Aer Lingus rolls out an expanded schedule for summer 2023, with flights to 53 European destinations, including three new summer routes linking Dublin with Olbia, Brindisi and Kos. 

New flights to nine Italian airports

For the Italian market, Aer Lingus will operate Dublin flights to nine Italian airports this summer: Brindisi, Rome and Olbia with two weekly flights, Milan Linate, Venice and Naples with one daily flight, Milan Malpensa with four weekly flights and Pisa and Verona with three weekly flights.

“The demand for sunny European destinations is at an all-time high”

 ''After the pandemic the demand for sunny European destinations is at an all-time high, and Aer Lingus is pleased to announce an increase in capacity on the most popular routes for the summer schedule - commented Susanne Carberry, chief customer officer Aer Lingus. - Our ambitious expansion in North America continues with the introduction of services to Cleveland and Hartford, a record offering with an impressive 2.25 million transatlantic seats.''

The new campaign that takes Italian beauty around the world starts from the Italian island of Ischia with the new #ThisisIschia, Ministry of Tourism and ENIT national tourism agency campaign.  

Aimed at the main inbound markets

Running from January to April 2022 in Italy and around the world, it will focus on countries that generate high arrivals numbers to Italy such as Germany, the UK, the USA, France, Spain and the Benelux countries.  The message of the campaign is that everyone can return to the beautiful little green Italian island, and it will use both digital, print and out-of-home channels as well as international influencers and tour guides. Ischia will also be taken to major international trade fairs to boost its brand, and visitors will be able to share their autographed shots of the island, which will be relaunched with a dedicated hashtag. In addition, a landing page will make is possible to create a personal virtual tour of Ischia in real time, and share it with online users.

Ivana Jelinic

“Minister Daniela Santanché’s visit to Ischia was a sign of concreteness”

"We have set up the campaign in record time. Minister Daniela Santanché’s visit to Ischia was a sign of concreteness and closeness.  ENIT will play its part in terms of national and international promotions, fuelling the desire to experience a holiday in one of the pearls of the Gulf of Naples, a little Italian island that is much loved around the world," said Enit CEO Ivana Jelinic.  "For more than 100 years ENIT has been close to Italy’s tourist destinations and now the mission becomes even more delicate, because the promotion involves complex locations, and we will be even more scientific in our approach and programming," says ENIT Director Sandro Pappalardo.

Senigallia, a refined Italian seaside town in the Marches region, is popular for its resort facilities and is known as the Velvet Beach for its golden sands. 

The Velvet Beach is 13-kilometres long

Senigallia is one of the Marche region’s main tourist resorts, attracting visitors from all over Italy and Europe, also thanks to its fame as the Velvet Beach – some 13 kilometres of soft, golden sand washed by blue seas.  Since 1997 Senigallia has uninterruptedly boasted the Blue Flag, the recognition for destinations that guarantee the quality of their sea water, environmental management, user information, services and safety on the beach.

Rocca Roveresca Senigallia

The magnificent fortress was built over the centuries

The Rocca Roveresca fortress is one of the area’s most interesting historical buildings, and is the result of the superimposition of defensive structures that have succeeded one another over the centuries. As we see it today the fortress was commissioned by Giovanni Della Rovere, who called on Duke  Federico da Montefeltro’s great architects Luciano Laurana and Baccio Pontelli.

Handsome palaces with stuccoes and coffered ceilings

The Palazzo del Duca, designed by Girolamo and Bartolomeo Genga for Guidubaldo II around the middle of the 16th century, has a splendid coffered ceiling painted by Taddeo Zuccari. The Palazzetto Baviera was built by Giovanni Giacomo Baviera at the same time as the Rocca fortress. It has splendid stuccoes dating back to 1590, the work of the famous Urbino artist Federico Brandani.

The Portici Ercolani 126 arches used to shelter market stalls

The Piazza Roma square, overlooked by the 17th-century Palazzo del Governo, has a handsome fountain of Neptune, which the people of Senigallia refer to affectionately as the Monco in Piazza. The Portici Ercolani arcades lining the right bank of the Misa River are a sequence of one hundred and twenty-six arches in Istrian stone. They were built to shelter the many merchants who used to come to the city every July for the famous Maddalena Franca fair.

The Rotonda al Mare building is the symbol of the city

Not to be missed is the Rotonda a Mare, an elegant building at the end of a pier and the city's tourist symbol since 1933, the year it opened. This handsome exhibition and entertainment venue is a popular meeting place for holidaymakers during the summer months, and it was restored to its former glory in July 2006.

The Serenusa Village in Sicily, Torreserena Village and GranSerena Hotel in Puglia, the Serenè Village in Calabria, Serena Majestic in Abruzzo and Calaserena Village in Sardinia are the first six Blueserena resorts to be restyled.

New contemporary Mediterranean design 

The renovations on these six properties follows the €30 million investment allocated in 2021 after the acquisition by Azora European Hotel & Leisure. The six complexes are due to reopen for the summer with a new contemporary Mediterranean design inspired by nature and local traditions.

“Our most loyal guests…are around 50% of all our clients”

"It is with great satisfaction that we kick off our summer 2022 sales with this extraordinary restyling operation, which represents an important added value for Bluserena," said the new Bluserena CEO, Marcello Cicalò. "I am certain that this new look will be significantly appreciated by our most loyal guests, who are around 50% of all our clients. We will continue to invest in the growth of the Bluserena brand, guaranteeing an increasingly innovative hospitality experience that exceeds expectations."

There is a 15% discount when booking by 31 January

The dining areas in the restyled properties also have a new look, and some of the beaches have new, larger beach umbrellas with safes and two sun loungers per room. Bluserena’s bookings are open for summer 2022 for the hotels and resorts in Sardinia, Puglia, Sicily, Calabria and Abruzzo with special conditions subject to limited availability: 15% discount when booking by 31 January and free cancellation up to 14 days before arrival.

To support the positive upswing post-Covid, Italy was present at the 2022 edition of The Luxury Travel Market International (Iltm) in Cannes with 19 regions, Rome and some 126 travel companies.

Italy a favourite destination for high-end travellers looking for art, culture, food and wine

In October and November 2022 Italy was the second favourite destination for French travellers, preceded by Spain and followed by the United States according to Google accommodation searches. In the first 6 months of 2022 French visitors to Italy spent €1.6 billion, 180% more than in January-June 2021. The most popular regions were Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio, Liguria and Tuscany.

The return of European and American tourists

A Virtuoso survey shows that high-end travellers to Italy are looking for personalised, hyper-exclusive, responsible experiences, and the outlook remains very positive for 2023, with the absence of the Russian and Asian markets is partly offset by the return of European and American tourists. December’s French airline bookings to Italy were in line with those of the same month in 2021, and hotels were the most popular choice with 4.5 million French visitors against the 2.4 million taking non-hotel accommodation

“Italy is attracting millennials and generation Z travellers”

"Traditionally considered the ideal destination for the affluent, family and honeymoon and MICE travel, Italy - says ENIT’s new CEO Ivana Jelinic - is also increasingly attracting millennials and generation Z travellers looking for sustainability and something new."

“I am delighted to announce the second daily direct flight from Rome Fiumicino to Dallas – Fort Worth,” said Cristina Casati, American Airlines regional sales manager Southeast Europe. 

Up to 42 direct American Airlines flights weekly to Rome

“This important milestone shows how important the Italian market is for America, and we are happy to further boost our relationship with Aeroporti di Roma by operating up to 42 direct flights a week between Rome and the US during the 2023 summer season.”

“Fiumicino is one of the most popular European hubs”

“The connection to Dallas was launched in 2017 and immediately stood out for its high commercial performance and appeal to the market – added Federico Scriboni, head of aviation business development Aeroporti di Roma. - The increase in flights is a sign of confidence for the summer season that will see Fiumicino as one of the most popular European hubs.”

Boeing 787s with Business, Premium Economy and Economy

The second daily flight between Rome Fiumicino and Dallas will operate from 2 June to 6 September 2023. The Boeing 787s have Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy seats, state-of-the-art cabins, high-speed Wi-Fi and hundreds of movies and TV shows on-demand from every seat.

Italy has a fascinating history, and wonderful art, culture, nature and traditions. It also has places that are less well known, but that are attracting more and more tourists and to be visited at least once in a lifetime.

Staying in a smaller town to save on accommodation costs

If you travel by car it will be more comfortable and easier to visit the area surrounding where you choose to stay. For example, by choosing to stay in the town of Staggia Senese you will save money on your stay, despite being in the heart of Tuscany. You will be close to such popular cities as San Gimignano, Siena and Volterra, and Staggia Senese itself, though lesser-known town, has lots to offer!

Certaldo

The birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio and UNESCO San Gimignano

Starting from Staggia Senese you can visit Certaldo which is 26 kilometres distant and San Gimignano, just 18 kilometres away. Certaldo is believed to be the birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio (the illegitimate son of a Certaldo merchant) and has numerous buildings of historical and artistic interest. San Gimignano, thanks to the unique medieval architecture of its historic centre, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Volterra

Into the world of the Etruscans in Volterra

Heading west you can visit Colle Val D'Elsa which is just 9 kilometres away and Volterra at 33 kilometres. Colle di Val d'Elsa is best known for its crystal production, but it also has a medieval atmosphere, interesting restaurants and a beautiful cathedral. Volterra has many magnificent attractions such as the Etruscan Museum, the Civic Art Gallery, the Museum of Sacred Art and the Alabaster Ecomuseum.

Tuscan wines and the Palio in Siena

If you fancy some good wines don’t miss Castellina in Chianti which is 13 kilometres east of Staggia, on a hillock at the crossroads of the Arbia, Elsa and Pesa valleys.  Finally, heading south we find Monteriggioni and Siena which is just 30 kilometres distant. Monteriggioni is one of Italy’s most famous fortified villages and makes you feel you are stepping back into medieval days. Siena is universally known for its historic and artistic heritage, its beautiful landscapes, the famous Palio, and the historic centre which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Wizz Air is to introduce new flights to Rome from Europe and the Middle East in 2023.  

Two new Airbus A321neos at Fiumicino airportAirbus A321neo aircraft 

Rome grows as a base for Wizz Air, Italy's third largest airline, with the allocation of two of the ultra-low-cost carrier's latest to the capital’s Fiumicino international airport.

Five new routes from Europe and the Middle East

"The positioning of these two aircraft at Rome allows us to launch five new routes from 2023, - said Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, general manager of Wizz Air Malta. – This means going from the four aircraft at the beginning of this summer to a total of nine aircraft next summer."   

800,000 new seats on offer

The new flights, from Castellon in Spain, Luxembourg, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait City, will bring the total number of Wizz Air routes departing the capital to 66, with a further 800,000 seats on offer. 

Italy is Wizz Air’s fastest growing market

This continued expansion further strengthens Italy's position in Wizz Air's network, making it the fastest growing market for the airline. "The 66 routes we currently operate to and from Rome provide connections to 36 countries in Europe and beyond," added Ó Conghaile, referring to the recent introduction of Abu Dhabi flights to Naples in addition to those already operating to Catania and Bari.
Read also https://italiabsolutely.com/news/transportation/wizz-air-s-twice-weekly-flights-from-naples-to-abu-dhabi

Hotel Terme Venezia is the world's first thermal hotel to enter the metaverse, offering treatments from the Euganean thermal springs. 

An NFT offer promoting Abano and the Hotel Terme Venezia

The hotel, in collaboration with its technological partner Jampaa srl, recently launched a new NFT allowing buyers to enter the hotel's history and enjoy dream weekends. This unique non-fungible token was part of the VeneziaMetaTerme collection and made available on the OpenSea marketplace as well on the Hotel Terme Venezia website.

“A marriage of history and modernity, materiality and immateriality” 

The goal of the VeneziaMetaTerme’s metaverse event was to promote the hotel while raising awareness of the range of treatments and products containing natural extracts that are unique to Abano Terme. “The Euganean thermal waters date back a thousand years to the cult of Aponus, the god of thermal and healing water, from whom the city of Abano takes its name. This marriage of history and modernity, materiality and immateriality, is what distinguishes this project,” said hotel manager Riccardo Panzarini

Successful online and disintermediated bookings

The Hotel Terme Venezia is not new to cutting-edge technology, having embarked on a path of innovation in close collaboration with Jampaa srl, and recognised by Google Italia for its success in online and disintermediated bookings.