Immediate Upgrade is the new ITA Airways service for customers who want to purchase an upgrade to a higher travel class online.

Online upgrades to a higher class 

From 72 hours before flight departure, passengers already in possession of an economy class or premium economy ticket will be able to use the new service to upgrade and access the services and comforts of a higher class (business or premium economy). On the day of departure at check-in they will receive the boarding pass for the new class.

The upgrades are done online

The customer can access the service through the ITA website by making an offer for the amount they intend to pay to fly in the superior premium economy or business class. They will receive an e-mail confirming their offer and, a further e-mail with possible confirmation of the successful completion of the offer and the upgrade. The original ticket will remain valid and at check-in they will receive the boarding pass for the superior, premium economy or business class.

Upgrade at the airport before departure

The upgrade is to be carried out at the airport, from two hours to forty minutes before the departure of their flight depending on the country of departure. The request is subject to availability of seats and meals and is approved on a first-come, first-served basis, at the discretion of the airline.

Qc Terme has changed its name becoming Spa of Wonders.

QC is looking to expand worldwide

The rebranding stems from the need to extend its concept of holistic wellness beyond the word Spa. And so, one of the main protagonists of Italian wellness changes its name to Qc Spa of Wonders. An important step, in line with an ambitious expansion strategy that, after New York, looks increasingly worldwide.

A new campus, spa, hotel and headquarters in Milan

On the horizon, the group's CEO corporate activities and development Francesco Varni, told the Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore, is the construction of a campus next year in the western area of Milan. In addition to a spa and a hotel, it will also have the company's new headquarters. Since the summer a construction site has also been open in collaboration with Cdp for the redevelopment of the Terme Berzieri building in Salsomaggiore where a Qc centre will be inaugurated in the first quarter of 2025. Qc estimates to close 2023 with a total turnover of €150 million.

The Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy brand is coming to Italy, to Courmayeur in the Val d'Aosta region. 

Premium serviced apartments sold on a turnkey basis 

The project, called Le Géant Courmayeur Homesuite, envisages the construction of 47 premium serviced apartments of different sizes, sold on a turnkey basis.  Owners will have the flexibility to use their units for their holidays, customising the experience according to their needs. During periods of non-use, the units will be managed under the Marriott Group's hotel management programme, offering travellers an independent stay with considerable living space and destination-inspired design.

A full range of facilities including a concierge

Owners and guests will enjoy facilities such as a spa, an exclusive gym, a ski room, as well as a concierge and housekeeping service, a private covered car park, a charging station for electric vehicles and a lounge for relaxing and socialising. Completion is scheduled for the first half of 2025. The marketing has been entrusted to Dils, which manages innovative projects with its Living division.

As governments and local authorities around the world battle overtourism, The Telegraph reports that residents from Athens to Barcelona, and from Amsterdam to Venice are taking matters into their own hands. 

There’s no denying that tourists who scribble on ancient monuments, are rowdy, jump into fountains and engage in other forms of antisocial behaviour are more a burden than a blessing. Added to which there is the massive demand for short rentals which is shooting property prices sky high and making it impossible for locals to find places to live in their own towns and cities. 

The crux of the problem is that tourists are not just a bother to residents - although who can blame Venetians for their campaigns against the monstrous cruise ships that enter their delicate canal system? - but how tourism is changing everyday lives. In Amsterdam a grassroots organization called “Stop de Gekte,” meaning stop the madness, patrols tourist areas and is pushing administrators to enact change. The issue, they say, is not just that tourists make destinations “busier than ever,” but that they are enabling “a constant amount of depravity.”

Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor

British Airways will return to London Stansted skies with its BA CityFlyer division, starting on 18 May.

Weekend Embraer 190 regional jet flights

For the first time since the pandemic British Airways will operate flights to three Mediterranean destinations, Florence, Nice and Ibiza, from 18 May 2024. The flights will be operated at weekends with Embraer 190 regional jets, configured in the two service classes Club Europe (business class) and Euro Traveller (economy).

Florence flights on Saturdays and Sundays

In particular, on the route to Florence the schedule will take-off from Stansted on Saturdays at 14.15 with arrival at 16.30. On Sundays the departure is at 06.30 with arrival at 08.45.

The flights from Stansted will complement Cityflyer's main weekday business from London City, from where it serves a network of almost 30 destinations. 

“London Stansted serves more European destinations than any airport in the UK”

"London Stansted serves more European destinations than any other airport in the UK and these new services to Ibiza, Florence and Nice add to our network which now covers over 190 destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East,- said Ciaran Brannigan, commercial director of London Stansted Airport. -I am confident that these routes will be very popular with passengers from London, Cambridge and the growing East of England region looking to go on holiday next summer.”

Heralding in a season of ecology and innovations for the Alto Adige’s Val d’Ega, for the seventh year skiresort.de has elected the Ski Centre Latemar as the overall winner in the category "Ski areas with slopes up to 60 km."

Part of Dolomiti Superski, the largest global ski association 

Skiers and snowboarders at the Ski Centre Latemar in the resort of Obereggen, can traverse approximately 50 kilometres of slopes across the three ski areas of Obereggen, Pampeago, and Predazzo without unfastening their bindings. Those venturing beyond the Alto Adige region have access to a total of 120 kilometres of slopes: with the Obereggen-Val di Fiemme ski pass providing entry to the nearby Trentino ski areas of Cermis, Alpe Lusia, and Bellamonte. Being part of the Dolomiti Superski, the largest ski association globally the Ski Center Latemar offers the opportunity to enjoy 1,200 kilometres of slopes with the Dolomiti Superski-Pass.

Long aperitifs at 2,094 metres asl

Among the new attractions for the 2023/2024 season, the most captivating is the Long Aperitif at the Oberholz, situated at 2,096 meters asl. Accessible via the historic chairlift of the same name, the charming refuge allows guests to sip various Spritz variations and enjoy finger food while observing the night sky of the Dolomites through picture windows. After the first event on Friday 29 December the event will be repeated on 5 and 19 January, 9 and 23 February, and 8 and 9 March, 2024. Lift tickets can be purchased at the ski pass office, and the €30 voucher includes the aperitif and the return chairlift ride.  For information: https://www.latemar.it/en/ski-center-latemar/

A true gastronomic and Christmas journey in the Lisander Fine Dining Restaurant at the Hotel Promessi Sposi on Lake Como from executive chef Angelo Biscotti.

Dishes celebrating the excellence of the Lombardy region

The dishes on Biscotti’s new menu and for this Christmas, transform each course into a symphony of flavours that blend together impeccably. This menu at the four-star luxury Hotel Promessi Sposi on Lake Como, which combines tradition with creativity is designed to celebrate the excellence of the Lombardy region.    

Traditional specialties in a modern key

Angelo Biscotti’s philosophy is expressed through the art of skilfully interpreting high quality ingredients that enhance typical local dishes. The dining room, which can seat 20, is an exclusive sensorial journey where the décor blends harmoniously with the natural colours that recall the evocative surrounding landscape. The proposed menu is a declaration of love for autumn, with dishes masterfully conceived by the executive chef who, on the occasion of the Christmas festivities, has studied two refined menus with creations that recall traditions in a modern key. Among his dishes are the Scampo with cucumber, fennel and green apple, and the Milanese Ossobuco with celeriac and puffed rice. The grand finale with the handcrafted Panettone made in the inhouse pastry shop comes in two versions: with fragrant citrus fruit cream or with mascarpone cream and salted zabaglione; all washed down with prestigious wines to toast Christmas and the New Year.

“It was like having a blank canvas”

"The design and realisation of fine dining inside the Hotel Promessi Sposi in the heart of the pretty village of Malgrate was a real challenge because it was like having a blank canvas. I started from scratch with the good fortune of being able to count on a competent staff," said Executive Chef Biscotti.

Jet2.com is particularly excited about an expansion for summer 20224 and 2025 with what CEO Steve Heapy calls a “trio of Italian delights: Sicily, Sardinia, and the city of Verona.” 

More summer flights to eight Italian airports

The expansion includes the addition of capacity to eight airports in Italy, offering thousands more seats for sale. Furthermore, the 2024 summer season will be extended until mid-November, introducing new flights to Sicily from Manchester and London Stansted. 

For the summer of 2025, additional services to Sicily have been put on sale from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, and London Stansted, just in time for the Easter holidays. Late summer 2025 will see further flights added to Sicily from Birmingham, Manchester, and London Stansted in November.

Sardinia is set to get increased flights

Sardinia is also set to receive increased flights from Manchester Airport in September, October, and November 2024, with additional flights in November from London Stansted. The summer of 2025 will see further growth with the introduction of flights from Birmingham, Manchester, and London Stansted airports starting in April.

Verona too with get new frequencies 

Verona, the third Italian destination in focus, will get new frequencies from Edinburgh, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, and Newcastle international airports starting on 24 October 2024,. The 2025 summer season to Verona will be expanded with spring flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Manchester. Additionally, flights are planned for the end of the summer between September and October 2025 from Belfast International, Edinburgh, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, and Newcastle International.

“Our Italian operation is experiencing strong demand”

“Our Italian operation is experiencing strong demand, which is not surprising considering the amazing beach and city holiday options it offers to customers and independent travel agents,” says the airline’s CEO. “Sicily, Sardinia, and Verona are a trio of Italian delights, and today's announcement sees a significant expansion for all three destinations. Based on the demand we expect these flights and holidays to sell very quickly as customers look to escape to these magical destinations.”

Locorotondo is a dream in white in the Puglia region in Italy’s deep South. 

Just 50 kilometres from the city of Bari

This delightful little town in Puglia has a peculiar circular layout from which it derives its name, round place from the Latin Locus Rotundus. It is some 50 kilometres inland from Bari, Puglia’s regional capital, and just eight kilometres from the Alberobello which is the area’s main tourist attraction with its high concentration of trulli dwellings. 

Whitewashed walls, flowering balconies and trulli

The ancient heart of Locorotondo is truly unique and exerts an uncommon charm and fascination on all who visit it. The old centre, enclosed in its circular perfection of stone and limestone, seems suspended between a dream world and reality. Its pristine whitewashed walls act as a dazzling backdrop to the Baroque architecture in local stone and the patches of intense colour of its flowering balconies.  From its belvedere you can admire a mosaic of small vineyards broken by dry-stone walls, patches of Mediterranean woodland and silvery olive groves surrounding ancient farmhouses, while thousands of the typical cone-shaped trulli dwellings are scattered around the surrounding area.

Palaces in a stately main square

Passing through the Porta Napoli gate you enter the welcoming and elegant 19th-century Piazza Vittorio Emanuele square, once called Piazza Castello (castle square) as it flanked the ancient castle which once stood where the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows now stands. On the right side of the square stands an imposing 19th-century style mansion, and on the other side the grandiose Palazzo Aprile-Ximenes, painted a bright shade of typical Pompeian red. Worth seeing are the Mother Church dedicated to St George Martyr, the Church of St Nicholas (with a trullo dome) and the Church of the Madonna della Greca.  

Local delicacies made from tripe and stale bread

Locorotondo is famous for its 130 or so contrade (districts) and for its Locorotondo DOC white wine. Visitors should try the gnumerèdde suffuchète lamb tripe rolls which are slowly cooked in terracotta pans. Another local specialty is A Ciallèdde, a typical and tasty dish of rural and Mediterranean tradition made with stale bread, tomatoes and onions.