Forget about the glitz and glamour of 5-star stays; the 4-star hotel is having a major comeback worldwide, and savvy travelers are loving it. A study by Hotelchamp revealed that 4-star properties get nearly double the booking conversion rates of their 5-star competitors, which means that more guests are choosing and booking 4-star experiences.

Forbes’ latest Star Awards list released in February 2024 underscores this trend. Of over 2,000 global hotels reviewed, 600 earned 4-star ratings - against the 340 with five stars - making it the largest category on the list. But what exactly makes a 4-star hotel? And why are so many guests flocking to them?

The 4-stars, also known as upper upscale properties, are all about delivering a high-quality, stress-free experience. With spacious rooms decked with plush bedding, designer bath products, and stylish decor, key amenities like 24-hour room service, spa treatments, pools and on-site dining are also the norm. And many 4-stars are in premium locations close to major attractions.

This blend of comfort, convenience, and quality means 4-star hotels are a perfect choice for travelers who want a high-end experience without having to shell out thousands of dollars for a night in a 5-star pile.  

Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor

Exploring the captivating streets of Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, with an Ape Calessino buggy tour. 

Hassle-free tours in English, Spanish or Italian

Simone Accalai isn’t just a guide, he’s a storyteller, an historian, and a Sardinian at heart who does  tours in English, Spanish or Italian. We set off for a two-hour afternoon tour in his Ape Calessino buggy that can seat up to three people.  Simone can also do one-hour tours, and this form of transport is the ideal way to see Cagliari up close, by day or by night, soaking in the sights, scents, and sounds of the city without the hassle of hopping on and off tour buses.  The size of the Ape is also ideal for a city like Cagliari, as Simone can easily fit into even the tightest alleyways. 

pink flamingoes

Pink flamingoes and a 10-kilometre golden beach 

Our adventure began at the Salina salt flats that stretch into the Regional Molentargius Nature Park and are a peaceful sanctuary for the hundreds of delicate pink flamingoes that have made it their permanent home. Simone then brought us to Poetto Beach where the city’s 10-kilometre golden stretch of sand and turquoise waters is lined by palm trees and still has old beach lidos that rent out deckchairs and sun umbrellas.

The hilltop Castello district is the oldest in the city

Shifting gears from nature to history, the tour brought us up to the Castello district, perched high above the city. This oldest quarter of Cagliari is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets and ancient houses, with the majestic Cathedral of Santa Maria at its heart. The cathedral’s blend of Gothic, Baroque and Neo-Romanesque style is as awe-inspiring as the views from this hilltop neighborhood. Moving back down towards Villanova, we entered a quieter, colorful enclave. Simone’s buggy revealed Villanova’s cobblestone alleys where every second doorway overflows with potted trees and plants and the old facades, weathered yet vibrant, offer a charming glimpse of the city’s daily life. 

Local cuisine and magnificent sunsets

As the day unfolded into evening, we found ourselves at the Santa Croce Bastion that pairs historic grandeur with romantic ambiance. Here visitors relax and watch the sun sink into the horizon, as the twinkling lights of the port and the city reflect in the water.  No visit to Cagliari, said Simone, would be complete without diving into its culinary heritage, and the city is very liberally sprinkled with restaurants, which in the warmer months, offer alfresco dining.  On the menus there are local specialties like tender porceddu roast suckling pig, delicious fregula hand-rolled pasta with baby clams called arselle, and sebadas, which are golden puffed ravioli filled with ricotta and honey. For information: www.facebook.com/p/Calessino-Cagliari-Tour-Simone-Accalai-100063588192941/

Located just 62 miles and less than two hours north of Rome, Viterbo is a medieval treasure and a charming city that is a world apart from the bustling capital. 

A well-preserved medieval city 

With its rich history, stunning medieval architecture, and serene atmosphere, Viterbo is a destination that deserves to be on every traveller's list. While it’s close enough to visit on a day trip, it is worthwhile spending at least three to four days here to truly soak in its beauty and explore its surrounding area. Viterbo’s main draw is its impeccably preserved medieval center, encircled by ancient protective walls. Wandering around it, visitors feel as if they have stepped back in time and they should start at the Papal Palace, a majestic structure where, for 24 years in the 13th century, Viterbo served as the seat of the Pope. Its grand halls and the stunning Loggia of the Popes offering a glimpse into the city’s important past.

Majestic monuments and hidden corners

Then there is the Duomo di San Lorenzo, a striking cathedral that blends Romanesque and Gothic styles, and the Church of Santa Maria Nuova, one of the oldest churches in Viterbo with its fascinating blend of history and spirituality. For those who love wandering through quaint cobbled alleys and discovering hidden squares, the San Pellegrino quarter is a must-visit as it is the oldest part of the city, with every corner telling a story and each stone seeming to whisper ancient secrets.

Thermal waters and a beautiful villa

One of the most relaxing and unique experiences Viterbo has to offer is a visit to the Terme dei Papi. These historic thermal baths have been soothing weary travelers since Roman times and are the perfect place to unwind after a day of exploring, soaking in the mineral-rich waters and relaxing in the modern thermal complex. Just beyond the city’s walls the stunning Villa Lante in Bagnaia is a masterpiece of Renaissance landscape architecture, with meticulously designed gardens, fountains and sculptures.  

An annual UNESCO festival

For a taste of local culture, the 3 September Santa Rosa’s Festival is an annual event that was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2013. It consists of a massive, illuminated papier-mâché statue of Santa Rosa, Viterbo’s beloved protector, which is carried through the narrow streets of the city center on the shoulders of the townspeople, and as the sum sets and the lights dim, the sight is nothing short of magical.

Viterbo’s Culinary Delights

No visit to Viterbo is complete without indulging in the local cuisine. And any culinary journey should include the Acquacotta, a traditional Tuscan soup made with fresh vegetables, bread, and olive oil. Another must-try is Fieno di Canepina, a type of pasta unique to this area and often served with rich meat sauces or porcini mushrooms. And for a sweet treat, don’t miss the Tozzetti crunchy almond biscuits that pair perfectly with a glass of Vin Santo, a local dessert wine.
For information: www.visit.viterbo.it

Nestled along the little bay of Calamosca just outside Cagliari, the Sardinian capital, the Calamosca Restaurant is a pinnacle of fine dining.

A family legacy with timeless appeal

The restaurant, under the Devil’s Saddle promontory with its iconic rock formation, is perched overlooking the sea is not just a haven of fine food and stunning vistas, but also a beacon of sustainability and innovation. Under the stewardship of Matteo, Alessandra and Massimiliano Porcu this remarkable destination venue offers fine dining that marries Sardinia’s extraordinary wealth of foods and wines with environmental responsibility. It was Vittorio Porcu, grandfather of the current owners, whose design shaped the curved property overlooking the bay and the Capo Sant’Elia lighthouse. Following a recent renovation, helmed by managing director Matteo Porcu, the restaurant enhanced its timeless appeal, Matteo's passion for his family's legacy revitalizing not only the restaurant but also the next door Le Terrazze di Calamosca terraces.

The Art of Sardinian Cuisine  

The kitchen is helmed by Chef Michele Ferrara, a Sardinian native with a wealth of international experience who brings a refined touch to every dish. This showcase for the local flavors that feature in Ferrara’s seasonal menus, blend Sardinian staples with global inspirations. A master of minimalist plating, Ferrara emphasizes the natural essence of each ingredient, and among his standout creations is the Polpo per Silvana, a tribute to the Porcu family matriarch which combines crispy octopus with Sardinia's signature scabecciu agrodolce sauce. 

Matteo PorcuThe pasta is crafted in-house every day 

The pasta, which Chef Ferrara crafts daily, takes center stage at Calamosca with signature dishes like Calamosca 1952, a pacchero pasta paired with prawns, calamari, swordfish, mussels, and the quintessential Sardinian Culurgiones  potato-filled ravioli.  The menu changes three to four times annually, showcasing the finest seasonal produce in exquisite dishes like the Cottu e Crù crispy swordfish, while beef and chicken are also on the menu in dishes like the Orgoglio Sardo, a tartare of local beef with sun-dried tomatoes and anchovies.

Combatting food waste is high on the agenda

At the heart of Calamosca’s commitment to sustainability are its initiatives to combat food waste, such as the "magic boxes." Filling boxes with high-quality, unused food from weddings, birthdays, and events, Calamosca demonstrates how small, thoughtful actions can make a significant impact on both the local community and the planet.  

Beyond dining: Le Terrazze di Calamosca  

Complementing the restaurant is Le Terrazze di Calamosca, an elevated bar experience offering breathtaking views of the bay. Whether savoring an Italian breakfast, a light lunch, or an expertly crafted cocktail, guests are treated to a multisensory journey. And the bar's partnerships with prestigious food and wine brands, many of which are local, amplify its allure, while events like summer DJ parties add a festive touch.  With its dedication to culinary artistry, unforgettable vistas and sustainability the Calamosca Restaurant and Le Terrazze redefine luxury dining in Sardinia. 

For information: http://calamosca.it

At the recent BTE non-hotel travel show in Palermo Antonio Gargano, municipal councillor of Bagheria explained why this Sicilian city should be on the radar of all visitors.  

Historic villas and the Renato Guttuso Museum

“From the second half of the 17th century onwards the most important rich and powerful Sicilian aristocratic families, who lived in Palermo, chose the Bagheria area to build their holiday villas on what was both forest and farmland.”  This epic story lasted 150 years, ending in the 18th century and in those 150 years, some 44 magnificent villas were built in little more than six kilometres. “Today there are still 33 of these villas left standing, and then we have Villa Cattolica, home to the Renato Guttuso Museum, which the critics say is among the most important in the Mediterranean, housing over 1,000 works by Guttuso, and many other artists.”

Non-hotel choices and the Domina Club Zagarella

Bagheria and the Marinara d’Aspra – which is the only area on the sea in the province of Palermo that enjoys the entire Gulf of Palermo – has over 500 B&Bs and holiday homes. “There we have ten hotels, and in the nearby municipality of Santa Flavia, there is the Domina Club Zagarella which is ideal for larger groups. Many visitors arrive by plane at Falcone-Borsellino Airport.  Bagheria is about 50 kilometres to the east by car, or they can take the metro to Palermo railway station from which there are trains leaving every 15 minutes for Bagheria.” 

“We have extraordinary wines and two Michelin restaurants”

Bagheria is a city of taste, and the local cuisine blends the traditions of its typical more rural style of cooking with its seafaring heritage. “We also have extraordinary wines like those from the Duca di Salaparuta winery, which are appreciated the world over.   And, although we have only 60, 000 inhabitants we can boast two Micheli-starred restaurants: II Pupi, with two Michelin stars, and Limu, which also has two stars and is inside a 16th-century tower in the historic centre of the city.”  

This winter, Rimini’s seaside is set to sparkle with French flair and cabaret as the revamped Mamì Bistrot reopens in Rivabella. 

Theatre and dining from breakfast to dinner

The bistrot restaurant in Rivabella di Rimini has reopened, doubled in space, and embraces a new chapter marked by a grand theater  ambience and opulent, turn-of-the-century decor that evokes the splendor of Art Nouveau Paris. With its expanded capacity Mamì can now seat 90 guests in a dining space that is brimming with true French theatrical ambiance. It is a spacious setting where guests can enjoy an extensive menu filled with both local delicacies and international favorites, complemented by expertly crafted cocktails. Merging theatrical allure with French elegance, this is one of the most unique and original dining options on Italy’s famous Adriatic Riviera coast.

Cabaret shows and French-style cuisine

Guests will find themselves transported into the vibrant world of French revue theater, with cabaret shows that are a feast for the senses. The entertainment is guaranteed with Mamì’s shows, Les Folies, that pay homage to classical French cabaret and that showcase the talents of professional dancers.  In the cozy charm of Mamì, every piece—from the mismatched coffee cups to the ostrich feathers—tells a tale of tradition in an intimate and immersive space with talented artists ensuring that audiences experience true theatrical magic. 

Open all winter from breakfast to midnight

With weekend (Thursdays to Sundays) dinner shows with a French twist - from potage to foie gras and from salads to escargots, as well as brunches and cocktails and a resident dance troupe, Mamì Bistrot’s will be open all winter, bringing a new bohemian spirit to the tranquil seaside town of Rivabella di Rimini. Open from Thursdays to Sundays from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to midnight. For information: www.mamibistrot.it 

The Trame di Luce light art exhibition returns to Rome's Botanical Gardens from 30 November to 6 January 2025.

Light art with a Christmas theme

The event organised by IMG and the Be.it Events team, which is also responsible for the artistic direction, is a unique experience that gives a new light to Christmas, and this year the route, has been designed for all ages. With a truly seductive spectacle of installations and unprecedented and interactive light artworks, all with low environmental impact, Trame di Luce has been created in collaboration with national and international artists.

The entrance is at the National Academy of the Lincei 

Divided into 22 stages, the works of light art, some of which have never been seen before, have been created specifically for Rome, and have been inspired by the themed events realised by the IMG group in Windsor Park in Great Britain and in the Domaine National de Saint Claude in Paris.  From the very first moment the creations lead into a dreamlike dimension. Thousands of traditional and innovative lighting installations will create spectacular and luminous works of art, filling the gardens of the Botanical Garden with magic along an immersive en plein air itinerary of light art with a low environmental impact and designed for a public of every age.

“Visitors will become co-protagonists”

“This will be an even more spectacular edition, bringing a new light to Christmas and its traditions, thanks to the artists who are the protagonists of the installations and light works- says creative director Silvia Dorigo. -This year, moreover, visitors will not participate in the tours as mere spectators but will be involved to the point of becoming co-protagonists of the route themselves, contributing to composing the magic in which they will be immersed.”

QR codes to interact with the installations

Another novelty of this edition will be a free story accessible to everyone via QR codes distributed along the route; a story that will offer hints on how to understand, approach and interact with each work. Admission to the sensorial Trame di Luce exhibition is at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in Via Corsini 25, and tickets can be purchased on www.tramediluce.it or directly on site. The cost varies from €12 to €25, with packages for families and groups, and reductions for certain categories. The opening hours, from 6pm to 11pm (with the last admission at approximately 9pm), will be from Saturday 30 November 2024 to Monday 6 January 2025, from Wednesday to Sunday, with special openings every day from Thursday 26 December to Monday 6 January. The exhibition is closed on Tuesday 24 December, Wednesday 25 December and Tuesday 31 December. 

The new edition of the safety briefing card, a collaboration between ITA Airways and Enac (Italian Civil Aviation Authority), is a support for blind and visually impaired passengers.

Braille and high-contrast characters

The briefing card in Italian and English, which will be available on board the company’s entire fleet by 2025, provides safety information in Braille with tactile figures for the blind and high-contrast characters for the visually impaired. With UV printing, and thanks to the use of multi-sensory and innovative technologies, the card will include texts and colours suitable for the visually impaired, Braille texts, 3D figures showing emergency exits, cabin layout, use of seat belts, emergency positions, use of life jackets and oxygen masks.

“It is a small step, but it expresses a laudable will”

Among the first to express his satisfaction was the Italian artist Andrea Bocelli: “I celebrate Enac's initiative to equip the entire fleet with safety briefing cards in Braille. It is a small step, but it expresses a laudable will in the direction of increasingly full independence for the blind.”

Sustainability is a fundamental pillar for ITA Airways

‘This project sees us once again working together with institutions to achieve a common goal; this time by significantly improving the service offered to the visually impaired and increasing in-flight safety for all passengers,- said Antonino Turicchi, ITA Airways’ president. -Sustainability is a fundamental pillar for ITA Airways, just as it is a responsibility towards the environment and our customers.”  ‘This new safety briefing card,- said Enac’s president Pierluigi Di Palma,  -is a further tool dedicated to the inclusion and autonomy of all passengers, even those with visual impairments who, with these aids, will be able to experience air travel in serenity. ENAC has always stood by passengers, ensuring their freedom to fly with confidence."

Italo is focusing on services and intermodality and has restyled its spectacular Italo Club Lounge at Milano Centrale. 

New lounges in other Italian cities

Located on the upper floor of Milan’s central railway station, from the top of its glass roof the lounge offers views over the tracks, and it also offers dedicated services, wi-fi, newspapers and served food. Entrance to the lounge is for passengers with first or higher class tickets, ItaloPiù Privilege and Privilege Plus and the Corporate Premium, Privilege and Privilege Plus cards as well as on payment. The renovation of the lounge is part of a broader strategy launched by Italo and focused on consolidating and expanding services and on intermodality. As already happened with the Rome lounge and will happen with others, the lounges are part of that added value of customer satisfaction that puts the traveller at the centre of choices, according to the rail company.

Italo's CEO, Gianbattista La Rocca

“We serve the whole of Italy with trains and Itabus services”

Italo's CEO, Gianbattista La Rocca said: “Italo is the Europe’s leading intermodal group. Today we serve the whole of Italy with trains and Itabus services. We recently debuted abroad and with the entry of MSC in the Italo shareholding, and we intend offering an extensive and widespread service, connecting large cities, provincial towns, ports and airports with just one click through a platform that integrates all the services, while expanding our network of partners, to offer an increasingly broad and varied catalogue of pre and post-trip services.”

“Travel agencies are valuable partners”

“We are focusing a lot on the business market, towards a high-spending clientele who wants added value and assistance,- said sales director Marco De Angelis. -The lounges offer functionality and comfort and in December we will be opening one in Bologna. We are reinforcing the frequency on high-traffic routes like Rome, Turin and Venice with trains every half-hour and every hour. In addition, with the arrival of new trains we will expand the network on new routes, while intermodality allows us to serve by bus those destinations that cannot be reached by train.”  As for travel agencies, “they are valuable partners. We have a total of 2700 coded agencies, 250 of which are top performers. We can count on a fleet of 51 trains, of which 26 evo and 25 agv, on 53 cities with 118 frequencies per day. As far as the entry of a third operator is concerned, we consider it a positive factor, competition can only be good for travellers, as already happened when Italo entered the market.”