“For Trenitalia’s Regional Division this post-Covid year promises to be a turning point,” said Regional Business Director Sabrina De Filippis. “With the recovery of international markets, and the increase in demand for proximity travel, we are looking to surpass the volumes of 2019.”

More than 6,200 Trenitalia Regionale trains operate daily on the network from the north to the south of Italy, and the aim is to focus on shared and integrated modes of transport including buses to continue journeys to the more remote parts of the country. “This allows our passengers to discover many beautiful and lesser-known parts of Italy. Due to the success of our train + bus LINK services we are now also integrating our train connections with ferry services to many of the most evocative islands in the Mediterranean.”

With the emphasis on sustainability the new Regionale trains, like the hybrid Blues, consume 30% less energy than the previous generation, and both in terms of technology and on-board services they are able to meet the needs of an increasingly wide and diverse range of travellers, from families, to bikers, including those who travel by e-bike, thanks to the on-board charging stations.

Superfast Ferries is part of the Attica Group, and is a leader on routes to Greece and Italy.

“Our ferries are like small cruise ships”

“Our Group also includes Blue Star Ferries, Hellenic Seaways and the tour operator Webtours, and we connect more or less all the Greek islands with ultra-modern ships, some of which have been recently delivered," says Webtours Director Chiara Morandi. “Our ferries are like small cruise ships and when customes board they already feel they are on holidays. They are equipped with sophisticated services and restaurants, and some have swimming pools; it is a different way of travelling.” 

Agencies get quotes and see availability in real time 

"The agencies that work with us use a priority channel. On our website they have a dedicated area where they can request quotes and see availability in real time.  And we are always there for them with the direct assistance of our call centre,"  

Passenger services all year round

Webtours has a wide range of packages and tours for the Italian and Greek islands, and not just for the summer months. 

“Our ships sail all year round. In the spring and autumn months, over national and bank-holiday weekends and at New Year there are solutions not only for sea breaks but also for packages featuring archaeology, culture and history, and an excellent choice of accommodation and tours for every type of traveller." 

For carefree, barefoot holidays in Sardinia the choice can only be Aquadulci Hotel in Spartivento, Sardinia. 

A hotel in local stone set among bougainvilleas

More than a hotel, Aquadulci Hotel is a place of the heart where you can take off your shoes, stroll down to the sea, and toss all those tensions to the winds. Nature reigns in this small world: the low property in local stone appears to want to hide among the bougainvilleas so as not to disturb the wonderful landscape just a few metres away.

Pink flamingos and high sand dunes 

The property, in the town of Spartivento on the Bay of Chia about 40 minutes from Cagliari, offers crystal clear waters with emerald hues, high sand dunes fringed by Mediterranean scrub, and the unique spectacle of pink flamingos as you walk barefoot along the wooden walkway connecting the hotel to the beach. This is a refined and intimate sanctuary where you can regenerate and pamper yourself, with rooms and suites (some with a private garden, others with a terrace overlooking the sea) in soft colours, furnished with locally handcrafted furniture and fabrics that invite you to relax.

Aquadulci Hotel 

Regenerating massages and a menu of local delights

Enjoy the large swimming pool in the garden which is dotted with palms and olive trees; indulge in regenerating massages and treatments with organic essences of native plants in the bamboo gazebo and sip an aperitif in the outdoor lounge area. The raw materials and excellences of the island are the protagonists in the Aquadulci à la carte restaurant: from Sant'Antioco lobster and the catch of the day to Villagrande ham, and from Cabras bottarga to Camona di Pula tomatoes. The traditional pastas are made by hand daily as are the pastries that delight the palate at dessert time, and for the rich breakfast.

Water sports, riding, tennis and golf

This is a place made for lovers of the sea, a privileged starting point for discovering hidden beaches and coves on foot or on an old sailing schooner. For those looking for an active vacation, the hotel rents bicycles and organises mountain bike excursions, riding, kitesurfing and windsurfing courses, tennis, and golf at the nearby 18-hole course. Prices start at €79 per person per night with bed and breakfast starting on 20 May 2023. 

Mother and child holidays, whether it be in an art city like Florence or a nature paradise like the Italian Dolomites, are becoming increasingly popular.

Slow down and take a break for Mother’s Day 

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, now is the perfect time to slow down and spend quality time with loved ones, booking a getaway to make sure that both mums and their little, or not so little ones, feel really special. 

Pizza, pasta and palazzi in Florence’s Hotel Continentale

Famed for its food, artwork and architecture, Florence is the perfect mother and child city break. Located in the historical centre, Hotel Continentale is just a few steps from the Uffizi Gallery, Piazza della Signoria, the Cathedral and Palazzo Pitti. The property is a glamorous boutique design hotel, which revisits the vibrant style and spirit of the 50s, and the La Terrazza roof terrace has stunning views over the River Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. 

Hotel Continentale Florence

Visit the Salvatore Ferragamo museum and flagship store

After a day filled with sightseeing, guests can relax in the hotel’s beautiful small city spa, White Iris Beauty. For guests staying at a Lungarno Collection hotel, entry is complimentary to the nearby Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, also home to the fashion house’s flagship store. The museum celebrates the life and work of the shoemaker to the stars and showcases the designs for famous clients including Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn.  Hotel Continentale offers rooms starting from €292 per night, based on two adults sharing and excluding breakfast.

Hotel Sassongher

Ski, hike or sauna at Hotel Sassongher in the Italian Dolomites  

Ski, hike or sauna at Hotel Sassongher in the Italian Dolomites in the charming setting of the little village of  Corvara with its traditional architecture and authentic restaurants. In winter guests can explore the Dolomiti Superski Area, where beginners can gently cruise down wide slopes whilst advanced skiers have their pick of testing trails. In the spring months the flora and fauna come alive and the terrain is perfect for hiking, and after an active day guests can unwind in the rooftop jacuzzi and sauna.

Fun, local foods and live entertainment in the evenings 

Every evening the Hotel Sassongher hosts live entertainment, and guests can enjoy local delicacies in a choice of three traditional Stubes,  one of which dates back to the 16th century. Hotel Sassongher offers double rooms from €270 per night, based on two adults sharing a Comfort Room on a half-board basis. 

Langhe, Monferrato and Roero are a single territory and preservation, diversification and innovation are cardinal objectives, says tourist agency director Bruno Bertero.

Sustainable tourism is a benchmark

“We are working on complementary levels, and on different tourist segments," says Bertero, who took over last year as director of the Langhe, Monferrato and Roero Tourism Agency. “Our strategies are directed towards the identification of a feasible action plan to promote sustainable tourism, starting from the base and aiming at product diversification.” 

“We have to maintain that balance recognized by UNESCO”

The products for which the area is famous go from white truffles to wines, and they have made it a destination of gastronomic excellence on the national and global scene. Another fundamental element that distinguishes the destination is its nature, and in 2014 it was given six UNESCO awards. "The UNESCO recognition underlines the importance of preserving and protecting the territory which is the real challenge for the future.. We must ensure that the destination in its fragility is able to maintain that balance recognized by UNESCO."  

Unique landscapes and places of distinction

The UNESCO awards consist of four highlighting the special link between the area’s variety of grape, terroir and winemaking techniques. The other two are for places of particular distinction: wonderful landscapes shaped by the combined action of nature and man, gentle hilly expanses dotted with vines as far as the eye can see, ancient villages surrounded by meadowlands, and imposing castles perched on hilltops.

Luxury hospitality accommodation 

“We have a wide range of hotels, and our tourism rentals market is of a high level. But, while renting to tourists can earn much more than renting to residents, it inevitably leads to depopulation. We must maintain a balance as the cultural factor provided by the resident community is extremely important, we know only too well what happened to Venice. Our hospitality facilities provide luxury in small places, a luxury of experiences that responds to a demand for exclusivity, and it is appealing to visitors who know how to spend but expect quality.”

There is a place that a famous writer liked to call the “Florida of Italy,” a captivating place in which to admire the range of colours and enjoy the beauty of nature, even out of season. The author was Ernest Hemingway and he was referring to the coast of Lignano Sabbiadoro, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, where he stopped in the 1950s on a strip of land washed by three different types of water - the sea water of the Adriatic to the south; the brackish water of the Marano lagoon to the north, and the fresh water of the Tagliamento river to the west.

All the colours of dawn 

To best discover the beauty of this landscape, start with the colours of dawn near the sea in Lignano Sabbiadoro. For early risers, the suggested route connects the sea to the lagoon, starting from the Faro Rosso red lighthouse, which has always been a landmark for sailors. It is here that the sun rises every morning, embracing and warming the panorama and the spirit with its first light.

Faro Rosso - Lighthouse  

Cycle-pedestrian trails and a fitness area 

The cycle-pedestrian route begins in the area of Villa Zuzzi (also known as Villino Zuzzi), a historic Art Nouveau building, skirting the golden sand and perhaps strolling along the shoreline with a few seagulls.  For the more sports minded there is a fitness area with a view of the sea, and the benches on which to relax and enjoy the salty air are a good alternative for everyone. The route ends at Ufficio 19, where the promenade merges with the pine forest and the scents of nature.

Casoni Marano Lagunare - Ph Credits: Francesco Marongiu

The casoni fishermen’s houses on the water

From Lignano it only takes a few minutes by boat to take a plunge into the past by landing on the shores of Marano Lagunare, a land of fishermen. In the harbour you will notice the batele typical lagoon fishing boats, which are four metres long, have a flat bottom and are designed to navigate in shallow waters. But the real "stars" around here are the casoni: simple huts on stilts, made using local materials, such as marsh reed, that let the water run off while sheltering the interiors from the rain. In the casoni’s single room the fishermen would rest and warm themselves by the fire until dawn the next day. 

Ph Credits: PTFVG

A bird-watchers paradise 

Adding life and colour to this precious ecosystem are swans, herons, birds of prey, flamingos and many other bird species, of which there are over 300 in the area.  Many sightings are possible for birdwatchers or even the merely curious. From the purple heron, which breeds among the reeds of the Stella River delta, to the marsh harrier, which in this area boasts one of the highest concentrations in the whole of Italy, and various passerines, including the little basking warbler, the great reed warbler and the reed warbler. While in the surrounding lagoon inlets it is not uncommon to spot entire flocks of water birds congregating during the winter season, among them coots, gadwall, teal, shoveler, pochard, and ducks. 

Cape Lignano Sabbiadoro_©AP AL MARE

Arsenale is to export the Dolce Vita Train to Saudi Arabia as the Dream of the Desert train.

To be branded as Orient Express in Italy

The plans for Arsenale’s Treno della Dolce Vita, which in Italy will also be branded as Orient Express, include Saudi Arabia. Paolo Barletta, CEO of Arsenale, the group behind this concept of luxury travelling hospitality, recently signed an agreement with Bashar Al Malik, CEO of Saudi Arabia's national railway company, Saudi Arabia Railways (Sar), to develop the format in the Middle Eastern country.

The Saudi Arabian train will have 40 cabins

Arsenale’ Dream of the Desert project will start by 2025; the train will have 40 cabins and run on Saudi railway lines. The project will be worth €51 million in manufacturing and €10 million in further investments in Italy. The know-how will in fact be 100% Italian and the carriages will be completely refurbished in factories in Italy. For Arsenale, this is the international debut of a model that can be replicated worldwide.

Palazzo Velabro, the new exclusive mixed-use hotel in the Eternal City, overlooks the Roman Forum and is under the management of LHM.

“Our concept is a room is not enough”  

LHM is the white label company specialized in hotel management founded by Cristina Paini, and is a leader in Italy in the development of the condohotel and mixed-use hotel format.

"Palazzo Velabro is a project that we have overseen and followed over the last two years, and today we are at the soft opening. Our concept is "a room is not enough" and this has allowed us to bring together under one roof design and contemporary art, books and cinema, the study of greenery and food," said CEO Cristina Paini.

Palazzo Velabro - Ph Credits: Danilo Scarpati

The intimacy of a private residence with all comforts 

Built in the first half of the 1700s and transformed in the 1960s by the rationalist architect Luigi Moretti, Palazzo Velabro, a Marriot's Design Hotels™ brand, comes back to life with 27 design suites and six rooms with contemporary art and design features. Guests will enjoy an exclusive experience that combines the intimacy of a private residence with the all the comforts offered by a luxury hotel with a restaurant, a fitness room and a cinema.

Palazzo Velabro lobby Ph. Credits Danilo Scarpati

Caronte & Tourist is ready for the new season and for the return of foreign markets. With a fleet of 21 ships connecting destinations and islands in the Mediterranean, the shipping line was founded over 50 years ago.

"For example our routes make it possible to bypass the highways of Calabria and reach Sicily and the smaller Sicilian islands more comfortably," says Claudio Di Mare, passenger area sales manager of the Caronte & Tourist Group.  

Ferries to some of Italy’s smallest islands 

The Caronte & Tourist Group also counts Cartour, Siremar which connects to the smaller Sicilian islands, Sardinian subsidiary Maddalena Lines, and Blu Navy with crossings between Tuscany and Portoferraio, and also operates on Mediterranean islands with challenging ports.

"For example on Alicudi, a small island that is little more than a rock, the port is just a concrete quay jutting out into the sea, and the same is true for Stromboli and Marettimo.  The ships that operate these services are specially designed for these situations, and depending on the weather conditions there can be days when crossings have to be cancelled.”   

“We are hoping for a return of foreign markets”

“In 2020 our ships were non-Covid, and in 2021 we saw the first real signs of recovery that became more apparent in 2022. We are hoping for a return of foreign markets. We are ready for the new season, although our season does not stop with the summer, because in addition to passengers we also transport goods."

In the month of February 17,080 passengers were handled by the San Francesco d'Assisi Aeroporto dell’Umbria airport. This is a growth of +147% over February 2022.

Wizzair, Albawings and Ryanair flights

In the winter of 2022-23 new Wizzair flights from Tirana were introduced to Aeroporto dell’Umbria in addition to those already operated by Albawings from Cluj-Napoca, operating twice weekly until May, and also twice weekly Ryanair flights from London Stansted, Malta, Catania and Palermo.

Six international airlines fly into Aeroporto dell’Umbria

Starting on 26 March 16 routes into the airport will be operated by six airlines, with up to 98 weekly scheduled flights. These are from/to Barcelona (Ryanair), Brindisi (Ryanair), Brussels Charleroi (Ryanair), Bucharest (Ryanair), Cagliari (Ryanair), Catania (Ryanair), Krakow (Ryanair), London Heathrow (British Airways), London Stansted (Ryanair), Malta (Ryanair), Olbia (Aeroitalia), Palermo (Ryanair), Rotterdam (Transavia), Tirana (Wizz air), Tirana (Albawings), and Vienna (Ryanair).