ItaliAbsolutely is ready to unveil its new exclusive fam trips which have been meticulously crafted for discerning travel professionals and tourism experts seeking the epitome of Italy's offerings for their clients.

Messina in Sicily is the first destination

Our inaugural destination is the vibrant coastal city of Messina, the gateway to Sicily across the Strait that separates this island gem from mainland Italy. From October 18 to 21, 2023 a carefully selected cadre of international Italy specialists, who have displayed genuine enthusiasm for this destination and completed our contact form, will join us on this Sicilian adventure. Their hosts for these four days of B2B meetings, exciting excursions, and immersive experiences, will be the FEISCT, the Strait Port System, the Messina Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Blue Route, the Marco Polo Project, the Medfort  Study Centre and the La Città del Sole Social Cooperative in collaboration with ItaliAbsolutely.

Discover more about the Fam Trip "Meet Tourism Messina"

Sharing insider insights into fundamental Italy

With three decades of insider knowledge in tourism and publishing, and a track record of organizing over 600 remarkable trade events, the Travel Quotidiano Group, has an edge in crafting unique, value-packed experiences for travel experts. And here at ItaliAbsolutely, the Group’s English-language portal, we eagerly anticipate sharing our insider insights into this enchanting corner of Sicily with our international guests

A full-immersion in the coastal gem of Messina 

The meticulously curated programme encompasses daily B2B sessions with local DMCs, DMOs, and travel suppliers, alongside a myriad of visits and excursions. From the awe-inspiring Messina Cathedral, hailed as one of Sicily's architectural treasures, to the intricacies of the astronomical clock, a true masterpiece of art and engineering, and participants will also have the opportunity to revel in the city's eclectic and eccentric Art Nouveau architecture. Our itinerary further includes visits to a Feluca shipyard and the quaint seaside village of Ganzirri which is steeped in ancient maritime traditions. Added to which there will be a sailing expedition on a catamaran and a thrilling jeep excursion into the mountains around Messina.

Unlocking the magic of Italy

Participants will enjoy quality hosted accommodations in city hotels. They will also savor the gastronomic delights of Messina in local restaurants, as they forge connections with their new professional partners. At their journey's end they will leave enriched with profound knowledge of this fascinating Sicilian destination, ready to impart their newfound expertise to their valued clientele.

ItaliAbsolutely’s second 2023 fam trip is to Palermo for the BTE Non-hotel Tourism Exchange on 7-12 November  

The BTE Non-Hotel Tourism Exchange to be hekd in Palermo from 7 to 12 November 2023 promises to be a remarkable B2B event featuring the today and the tomorrow of non-hotel tourism innovation and growth.

The BTE focuses on the non-hotel sector

Focusing on the non-hotel sector, the BTE Exchange encompasses a wide range of accommodations beyond traditional hotels, including vacation rentals, B&Bs, guesthouses, and more. Starting with three days to familiarize with Palermo and its surrounding area, the international participants will then engage in three insightful B2B workshops.

 Local companies will interact with international buyers

Serving as a bridge between tourism professionals, these working sessions will allow local players to showcase their products and their expertise, forging partnerships with global partners who will be able to explore this captivating destination and the dynamic industry opportunities it offers.  

Discover more about The BTE Non-Hotel Tourism Exchange in Palermo

Travel specialists are invited to join future fams

For each event we handpick attendees who've shown genuine interest and completed our contact form.

ItaliAbsolutely’s fam trips, a new and surefire way to unlock the magic of Italy like never before.

For more information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
Tel: +39 06.89.01.75.77

The Relais Borgo Campello is a Medieval village anf an idyllic retreat for reconnecting with nature while indulging in the luxury of simplicity.

Sleeping in a monk’s cell or an old castle

Accommodation options at the Relais Borgo Campello, which is just ten kilometres from Spoleto (Umbria), offer a choice between rooms fashioned from ancient monks' cells, or apartments with period furnishings in the castle. Serving as a gateway to the marvels of the surrounding region, the Relais is within easy distance to Assisi, Spello, Norcia, and Cascia which are perfect destinations for one-day explorations.

Borgo Campello Suite

Barefoot forest walks and yoga courses

Within the enchanting setting of Relais Borgo Campello the wellness centre beckons with an array of beauty treatments, sauna sessions, chromotherapy, and massages, and among the highlights is a hydromassage pool specially designed for couples. For those seeking a more tranquil and profound experience during their village sojourn, the Relais offers yoga courses, meditation sessions, and forest walks, including paths designed for barefoot exploration. 

Foraging and truffle hunting

Guests are invited to partake in the rhythms of daily life, reminiscent of an ancient convent, engaging in harvesting, foraging for asparagus and herbs, or embarking on a truffle-hunting adventure. The bounty of these efforts ultimately finds its way to the the Sapori nel Borgo restaurant which crafts dishes celebrating these culinary treasures. Prices for a memorable stay at Relais Borgo Campello start from €90 per day per room, inclusive of breakfast. For information: www.borgocampello.com

The Lago Nabi lake compex in the Campania region is a natural oasis with an eco-sustainable tourist complex.

Illegal sand quarries turned into a natural oasis

The environmental redevelopment project that freed the Campania region’s Domizio coast from illegal sand quarries, reclaimed an important area by freeing it from waste, as well as replanting trees and carrying out monumental environmental redevelopment works. 

All kinds of water sports and a wellness centre

This is a special place where nature reigns supreme: Laghi Nabi, the first natural oasis in Campania. The lakes are once again sparkling and are now at the heart of the Campania region’s eco-sustainable tourist complex, with tents and removable lodges available for glamping on the water, an accommodation facility, a wellness centre, and the Res Restaurant. In this park birds and fishes are back, and locals and tourists live in harmony with water enjoying canoeing, kitesurfing, cycling, hiking, birdwatching and yoga.



For information: www.laghinabi.it

Palace Merano in Alto Adige is reshaping fitness with its detox Revital Method.

Improving the quality of life 

Glamorous five-star Palace Merano is a spa hotel set in a large private park in Merano which is in Italy’s Alto Adige region north of  Milan  The Revital Method is the result of 20 years of experience and improves the quality of life as well as one’s physical and psychological wellbeing. 

A six-day programme with a range of treatments

Guests can enjoy their bespoke Detox Revital and Sport Programme, which incorporates their traditional Revital Method alongside a daily exercise programme with a personal trainer. The programme promotes the improvement of both physical and mental health, leading to weight loss and improved sleep. The six-day programme includes: three lessons with a Personal Trainer, outdoor walking sessions, six phyto-mud therapy sessions and six hydro-aromatherapy sessions, six energy massages and six hydro-jet massages, dietary examination and post-treatment stage diet plan with an assessment of toxicity levels. 

Accommodation is available for single occupancy

The Detox Revital and Sport Programme for six days at Palace Merano is available from €4,850 per person, plus €302 to cover three medical examinations. Accommodation for seven nights in a single occupancy Comfort room starts from €2,520. For information:  www.palace.it

ButteroZone’s truffle hunting on horseback in the Marche region becomes a gourmet pursuit.

Truffle hunting with a well-trained dog

ButteroZone is the first of its kind in Italy to offer, among its various horse-riding experiences, truffle hunting in the wooded hinterland of the Marche region. The truffle grows in conditions of humidity, near the roots of trees. The ButteroZone horseback excursions in search of the truffles start from the Secret Garden of San Lorenzo in Campo, and takes place in collaboration with Cianni Tartufi, and a very well-trained dog with an infallible nose. The hunting places are strictly confidential and are only revealed at the time of the excursion. The itineraries are created for a maximum of three people and are aimed at adults. Prices available on request.

ButteroZone, aperitif with the horses

Truffles are considered to be aphrodisiac

The emotion of riding a horse in an enchanting landscape, between rivers and valleys, is enriched with the thrill of the challenge, which involves all the participants in the expedition. Who knows if under that luxuriant tree our four-legged friend will smell the unmistakable scent of the truffle, or if we will have to look elsewhere, perhaps beyond the hill... In the case of a fruitful search, the truffle becomes the main ingredient of a tasty aperitif at the Locanda San Martino di Montalfoglio. In thin petals on croutons spread with butter, sprinkled on fried eggs, or accompanied by bread and cheese, the truffle releases a perfume of earth and woods which is impossible to resist. And truffles are considered to be aphrodisiac.

The Museum of the Ancient Sea and Biodiversity (MuMAB) in the Emilia region stands on confiscated mafia land.

Sustainable redevelopment to boost tourism

Across Italy, there are towns, villages, and natural areas which, thanks to sustainable redevelopment and regeneration efforts, have been given a new lease of life as tourist destinations, which respect the local area’s history and identity.


Reconverting old buildings for cultural use

In Salsomaggiore Terme, in the heart of the Emilia region in Central Italy the Podere Millepioppi:ì, a vast agricultural area, confiscated from the mafia within the Stirone and Piacenziano Park, has been turned into a museum. The MuMAB - Museum of the Ancient Sea and Biodiversity – has a geo-paleontological section set up in the main building of the old farm and a naturalistic section housed in the former stables of the farmhouse.

A museum dedicated the sea in the Emilia region

Visiting this special museum, a short distance from the spa town of Salsomaggiore Terme, one discovers the evolutionary processes that tell the story of the Po Valley and of the ancient sea that once submerged this entire area. Here they have found fossils and artifacts that date back over 7 million years. This is a place of history and tourism, and there are numerous itineraries that enable visitors to make the most of experiences that combine the nature, culture, food, and wine of the Emilia region.

For information: www.visitemilia.com

In the sweet month of September the Boutique Hotel Torre di Cala Piccola is ideal for relaxing weekends.

On Tuscany’s Monte Argentario

Enjoy sweet September late-summer days in the beautiful natural setting of Monte Argentario. Set overlooking the sea and surrounded by a vast Mediterranean garden with a magnificent infinity pool, the Boutique Hotel Torre di Cala Piccola is a charming property with breathtaking views of the Tuscan islands of Giglio and Giannutri and takes its name from the ancient lookout point which was a defense against Saracen pirates.

Rooms and suites have magnificent sea views 

The Boutique Hotel Torre di Cala Piccola boasts extraordinary 360-degree views over the Argentario sea. The 53 rooms and suites are located in the central villas and along the hillside. Each one is different and stands out for its elegant furnishings, stylish atmosphere and attention to detail, but above all for the fabulous sea views. The Tuscan meat and fish specialties in the Torre d'Argento Restaurant, are revisited in a contemporary key and prepared with the best local produce by Chef Francesco Carrieri, and are served on the splendid sea-view terrace. While the Café La Torre, located next to the Spanish tower, is the ideal place to relax with an aperitif and admire the spectacular sunset.

A warm welcome for four-legged friends 

Massages can be booked in the relaxation area and there is free Wi-Fi. Guests' four-legged friends are welcome and will find the Puppy Kit Torre di Cala Piccola in their room. The hotel has private parking and a charging station for electric cars. Shuttle service to/from the airport, the train station and any other destination can also be arranged. And when the sea is calm, as it often is in autumn, another must-do experience is a boat trip to the islands of Giglio and Giannutri with a picnic lunch. The food is prepared by the hotel and placed in coolers, which have the Torre di Cala Piccola logo and are also for sale. For information: www.torredicalapiccola.com

  

A start-up for electric boat sharing on Lake Garda and in La Spezia.

No license needed

All you need is a phone to search the app's map for the closest boat. As you approach the rudder is unlocked with a click. And then you sail, freely, without a boat license. And most importantly without polluting. Because we are talking about electric boats, and the first completely online electric boat sharing initiative, launched in Italy.

A fully-automated system

Michele Lauriola and Leonardo Caiazza, two young entrepreneurs announced the launch of the web app: “Our system is fully automated. The boat is unlocked, and it I navigated with the assistance of a virtual skipper who suggests itineraries and destinations to visit, then it is moored after the user has put it on charge. This is the only obligation for the user.”

Requests for protected marine areas

The start-up, which has developed both the software and the hardware for managing the procedures, started the business with two boats, produced by the Swedish shipyard Nimbus: one is moored in the port of Mirabello in La Spezia and the second is given under license to an operator on Lake Garda, "The first weeks of operation went very well and we were sold out on weekends,", say Lauriola and Caiazza. “Many requests are coming from the 22 Italian protected marine areas, fragile ecosystems where petrol-engine boats would damage the natural balance. We would like to direct our business there.”

The boats can take up to 6 passengers

The start-up will initially make the two boats of its own fleet available to which others will be added thanks to agreements with shipyards. The boats are 6.30 metres long, can take 6 passengers and are equipped with bow and stern sundecks, retractable table, pro audio system, USB charger, on-board computer and Simrad with maps.