Historic Turin and the rolling Langhe Hills

Only4U, an Italian destination management company specializing in experiential tourism, shows happy couples the many facets of Turin.

Along its historic streets you can get a sense of the elegance and nobility that it still retains today, in a succession of arcades, galleries, squares and Baroque masterpieces. As a place to step into the past you don’t want to miss out on its historic cafes. Just outside the city, the natural scenery of the Langhe with rolling hills and vineyards dotted with ancient villages and castles, create a stunning and varied panorama. The experience includes: 2 nights in a 4 star Turin hotel, a guided aperitif in the city of Turin, a half day guide in Turin, a full day guide for Alba and Barolo, a guided wine tasting in the cellar in the Morra area, private transfer with NCC, a Turin card for free entry to the museums, medical insurance and cancellation coverage    Cost for two people €1818. 

Chianti and Truffles and a stay in the Tenute Ruffico

This Only4U experience from the Italian destination management company specializing in experiential tourism, is dedicated to all truffle lovers. A chance to head out in search of this small but precious treasure together with a professional truffle hunter accompanied by his faithful hound. A stay is planned in the charming agriresort of Tenute Ruffino in Bagno a Ripoli. The experience includes: a stay in the charming Tenute Ruffino ageiresort, a walk in the woods in search of truffles with a tasting lunch based on truffles, a visit with tasting in the vineyards and cellar, medical insurance / cancellation, an authentic gift: a selection of authentic products.  Cost for two people: € 898.

Romantic Venice and its culinary delights

Let yourself be led by Only4U, an Italian destination management company specializing in experiential tourism, to discover old taverns, pubs and wine bars. This food and wine tour will allow you to combine both historical and culinary traditions. Delight your palate with cheeses, typical sweets such as buranelli, and the famous chicchetti. With the help of restaurateurs and your guide, pair traditional drinks and typical wines for a true all-round experience, and get to taste real tiramisu, in the very land where it was invented.

Your adventure begins from Campo di Santi Apostoli, located in the Cannaregio district in a local bacaro. After having enjoyed a glass of wine and tasting the famous cicchetti, you board a wooden boat which is moored nearby, and prepare to enjoy a stunning sunset in Venice on your way to an exclusive wine bar with over 800 organic wines, before returning to your hotel. The experience includes: two nights in a charming hotel, entrance to the Venetia 1600 Births and Rebirths exhibition at the Doge's Palace, a concert of classical Venetian Baroque music,a signature dinner with cicchetti in a typical restaurant in the Rialto area, afternoon tea at the historic Caffè Florian, a vaporetto water bus pass, a reservation on the terrace of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi to admire the sunset. Cost for two people €1050

Trame d'Italia has many unusual experiences and cultural itineraries in the province of Parma, offering visitors the chance to discover the history, culture and life of the inhabitants of the Parma area.

This online platform is for travellers looking for direct contact with places, traditions, people and those intriguing lesser-known and inaccessible aspects of one of the most fascinating parts of Italy.

Walking and cycling itineraries 

This tourism promotion project is from Trame d'Italia, with the contribution of the Fondazione Cariparma and in collaboration with the Association of Castles of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Pontremoli and with the European Association of the Vie Francigene. For lovers of culture, nature and the unanticipated, this is a series walking and cycling itineraries that uncover hidden gastronomic gems, age-old castles and unexpected wonders.

yurta Ca' Cigolara
Yoga lessons and signature cuisine

A Mongolian yurt under the Apennine peaks is the overnight surprise on the Night in a Yurt in the Apennines itinerary: two days in contact with nature, guided by the owners of a farmhouse and the custodian of the Castle of Compiano. This experiential journey includes yoga lessons and Shiatsu massages, signature cuisine, time to explore the beautiful village of Compiano and its manor with its secret prisons, and walks in the Ca' Cigolara woods. The itinerary, valid from April to October 2022, is from €218 per person.

Tastings of local cured meats and wild apple cider

Unusual places for Curious Travellers on the Parma Hills is an itinerary through places where lovers made their vows, starting from the Sala Baganza and the rooms of the Rocca Sanvitale, guided by the owner, with Duke Antonio Farnese’s apartment and its history revealed through an Olympus of mythological figures. There are also tastings of local cured meats, a guided walk in the ancient village of Calestano, a special visit to a farm producing wild apple cider, and dinner in a wine cellar. A few kilometers away, the tour continues in the enchanting Castle of Torrechiara with romantic stories about Count Pier Maria Rossi and Bianca Pellegrini, a stop in Sasso, and a guided visit to the Romanesque parish church. The final stop is in the ancient village of Cedogno at the intriguing Museum of Ancient Locks. The itinerary is available from March through November 2022. Prices start at €497 per person.

An afternoon Japanese bookbinding workshop

The magic of the Orient as imagined and experienced by the artist Galileo Chini will surprise and delight visitors on the itinerary The Orient at Salsomaggiore Terme: Atmospheres and Techniques, a one-day experience in the company of a passionate expert on Salsomaggiore’s history starting in the Grand Hotel des Thermes. Then on to savour Emilian dishes in an osteria in the historic centre for a delicious farm-to-the-table lunch, and finally an afternoon to savour with a delightful Japanese bookbinding workshop. Prices start at €149 per person.

Tavern in Salsomaggiore

Ferrara, in the Emilia Romagna region, is a splendid art city, and its mayor Alan Fabbri is confident that tourism will recover in 2022.

Like all Italy’s art cities Ferrara was particularly hard hit by the Covid crisis, and Mayor Fabbri outlines the many measures that have, and are being taken, to ensure that visitor numbers increase this year. 

Exhibitions,  museums and theatre festivals  

”Over the last two difficult years we rolled out bids for projects to support cultural activities, and we set up security protocols allowing us to organize events when this was possible. Sometimes we had as many a ten exhibitions and musems open, and our theatre season of drama, opera and dance was a success, as was the November Ferrara Food Festival. On New Year’s weekend we attracted 1,800 visitors with the offer of free entry to our museums for an overnight stay.”     

Ferrara is twinned with Toledo in Ohio

“Ferrara’s image is going around the world: we are twinned with Toledo in Ohio, and we are targetting the US market in particular. In Europe the Petit Palais in Paris will host an exhibition dedicated to Ferrara’s great painter Giovanni Boldini, and the writer Manfredo Manfredini is the focus of studies in Germany.” 

Just 40 minutes from the sea and 30 minutes from Bologna 

"We are in a logistically strategic position, along the Bologna-Venice axis. Italo has recently upgraded its train schedules and we are just 40 minutes from the sea, and less than half an hour from the regional capital, Bologna. Visitora are attracted by the Renaissance soul of our city, and during the summer season, we organise themed tours for tourists stayaing on the Adriatic Riviera".

“In 2021 we had a 38% rise in tourist arrivals” 

With an annual €3 million being invested in tourism in Ferrara, and with the tourist tax contributing an average €800,000 Mayor Fabbri says that in 2021 the city saw an overall rise of 38% in tourist arrivals and 40% in overnights compared to 2020. 

“These are far from the pre-Covid figures, but they are an encouraging sign. The pandemic has deprived the municipal coffers of €13.2 million, but what is worse are the effects of the closures in tourism-related concerns.  We have allocated some €2 million municipal funds to support the hospitality sector, from hotels to farmstays.”

“We must offer visitors accessibility as well as quality services and products” 

"I think that Covid has contributed greatly to the redefinition of destinations, lifestyles and ways of approaching travel. This means a return to local tourism and a strong focus on quality. Low-value - adding mass tourism is now a thing of the past. Today, more than ever, it is essential to pay the utmost attention to hospitality, the environment and the integration of tourist services, offering visitors accessibility as well as quality services and products.” 

The Th Resorts in the north of Italy conclude the peak winter season with positive numbers despite the difficulties associated with the resurgence of the pandemic, with 60,000 visitors enjoying the company’s mountain resorts from the Valle d’Aosta to the Trentino Alto Adige.

Italians were up 15% but there were 20% fewer foreign visitors 

Stefano Maria Simei, Th Group Commerical and Marketing Director said:

“Despite the pandemic we have seen strong numbers, at times we were even sold out, bringing us very close to the results of the successful 2019/2020 winter season. There has been a positive shift in Italian customers (+ 15%) but foreign visitors were down (-20%) compared to two winters ago. We have worked hard and we have rigorously applied all health protocols; our focus is always on safety.”

 

Efficient management of the pandemic situation

Th Resorts owns a dozen mountain resorts in the north of Italy, from Corvara, Sestriere and Madonna di Campiglio to Courmayeur, Pila, Marilleva, Passo San Pellegrino and La Thuile.  Internal procedures in the properties ensure screening and an efficient management of quarantine for anyone testing positive for the virus. 

“There have been Covid cases, but almost all of our guests were testing negative at the first quarantine testing deadlines. In cases of personnel quarantines, it was not easy to find replacements so we all worked overtime. Despite all the difficulties we can say that we made it.”

 

There are now 85 Italia hotels and restaurants in the Les Collectionneurs community thanks to 16 new entries this year.

The group’s Orange Guide 2022 has in total 49 new travel and gastronomic experiences to be experienced in 14 countries including France, Italy, Portugal, Germany and Morocco.

Les Collectionneurs Villa Sassolini Luxury Boutique Hotel Spa

For mountain and wellness lovers 

In Italy the new entries begin in the heart of Selva di Val Gardena in the Alto Adige region with the Granbaita Dolomites Hotel, home of the Perathoner family who for over 50 years have welcomed mountain lovers from all over the world. Recently it underwent a modern renovation, and the excellent restaurant and wellness area are a tribute to the flavours and nature of the Dolomites. In Bardonecchia, which is an hour by train or car from Turin, right on the ski slopes at 2,000 meters, the Savoia Mountain Resort is an oasis of peace and has just been renovated in perfect mountain style. Manager Francesca Barba says guests can choose between the elegant suites and the characteristic chalets and that they love to indulge in pampering both at the wellness center which is in woods and at the restaurant.

From Lake Garda to the Friuli’s historic capital of Udine

In the historic center of Sirmione, which is on Lake Garda, the La Speranzina Restaurant & Relais is an intimate and elegant residence belonging to the Giordani family, that boasts romantic panoramic views and a starred restaurant helmed by chef Fabrizio Molteni. Half an hour from the city of Udine the Nodo Hotel is a brand new address in a setting of centuries-old trees and with many works of art. Guests are welcomed to the modern and comfortable property, which has been beautifully designed by owner Riccardo Facchini to minimize environmental impact. The best way to chill out is to relax in the restaurant or reserve a treatment in the wellness area. 

A castle hotel set in a medieval village

In Umbria, in the heart of the Valnerina valley near the little town of Sellano, which is 50 kilometres from the regional capital Perugia, you'll find the Castello di Postignano. Here general manager Nino Di Bonito introduces travellers to the authentic hospitality of a hotel set in a medieval village, and invites to delight in the fine dining cuisine of chef Vincenzo Guarino.

Italian moviemaker Paolo Sorrentino said it all in his 2013 film The Great Beauty, his breath-taking cinematography showing Rome at its most beautiful, and etching the Eternal City’s timeless loveliness deep in our hearts.  

And now a study ranking world landmarks described as “beautiful” in reviews on Tripadvisor, has confirmed it. Because two out of the top five landmarks people called beautiful are in Rome!     

In the ParkSleepFly study on reviews that used the words beautiful, pretty, picturesque and stunning, the Trevi Fountain is in 3th position with 3,107 “beautiful” mentions. And in 5th place the Coliseum - the largest amphitheater ever built, and the largest still standing despite being nearly 2,000 years old – scores 3,051. 

The Trevi Fountain’s ranking brings back memories of an iconic cult movie: Federico Fellini’s 1960 La Dolce Vita. And the moonlight scene when platinum blonde Anita Ekberg, wearing a low-cut black evening dress, splashes and dances in the water. 

Beauty, as the saying goes, lies in the eyes of the beholder. But anyone who has stopped to toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, or stood in awe before the Coliseum, will surely agree that Rome is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  

Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor

At the end of 2021 the Ab-Ar company, part of the Baltour Group, acquired the 62-room 4-star Sporting Hotel in Teramo.

On an auction base of €1.4 million the Teramo-based company offered €3 million, adding the new property to the Gambrinus Residence in Giulianova, which has long been managed by the same company led by entrepreneur Agostino Ballone.

The hotel is undergoing a major renovation

The Baltour Group is now planning an important project to develop and relaunch the hotel. Built in the late '60s and owned for decades by the entrepreneur Elvano Alberico, the Sporting first ended up at auction in 2015, following the bankruptcy of the business of the Roman entrepreneur Alessandro Laganà, who in 2010, had invested €10.7 million to acquire and renovate the hotel.

A new look for the rooms and restaurants

The current restyling is expected to take about a year and a half and will give a new look to the  60 rooms on six floors, three conference rooms (300 seats in total), two restaurants with a total of 200 covers and a wellness area with gym.

Teramo is close to ski resorts and Adriatic beaches  

Teramo (which is some 150 kilometres from Rome) is a lively town in the mountainous heart of the Abruzzo region and an ideal destination for nature lovers, given its location between the Gran Sasso range (the highest in the central Apennines) with its renowned ski resorts, and the sunny beaches of the Adriatic Sea. Visitors to this former ancient Roman city – archaeological remains like the old amphitheatre and the public baths can be visited – can delight in its quaint streets, monuments and museums as well as its museums, shops and restaurants.  It is less than an hour by car from Pescara International Airport. 

Word has leaked that the Six Senses Roma will open at the end of 2022, and that the Anantara group has two more hotels in the pipeline for Italy.    

With 95 rooms and a spa it will also have a panoramic rooftop terrace 

The Six Senses will take over a restored building in the city's historic center, in Piazza di San Marcello which is just off the central Via del Corso one of the city’s main shopping streets, and beside the church of the same name. The complex was purchased in 2018 by Orion European Real Estate Fund V (Orion Capital Managers) for €95 million.  It will have 95 rooms, a spa and thermal baths, and the large rooftop terrace with 360-degree panoramic views promises to be a new Roman show-stopping attraction.

Two more Italian hotels for the Anantara group? 

Over at Minor (the Thai group that also owns the Nh brand) there is talk of possible new Italian developments for the Anantara brand, following the recent acquisition of the Palazzo Naiadi, which is close to Via Nazionale, another Roman landmark shopping street. General Manager Francesco Mennella has in fact revealed that his company is planning the opening of two more Anantaras in Italy. One of these, if we are to believe the rumours, could be in Milan, but Palazzo Naiadi’s GM is playing his cards close to his chest and prefers not to confirm this.  

The Ca'di Dio in Venice is among the seven new entries to the Considerate Collection by Small Luxury Hotels of the World: the new brand of luxury hotels launched a few months ago by Slh, with the aim of bringing together properties with a strong vocation for sustainability and social impact.

This Italian lifestyle hotel is located a few steps from the lagoon city’s iconic St Mark’s Square: a place perennially packed with Venetian charm, history and great beauty.

A focus on sustainability 

The new Venetian lagoon address of the Alpitour group's VRetreats brand, whose interior design was curated by Patricia Urquiola, is perfectly in sync with the Considerate Collection's strict selection criteria in terms of community involvement, ability to preserve local culture, and environmental awareness all backed by a strong sustainability management system. Ca 'di Dio passed an ad hoc assessment by the Slh Sustainability Advisory Panel, which was reviewed by the UN, UNP, WTO and UNWO-approved Global Sustainability Management System.   

The intimate essence and charm of Venice

“I am very proud of this significant recognition which acknowledges our collective commitment, as well as the daily efforts of our team. Ca'di Dio embodies the charm, atmosphere, and most intimate essence of Venice, with a strong focus on sustainability - says Christophe Mercier, the hotel's general manager - and guests feel comfortable knowing that they are making a responsible choice for the environment and for our future.” With Ca'di Dio the total number of hotels in the Considerate Collection now stands at  33, spread across 25 countries.

Neither a wine shop nor a traditional art gallery, Podere Casanova Wine Art Shop is a pleasant and informal meeting place dedicated to wine and art in the heart of the little medieval Tuscan town of Montepulciano. Full of charm, it is an ideal place to stop for a tasty break, to purchase wine or to visit the art gallery where works by contemporary painters and sculptors are exhibited.

A secret room for aging fine wines

The bar was created from the entrance hall of a Renaissance house. Nothing has been added in the renovation work, but the long and narrow structure of the premises has been enhanced. The ancient bricks and barrel vaults have been brought into view and cleaned, and at the end a passage highlighted by a small arch leads, step by step, into a secret room completely dug into the rock which is ideal for aging fine wines.

The counter and tables are the work of local craftsmen 

With this renovation owners Susanna and Isodoro Rebatto carefully selected the materials, colours and graphics in order to recreate an atmosphere typical of the little hamlet of Tre Berte, which is just 15 minutes by car from Montepulciano. The large counter, the tall tables and the supports for the paintings and sculptures, all in black iron, have been made by local craftspeople.

An exhibition of paintings by Eros Rizzo

At Podere Casanova Wine Art Shop, you can relax and sample the nine wines in the company’s collection while admiring the paintings on display  - this spring and summer you will find works of the Venetian painter Eros Rizzo. You can also enjoy the platters of local cured meats and cheeses paired with a glass of wine. 

Wines in elegant gift boxes

The flagship of the winery is the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, noble and ancient, documented since 789 and the first wine in Italy to be able to boast the DOCG label. You can also enjoy Magnum and Golia, as well as the Rosso di Montepulciano, the fragrant white Euforia, the elegant Bulles Brut and Caterina Rosé, all displayed with their artistic labels and in elegant gift boxes. 

Independent apartments for holidaymakers

The charming Podere Casanova farmhouse next to the winery has three independent apartments with private green areas that make a very comfortable home away from home for holidaymakers.