Waking up at dawn to plow down snowy slopes and catch the sunrise in Italy’s Val di Fassa is the perfect gift to start Valentine's Day. Then stop in a high-altitude refuge for a super breakfast. The Trentino Ski Sunrise event is planned for Monday 14 February to celebrate this most romantic of days in the Buffaure ski area which is accessible from Pozza di Fassa. This little town is about 60 kilometres northeast of Trento, in Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region.

Chairlifts up to 2,354 metres and a traditional breakfast 

Participants will meet at 6.30 a.m. at the Pozza-Buffaure cable car. From there on foot, or on skis or ski boards, they will take the nearby Col de Valvacin chairlift up to the El Zedron refuge at 2,354 metres. Here the Pozza School ski instructors will join them as the sun starts to rise. After this recharge of positive energy those who wish can descend together with the instructors along the red Valvacin run and then return to the refuge by chairlift. Here they will enjoy a traditional breakfast of local cured meats and cheeses, honey, yogurt, eggs and the Trentino’s famous apples.

Sleeping in chalets with panoramic views

The views are spectacular over the Val San Nicolò and Val Jumela valleys and the most beautiful Dolomite peaks - from the Sassolungo to the Sassopiatto, the Marmolada, the Catinaccio and the Sella Group. At 8.30 the other lifts will open and it’s time to tackle the other slopes in this beautiful ski area or take the Sellaronda route. And to make Valentine's Day even more special, the Buffaure also offers high altitude overnights.  The choice is between the Baita Cuz, a chalet with beautiful panoramic rooms and an outdoor barrel sauna on the terrace facing the Catinaccio, or the Buffaure Refuge at 2,050 metres.

Special prices for children

The Trentino Ski Sunrise experience at Buffaure is priced at €40 for adults and €25 for children from 6 to 12, while it is free for children under 6. The price includes the gondola ride and the two chairlift rides (including the return for pedestrians), the support of the ski school instructors and breakfast at the refuge. 

   

The Stregato champagne cocktail at the Baglioni Hotel Regina in Rome, made from Strega liqueur  - a blend of over 70 herbs and spices - and Biancosarti with aromas of basil, has won the contest for the best new signature champagne-based cocktail. 

Champagne and 5-star hospitality

This is the first initiative of the new partnership between the Baglioni Group and the Comte de Montaigne maison, a company in the Aube region of France which has been producing the most popular champagne in the world since the days of the 12th-century crusades. The Baglioni Group owns the iconic 5-star Baglioni Hotel Regina on the Via Veneto as well as sister properties in other Italian destinations including Venice, Milan and Punta Ala. 

A selection of champagnes and fine dining

The Italian Group’s gourmet offerings, inspired by the local traditions of the cuisine overseen by their teams of chefs, now blends with the champagne of the French maison: Brut, Extra-Brut, Rosé, Blanc de Blancs and the Cuvée Speciale (100% Pinot Noir) to accompany the signature dishes on the menus in the Baglioni restaurants.

Gourmet specialties and bubbles

For example, the Baglioni Hotel Luna in Venice offers its guests the prime pairing of Cuvée for its On the Moon dish, enhancing the flavours of fried cod with cuttlefish ink and guaranteeing a well-rounded culinary experience. At the Baglioni Relais Santa Croce in Florence, the Comte range of champagnes is an integral ingredient in the restaurant’s signature risotto recipe, and in each suite, guests will find a bottle of the Comte de Montaigne Brut.

The itinerary starts in Maratea, the only part of ancient Lucania on the Tyrrhenian Sea in the southern region of Basilicata.

This beautiful town overlooks the Gulf of Policastro between the Campania and Calabria regions and has 32 kilometres of coastline with enchanting coves, fantastic beaches and the backdrop of imposing mountains.

Lucania

Ancient towns and natural areas

Moving inland we find Tramutola. Walking through the narrow streets of this old town you can admire the portals of the ancient noble palaces, many with small stone sculptures depicting women, a symbol of fertility. A few kilometers away Viggiano is in the natural area of the Lucanian Apennine Park, a delightful area of woodlands with a rich and varied fauna. Known as the City of Harps and Music Viggiano is the fulcrum of the ancient musical tradition of harp making.

Aliano

The town of the writer Carlo Levi

The next stop is Aliano, surrounded by the harsh and suggestive landscape of the calanchi gullies. Perched on a clay spur from which it dominates the Agri Valley and the Sauro torrent, Aliano is the place where the great writer Carlo Levi spent his period of confinement from 1935 to 1936. It is also famous for having inspired the most beautiful pages of his book Christ stopped at Eboli.

Craco

A ghost town to visit with a guide

Before reaching the Ionian coast, standing on a hill a few kilometers from Matera we come to Craco, which is immersed in the silence of the gullies and surrounded by an evocative landscape. Called the Ghost Town as it is uninhabited, it can only be visited on foot accompanied by a guide, and using the Craco Card, an entrance card issued by the local municipality.

The Ionian Sea’s golden beaches 

On the fertile and sunny Metapontine plain which is washed by the Ionian Sea, we fine Policoro whose name in ancient Greek means "spacious".  Today Policoro one of the largest and most important cities in the province of Matera. The National Sirtide Archaeological Museum, the Sanctuary of Demeter, the Temple of Dionysius and the golden beaches of the Ionian coast are just some of the must-does in this part of the region.

Citrus plantations and sea turtles

The last stop on our itinerary is Scanzano Ionico, the youngest municipality in the province of Matera. With its mild climate and fertile soil Scanzano Ionico is famous for its plantations of citrus fruits, kiwis and vegetables, and has been nicknamed Little Southern California. Along the coast the sand dunes with their Mediterranean scrub are a nesting place for the sea turtles that every year choose the pristine Ionian beaches to lay their eggs. 

Taking a Sealife Charter cruise is the best possible way to explore Italy’s beautiful southern Tyrrhenian islands. Sicily, the largest of them all, and the delightful smaller Ionian and Egadi islands lie in startlingly blue seas. They offer unique opportunities for diving, sailing and kayaking, as well as enjoying golden beaches and secluded bays, enchanting landscapes and picturesque villages.

The season goes from June to October

Sealife Charter has four gulets (typical two-mast wooden Turkish sailing boats) that can take up to 12 passengers, and they cruise to many of the southern coast’s most beautiful locations. With visits to marine reserves, protected areas and hidden scuba diving spots, there is also time to enjoy walking and cycling around stunning Mediterranean islands where time seems to have stood still. “Typical cruises last a week and on board there is a captain, a cook, a sailor and a hostess. Each cruise can be personalized according to what guests want to see and do. The season goes from June to as late as mid-October, and we also do one and two-day cruises,” said owner Maurizio Brandaleone.    

Air conditioning and private bathrooms in double cabins

“We get a lot of repeat visitors,  beause the coastal parts we sail to have so much to offer it is impossible to see it all on just one cruise.” The four gulets have six, five, four and two double cabins with private bathrooms, and all have air conditioning, showers and TV as well as outdoor areas for relaxation and recreation.
For further information: www.sealifecharter.it

This is the most talk-about news of Gardaland's 2022 season: a new and exciting dark ride for adventure lovers right in the heart of the park. Work continues unhindered on the construction site of Jumanji The Adventure, the world's first attraction based on the popular Sony Pictures film franchise.

Five exciting animatronic features

Visitors can expect a jeep ride along a dark path through the jungle: encountering dangerous animals and obstacles of all kinds, with the guests' mission being to save the world of Jumanji from a powerful curse by bringing the precious gem back to the legendary temple. Of particular interest will be the attraction’s five animatronics, from a desk that opens up to become to an immense hippo and a scary spider, to the hand and head of the fearsome stone Giant.

Transporting the Giant from Genoa’s docks to Gardaland

The Giant, the most surprising of the various animatronics and the great antagonist of the adventure, is currently on board a cargo ship powering across the Mediterranean towards Italy. Given the huge bulk of the Giant, three 6-meter long trucks await him at the port of Genoa ready to transport him to Gardaland, where the final painting will be carried out and the final details added.

A massive stone giant almost four times human height

The dimensions of the stone Giant are truly amazing as the head measures 6.45 meters in height, almost four times a human being, and about 6 meters in width, while the hand stands 4 meters high with a palm 3 meters wide! Its creation was long and complex and the initial design phase was managed by the Gardaland creative team. The actual construction took place in Turkey over the course of two months at the headquarters of the Futuraform company that creates scenography and animatronics for amusement parks, cinemas and hotel chains all over the world.

Architects, designers and gardeners are hard at work

At the moment, over 100 operators are hard at work on the Jumanji construction site, with employees of 20 companies specialized in many diverse fields: from architectural and light design, through to 3D printing, metalworking and gardening operations.

The new gastronomic look of the boutique Hotel Exclesior in Pesaro, a place where true luxury is synonymous with style and elegance, debuts with a menu by Michelin-starred chef Stefano Ciotti, patron of the Nostrano Restaurant which has held the coveted Michelin recognition since 2017. 

An exclusive, colonial chic atmosphere  

The setting, on the promenade of the Adriatic seaside town of Pesaro in The Marches region, is one of the most exclusive: a colonial chic salon with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea. Soft lighing, upholstered sofas and hanging lamps all combine with the sophisticated and discreet service, and Stefano Ciotti’s cuisine has a strong identity, expressing techniques and procedures inherited from tradition.

Vouchers for exclusive spa treatments 

Then there's the chance to give a unique gift, as the hotel has prepared a series of vouchers varying in price, type, and duration of experience. By purchasing one of the Excelsior Spa gift cards you could pay homage to the Spa with a face or body treatment, a bespoke ritual, or with exclusive and private access to the Hydro Suite or the Hammam.

Pampering and sweetness on the go!

You could also give a Ligne St. Barth beauty product as a gift, extending the feeling of wellbeing you get at the spa to your own or to a friend’s home. For only €39 the Spa Cocktail package consists of two hours of relaxation, a cocktail from the barman, a savoury starter, and the chef's finger food in an intimate environment. And for €45 the Spa and Breakfast package completes your stay in the spa with an authentic breakfast of wonders. It's all about pampering and sweetness on the go!

Emilia is a land of charming landscapes and historic cities and gives visitors the chance to experience firsthand the works of great Italian movie directors like Bernardo Bertolucci. And to relive moments from great classics, like the films about Don Camillo and Peppone, the visual intuitions of Marco Bellocchio and the story of the painter Ligabue in the screen classic Volevo Nascondermi. 

Fellini was inspired by the town of Novellara 

Your journey through the Emilia region as projected onto the silver screen by some of Italy’s great movie directors, can start in the little town of Brescello, where the streets and squares were the setting for the famous Don Camillo and Peppone film directed by Mario Camerini in 1972.  Then there is Campegine, about 70 kilometres from Bologna, where the film Il Cammino della speranza by Pietro Germi is set, and Novellara, just half an hour from Reggio Emilia, which was reconstructed in Rome’s Cinecittà film studios by Federico Fellini for La Voce della Luna. 

Don Camillo e Peppone movie

Volevo nascondermi Movie - credit Enrico De Luigi

The city of Parma has featured in many movies

Ligabue is the village of the painter Antonio Ligabue, played by Elio Germano in the movie Volevo Nascondermi (I Wanted to Hide), shot in the region’s poplar woods and on the banks of the river Po, and the little town of Gualtieri has the interesting Antonio Ligabue House Museum. Parma, Italian Capital of Culture 2020-2021, has been the set of many cinematographic works and Bernardo Bertolucci dedicated several films to his hometown including Before the Revolution  which was set at Parma’s Cathedral and in the Villetta district.

Bertolucci shot his films in small villages and large towns

The castles and historical villages surrounding Parma also feature in many famous Italian movies.  Bertolucci chose the village of Roncole Verdi, not far from Busseto where the great Giuseppe Verdi was born, for his Novecento while in the elegant Moorish Hall of the Palazzo dei Congressi in Salsomaggiore Terme, Bertolucci shot some scenes for his The Last Emperor.

Novellara (Reggio Emilia - Emilia Romagna)