Granpa was good with people, attracting many pioneering tourists who were beginning to discover the Adriatic. Those were the years of the Dolce Vita and there was a desire to be together as one big family, indeed many of his guests returned year after year.”  In 1972, the baton was passed to Giancarlo and Marisa Ricci who enlarged the property, now the Hotel Sport, to 50 rooms, and it was the first in Cesenatico to have a large swimming pool. They also invented out-of-town trips, renting a castle in the Romagna hills to give tourists different experiences based on food and good wine.

Ricci family 1954

Constant expansion and renovations

In 1979 Giancarlo and Marisa also bought the Valverde Hotel, a historic seafront property, to which they added the first outdoor squash court and the largest swimming pool in Cesenatico. It went on to become the large complex known as the Valverde Hotel & Residence, while the Sport was also expanded to 100 rooms and apartments. Another lucky purchase in 2010 was the Hotel Nettuno which was then totally renovated in the style of Hamptons’ summer homes.

The fourth generation

“It has been a long road of continuous extensions, renovations and new services to keep up with the times and anticipate customers‘ desires,” says Giancarlo Ricci. The Ricci family is now ready to take on a major new challenge. “We have taken over the abandoned Santa Monica Colony which has a 3,000-metre private beach,” say Giuseppe and Clemente Ricci. The new private Ricci Beach has a gym, new cabins, a beach volleyball-beach tennis court, and the Ricci family continues its contemporary journey in hospitality: “As our five children prepare for the fourth generation, we try to express the same sense of hospitality as our origins, making our guests feel part of the family.”

For information: https://www.riccihotels.it