The new agreement between Fiavet Confcommercio and Ryanair has introduced the Travel Agent Direct platform, designed for Italian travel agents.

Travel agents can create a free Ryanair account

This is a world first for the Irish airline, which has for the first time signed a formal agreement with a trade association in the distribution sector. The agreement, recently announced in the Confcommercio’s Roman headquarters, in the absence of company representatives, allows travel agents to create a free Ryanair account through which they can book flights for their customers.

"The agreement between Fiavet Confcommercio and Ryanair marks a historic milestone for our Federation and for travel agencies, which will now have direct access to the airline's ticketing system," said Laura Audi, President of Fiavet Piemonte. "The resolution of a years-long dispute represents a turning point and will significantly ease the work of travel agents, who can finally rely on a privileged channel with Ryanair".

“This agreement is in the interests of the consumer”

Giuseppe Ciminnisi, president of Fiavet Confcommercio, highlighted the importance of the agreement: “This agreement reaffirms the professional centrality of travel agencies in the management of airline reservations and in the interests of the consumer. It is an important message that comes after a long process of discussion and construction.”

Authorized travel agents can purchase flights and services

The new Travel Agent Direct channel, operational by 30 July 2025, will allow authorized travel agencies to access the Ryanair portal directly and purchase flights and ancillary services. Reservations can only be made through registered accounts, which must provide real and complete passenger data. A simplified procedure will provide for refunds and re-routing, and the possibility of operational communications directly from the airline to the customer.

Mediterranean flavours blend with Asian and spicy notes, from Chef Francesco Apreda's experiences and travels on the Spice Route. 

“Menus for a public that loves to experiment”

Spring has arrived and Idylio by Apreda, part of The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel - Autograph Collection, launches new menus, changing the course of the Speziale, in the new location, a few steps from the Pantheon. “At Idylio tradition and innovation blend, just like ancient Rome which was ancient, but always capable of renewing itself. With the new menus, we are opening our doors to a public that loves to experiment, to travel through taste and recognizes the value of local excellence revisited with creativity,- says Emidio Pacini, CEO of the Pacini Group. -With these new menus we want to open our doors to an even wider public, while maintaining the highest quality and our identity.”  

Spiced rhubarb, macaroons and chocolate pancakes

A menu with spices and accents from Lazio and Campania 

Idylio by Apreda, the Pacini Group's 1-star Michelin restaurant, is in Piazza dei Caprettari. It has has large windows, and a contemporary interior in warm shades of orange, and is open both for lunch and dinner with a menu that turns to spices interpreted by Chef Apreda with regional accents from Lazio and Campania. Among the dishes are skate scallop with black anise and caviar; cod with coconut and friggitelli peppers; baby snails in squid ink pasta with lavender and black olives, and spiced rhubarb with amaretti biscuits and chocolate fritters.

Dishes dear to Romans with unique accents 

For guests who want to fly from one menu to another, just like a butterfly, there is a guided tour by the Chef with a choice of four dishes from the Speziale menu and the Iconic Signature menu. There is also a selection of iconic dishes from Idylio by Apreda, including vignarola pasta with scampi; artichokes with almonds and saffron; parmesan cheese cappellotti and tuna broth - dishes dear to Romans, but with a touch that goes beyond the borders of the Eternal City.

There are also vegetarian tailor-made choices

There are also new simple and fast dishes at lunch for those who love haute cuisine but have little time, or for a younger clientele that prefers a more informal and dynamic approach. The first courses is a choice between: quail ravioli with carbonara sauce; puttanesca and wild lemon lemon; pasta and potatoes, lobster and curry; capellini with garlic, oil, chilli and eel and tagliolini with butter and bottarga. Lunch continues with a choice of fried cod in coriander seed batter or grilled beef bavette with asparagus and green anise. And, to end on a sweet note, there is the iconic buffalo mozzarella dessert. Idylio by Apreda also offers vegetarian cuisine with a selection of tailor-made dishes. The talent, inspiration and technique of Chef Francesco Apreda are thanks to his experiences in Rome, London and Tokyo, before returning to Rome and joining the elite group of starred chefs in 2009.

The Pacini Group has Prestige and Concept hotels

The Pacini Group portfolio has with three lines: Prestige, with two five-star luxury properties: The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel and The Goethe Hotel in Rome, and, soon to be opened, Palazzo Rota in Venice. The Concept Hotels, with The Venice Times and The Smooth Rome; Unica Suites&Apartments, luxury apartments and suites in the centre of Rome; and, finally, the catering division with two Food Hubs, the Michelin-starred Idylio by Apreda and Divinity Restaurant and Lounge Bar at The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel. Research, passion, creativity, experience, and constant and dynamic development are the four pillars of the company led by Emidio Pacini.

This Easter delight in culinary and seaside magic at the Calamosca Restaurant in Cagliari.

Fine dining and natural beauty

Easter is the perfect time to celebrate the arrival of spring, and the Calamosca Restaurant in Cagliari, located on the little Calamosca half-moon sandy beach, is a perfect way to experience a special day of fine dining and natural beauty. With its terrace overlooking the sea, and with unique views of the promontory crowned by the lighthouse of Sant'Elia, guests at Calamosca find that tradition and innovation meet here in gastronomic and aesthetic experiences that involve all the senses. 

An exciting Easter Sunday 2025 menu

For Easter Sunday 2025 chef Michele Ferrara has created an exclusive menu that celebrates the excellence of Sardinia with dishes that blend authentic flavours and contemporary techniques. Starting with Petza crua, tuvara, ou e casu, a beef tartare enhanced with truffle, Béarnaise sauce and aged Parmesan, the next course is Angioni e arrescottu, a homemade egg pasta with a lamb ragù, fresh asparagus and mustard cream.  The main course is Sirboni et birdura,  a dish of hearty roast wild boar ribs accompanied by baked endive, spring onions, balsamic vinegar and carrots, and the Su Drucci dessert combines crispy meringue, fresh mango, chocolate and pecan, accompanied by chocolate and orange ice cream. A harmony of ingredients and flavors, perfectly paired with a selection of excellent local wines.

A blend of nature, history and gastronomy

The Calamosca Restaurant is much more than just a culinary destination - it is a magical place where the beauty of the landscape blends with gastronomic excellence. And Easter lunch at Calamosca becomes an experience that brings together nature, history and gastronomy, while enjoying the first warm rays of spring sunshine on the terrace overlooking the sea,  and delighting in authentic flavours from chef Michele Ferrara.

Rome is the Eternal City of crumbling ruins, carb-heavy cuisine, and ancient alleyways clogged with Vespas. But 2024 brings surprising news: Rome is cheap… well, relatively.

In a world where living costs are ballooning, Rome stands out in 8th position in the ranking of 42 global capitals compiled by comparethemarket.com. This placing on the “most affordable” list, sandwiched between Melbourne and Mexico City, is chiefly thanks to housing prices, which have crept up a mere 9.1% since 2015.

For digital nomads, this is bellissimo news. The slower rise in living costs, paired with the seductive blend of history, chaos, and caffè, is shaping Rome into one of Europe’s coolest lifestyle cities. While enjoying Trastevere’s ivy-draped terraces or Testaccio’s unpretentious trattorias, you can still sip an espresso for €1.20, and have enough left for an aperitivo. Added to which utilities are manageable, public transport is cheap (but beware, it is unreliable), pasta is plentiful and delicious, and a bottle of wine can often cost less than a bottle of water.  

Co-working spaces in once-pricey districts like Prati or Monti are now offering competitive monthly rates that are attracting creatives and remote workers. So, while Rome might not yet rival Lisbon or Budapest in the digital nomad hall of fame, it’s getting close with its affordability - and who wouldn’t want to Zoom from a rooftop with a Colosseum view?

Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor

Ryanair is taking centre stage in Calabria and launched this expansion on 3 April with the arrival of the second aircraft based at Lamezia airport.

In the heart of Rome, just a short walk from the Piazza Venezia square, Largo di Torre Argentina is a window into Rome’s historic heart. 

Julius Caesar was assassinated here

On this archaeological site, shrouded in mystery and history, ancient ruins stand as the capital’s busy traffic swirls endlessly around the square.  Most famously, this was the scene of Julius Caesar’s assassination on March 15, 44 BCE. In what was once a sacred area, the great leader met his fate at the hands of a group of conspirators, betrayed by those he once trusted. Stabbed many times, Caesar fell and his assassination sent shockwaves through Rome, altering its course forever and paving the way for the rise of the Roman Empire. Looking down onto these ruins today, one can almost picture the fateful Ides of March, the hear those whispers of betrayal.

Largo di Torre Argentina ph Credit Chabe01

The remains of ancient Roman temples

The site houses four Republican-era temples, with Temple B believed to honor Fortuna Huiusce Diei, commemorating a military victory in 101 BCE. The remains of these buildings, with their broken columns and worn foundations, stand as silent sentinels of Rome’s grandeur, and remind us of a city that once ruled the known world.  

Credit Andy Rush Santa Barbera

A cat sanctuary

Adding to the charm of the Largo di Torre Argentina ruins, a colony of stray cats roams the site,  and it is now a cat sanctuary which is run by volunteers. These feline inhabitants weave between ancient stones, basking on sun-warmed ruins and peering curiously at visitors. Thanks also to the cats Largo di Torre Argentina has become one of the city’s attractions, drawing not just history buffs but also animal lovers who come to admire the ruins and the cats.  

Rome is a potpourri of old and new

The area’s history is reflected in its name which is taken from a Medieval tower built by a papal official who constructed his residence over ancient ruins, as was common in Rome’s ever-evolving landscape.  Walking along the viewing platforms one can imagine the days of ancient rituals, as every stone tells a story, reminding us that in Rome, the past is never far away.

ITA Airways will join Star Alliance in 2026, having received approval to start the integration process from the alliance's executive board.

“ITA's entry into the alliance strengthens our global network”

The process following entry into the Lufthansa Group can therefore proceed at full speed, with ITA's official entry into the Star Alliance network as a full member scheduled “for early 2026,-says Theo Panagiotoulias, the alliance's chief executive officer. - The decision of our executive board underlines the strong confidence that our member carriers have in ITA Airways. As a gateway to Italy, ITA's entry into the alliance strengthens our global network, ensuring smoother and more comfortable air travel and connections for more passengers worldwide.”

Significant growth, particularly in Rome and Milan

ITA will add 360 daily flights to the Star Alliance network, strengthening its presence in the European region. The most significant growth will be in its main cities, particularly Rome and Milan, which are currently served by a total of 16 Star Alliance member carriers. 

The Star Alliance network will have 26 members

“We are thrilled to join Star Alliance and to bring the excellence of Made in Italy to the alliance, further increasing its global reach,- said Joerg Eberhart, CEO and general manager of Ita Airways. -Joining the alliance is a significant step in ITA's growth and we look forward to offering our customers the future privileges of the world's largest airline network.” Once the integration is complete, the Star Alliance network will grow to include 26 member airlines, offering over 18,000 daily flights and connecting 192 countries.

Sardinia’s participation in the ItaliAbsolutely Village at the Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum was the first time the region was present at a U.S. travel show.

The U.S. is Sardinia’s first non-European market

“This is the first of a series of initiatives for 2025,- said regional tourism councillor Franco Cuccureddu. – This travel show has a select number of travel professional attendees which means they are here to do business. Equally important is the fact that there has been strong growth in Sardinia from the American market. The latest data shows there has been a growth of 36% in arrivals and 34% in overnights compared to the previous year, which places the United States as the tenth foreign market overall, and as the first non-European market. We also have a concentration of these visitors in 5-star and 5-star luxury hotels, and since we are an island with some transport difficulties, we are interested in working on quality rather than quantity, which is why the US market is extremely interesting for us” 

“Sardinia is very competitive both in terms of price and quality”

“Interacting with operators, travel agents or tourism professionals from the US and Canada it was clear that Sardinia was seen as a sun and sea destination, and compared to other popular destinations for US travellers like French Polynesia, the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean, we are very competitive both in terms of price and quality. The problem is that we are only open for a few weeks a year. While the Maldives has a season long eight months, ours is only eight weeks, so here we have also brought products that can be attractive at different times of year as well as being complementary to a beach holiday.  These include hiking, shopping, visiting towns and villages and archaeology, in short, products linked to the outdoors like hiking and walking trails and cycle routes and more. Sardinia is focusing a lot on these and the Americans really like them”  

From centenarians to food to prison tours

Sardinia also presented unusual products like Bruzzone, the Land of Centenarians, which has already attracted some groups of Americans in search of the elixir of life, said Councillor Cuccureddu who added that there was much interest in Sardinia’s excellent gastronomy, its national parks and in an international project devised a few years ago with the then governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. “We created a network between the three great prison islands of the world: Alcatraz, Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned and the Asinara where mafia bosses were kept.  It is estimated that 97.5% of the people in the world have never been into a prison, so there is a lot of curiosity about how people live in prisons. It is a small target but an interesting one because these three large maximum security prison islands are all island national parks, and they are all protected marine reserves, and ornithological centres so they have a lot in common.  

A high level of satisfaction for the contacts made

“Regarding our participation at the ItaliAbsolutely Village the Region is happy when the operators are happy. We are monitoring their level of satisfaction which I reckon to be very high in the sense that that there have been a lot of contacts, some completely new while others have been with professionals who already work with Sardinia, so it's a matter of consolidating relationships. The degree of satisfaction is really very high and therefore I believe we will propose this participation again in the future.”