ItaliAbsolutely’s fam trip to Emilia Romagna and Marche hosted 40 buyers from all over the world.

Meetings with local stakeholders 

The international guests were able to appreciate first-hand the beauty and authenticity of some off the beaten path locations and meet with local stakeholders.  The variety of the products on offer and the networking sessions generated a lot of interest and new prospects for collaboration: "This fam trip with ItaliAbsolutely allowed me to get to know many places I had never been before. It was a real pleasure to take part in this tour in Emilia-Romagna and Marche, I saw many interesting things that I will share with my clients once I return, I will be sending many people here", said Armine Asatryan, of Harmony Travel and More, Los Angeles. "I’ve seen many new things that fit perfectly into my schedule. I have many Hungarian customers interested in visiting this area and now I can enrich my offer with all the places I have discovered,- said Péterné Dávid of Grosz Utazás kft, Hungary -The workshops were really interesting for us because we made contacts with local companies, from services to restaurants.”

“The visit to Gradara’s Castle was magnificent” 

The buyers were impressed by the quality of the programme, which had a particular focus on some of the destinations visited, such as San Marino, Frasassi Caves, Gradara and Pesaro. “We have many karst caves in the Czech Republic, but the Frasassi Caves are really wonderful: they are different, they have limestone formations that stimulate the imagination with their myriad shapes,” said Emil Pulka of EMMA Agency. Jenny Rosenius of Tema Toscana, Sweden, told us: "Gradara amazed me, it is a truly fascinating medieval village. The visit to the castle was magnificent, and very engaging thanks also to the actors who played roles of Dante's characters Paolo and Francesca.” "Pesaro is one of the reasons why I chose to participate in this tour. It is an incredible city, with spectacular beaches, luxury hotels for families and solutions with every comfort, even for children, a factor that I seek out and appreciate. And I sell what I like.” was the opinion of Cynthia Espinosa of Cynthia Tours Travel, Madrid.

Networking with Western Sicily at Castle Benelli

After a welcome and networking evening at Castello Benelli, with the presentation of the Distretto Turistico Sicilia Occidentale the guests then met with incoming operators, visited Ferretti Hotels properties and took part in workshops with Italian and Emilia-Romagna DMCs. The programme included networking with the participation of the city of Messina at The Regent Boutique Hotel&Spa and Toscana Promozione Turistica at Villa I Tramonti. The tour organized by APT Servizi Emilia-Romagna, led by its general manager Emanuele Burioni, included a visit to the historic centre of Rimini, and ended with a lunch offered by Collina dei Poeti, a venue for weddings and events and a wine and olive oil producing farmhouse. They also had a guided visit to the Republic of San Marino.

A visit to Gradara’s Museum and meeting hoteliers in Pesaro

In Gradara in the Marche region the buyers were welcomed by Luca Baroni, director of the Marche Nord museum network, and they visited the castle. Then it was the turn of the coastal city of Pesaro, with an overnight in the Nautilus Family Hotel by Lindbergh Hotels. A UNESCO  Creative City of Music, Pesaro is the birthplace of the composer Gioacchino Rossini, and has a seaside tradition and numerous cycle paths. At lunch in the Polo Restaurant in Pesaro, the travel agents met with the president of the Pesaro Hoteliers' Association, Marco Filippetti, and the owners of several local hotels.

 

Genga and the Frasassi Caves were much appreciated

The final stop of the fam trip was the area of Genga and the Frasassi Caves, presented by the marketing manager Sara Bonacucina. During their stay, the guests were welcomed at the Hotel Le Grotte and the Hotel Terme di Frasassi and they then visited the cave complex.  The programme also included a visit to the Romanesque Benedictine Abbey of San Vittore delle Chiuse and the Speleo-paleontological and Archaeological Museum before arriving in Pierosara, a picturesque village overlooking the Frasassi and Rossa gorges, the neoclassical Valadier Temple, and the ancient hermitage of Santa Maria Infra Saxa. They then visited the Genga Museum of Art History which gave them an engaging perspective on the entire experience.

Thanking our Emilia Romagna and Marche partners

We would also like to thank, in alphabetical order: Amare Italia, Arcadia Tour Operator & DMC, Avire Viaggi, Bologna Welcome Incoming Travel Agency, Cesenatico Holidays, Egocentro/Atitur-Firmatour, Fair Winds Tour/Keys of Italy, Giratlantide, Incoming Gradara, Life in Tour by IF Imola Faenza Tourism Company, Modenatur Incoming Tour Operator & DMC, Parma Welcome Travel, Positive Tours, Promhotels Tour Operator Incoming & DMC, Ravenna Incoming & Visitors Bureau, San Marino Welcome DMC, Sognare Insieme Viaggi, Somewhere Tours, Studiowiki and Visit Rimini. Special thanks go to the GoOpti transfer service, responsible for all the transfers.

The Festa dell’Uva in Vo’, Veneto, is a vibrant celebration of the grape harvest, featuring a weekend of wine tastings, traditional dishes, and local events. Visitors can enjoy live music, parades of grape-decorated floats, and guided tours of local wineries. Just 30 km from Padua, this unique autumn event offers a chance to discover the winemaking soul of the Euganean Hills.

Read the article: Vo', food, wine and art at the 74th Grape Festival in Veneto

The Giostra della Quintana pageant in Foligno, Umbria, now in its 80th edition, takes Foligno in the province of Perugia back in history to the 17th century.

This year the joust is on 13 and 14 September 

This palio is one of the most structured historical chivalric pageants in Italy, and is held twice a year, in June and September. This year the challenge was on 13 and 14 June, and the Rematch sill be on 13 and 14 September. The two days are divided into the “Corteo” or procession and the “Giostra” or joust. The Corteo represents the scenic and spectacular synthesis of the entire event, whil the following day, in reduced form, it accompanies the districts to the Campo de li Giochi playing field. The evening before the Joust, more than 600 participants in baroque costumes take Foligno back to the past, parading through the city streets in costumes inspired by Spanish fashions between 1580 and 1620.

Side events from markets to banquets and music   

The Giostra della Quintana is the most compelling and difficult ring joust held in Italy and indeed it is known as the “Olympics” of equestrian competitions. The event involves the ten city districts in a regulated equestrian tournament and, with its district subdivision, it extends to the entire city with historical taverns, costumes, themed menus and shows. The symbol of Foligno's Giostra della Quintana is the statue placed in the centre of the Campo de li Giochi representing the God Mars, known to many as Quintanone.  During the festivities Foligno is enveloped in a 17th-century atmosphere, with many thematic side events like the ancient Fiera dei Soprastanti, the large market that has been held in Foligno since the 15th century. There is also a themed culinary competition that takes place between the ten city districts, consisting of a sumptuous Baroque banquet, with music, period instruments and historical dances.

Shops, museums and restaurants stay open late

The Baroque Night held in the historic palazzi of Foligno features musical concerts and the squares the scene of Baroque performances, with dancers, living statues, musicians and acrobats. It is celebrated on the night between Saturday and Sunday of the first week of the September edition of the Joust. On this occasion, the taverns of the Quintana Jousting districts, as well as the city's shops, restaurants and museums remain open until late at night with games, shows and music. 

Autumn in Veneto’s Arquà Petrarca is dedicated to discovering typical local products.

The 45th Jujube Festival on the first two Sundays of October

Two great occasions to enjoy the autumn season in the Veneto region are the Festival of Jujubes, on 5 and 12 October, and the Festival of New Olive Oil on 16 November, both in Arquà Petrarca. 

The jujube is grown in the nearby Euganean Hills

On Sundays 5 and 12 October the jujube, which is the symbolic fruit of Arquà Petrarca will transform the town’s historic centre into a festive mood with a medieval atmosphere. Flag-wavers, drummers, jesters, and figures in period costume, including the poet Francesco Petrarca, will parade through the streets and workshops. The jujube is a typical fruit of the Euganean Hills. It is rich in vitamin C and is  also used in  jams, herbal teas, spirits and liqueurs.  There will be markets selling typical products from the Euganean Hills and traditional local street food including medieval sandwiches and jujube dishes. 

The new olive oil Festa dell'Olio Novello on 16 November

During the new olive oil festival on 16 November, the local oil can be tasted along with other typical products, and there will be medieval re-enactments and traditional games. Local specialties like salt cod and polenta and schissotto with sausage, a special seasoned, unleavened bread will delight visitors, and the restaurants in the town’s centre will have special menus for the occasion. The day will involve all the oil producers of Arquà Petrarca, and a competition will elect the best oil from Arquà Petrarca. 

A series of extraordinary guided tours of the Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence is scheduled to 13 November.

Free guided tours every Thursday until 13 November

This autumn the Museum will be open every Thursday afternoon from 14:00 to 18:00 until 13 November, and its professionals will illustrate to visitors the history of the Museum and the works on display with free guided tours for which there is no need  for reservations.

The ancient Medici art of the commesso technique

The Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence is today recognized as one of the most authoritative restoration centres in the world. Founded in Florence by the noble Medici family for the decoration of the Princes' Chapel in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Opificio has for centuries combined expertise in restoration and the art of inlaying semi-precious stones. The Museum bears witness to the art of the Florentine commesso, a particular technique that consists of inlaying precious and semi-precious hard stones to create detailed and colourful images, similar to paintings.

An itinerary for the visually impaired

This year, for the first time, two events dedicated to the blind and visually impaired will be held during the afternoon openings of 18 September and 2 October. This will be a tactile and descriptive itinerary for groups of four or five people that will allow visitors to touch some of the works, the stones and the ancient tools used to create the masterpieces on display at the Museum. Visits for the blind and visually impaired and their accompanying persons can be booked by writing to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Part of the cycle of Giotto’s mural paintings

From 9 October to 13 November, the extraordinary openings of the OPD Museum will also be enriched by six concerts organized by the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory. And up to 1 November, the Museo will host, as part of the cycle Caring for Art. Restorations on show, the Vatican Fragment, the only remaining part of the cycle of mural paintings that Giotto and his team created in the first quarter of the 14th century in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. This work of great historical and artistic value, can now be admired thanks to the restoration carried out by the OPD between 2016 and 2019.

The Festa dell'Uva di Vo', Vo' Grape Festival, kicks off in the Veneto region from 19 to 21 September.

Vo’s 3 days of art, wine and traditions

The Veneto town will be the stage for three days of art, wine and traditions with wine tastings, floats, and events. The most awaited moment of the event will be 21 September, with the double parade of allegorical floats, at 15:00 and 20:30. In the evening, the floats will parade illuminated to the sound of music and with a range of events.

A tourist train stopping at five wineries

The floats are true works of art in motion, handmade by the Master Carristi with real grapes,  they tell of mythological stories, current events and rural traditions. For the 2025 edition, more than 22 quintals of grapes will be used, distributed over five carts. The biggest novelty of the 74th edition of the festivla is the Calici in Carrozza which will allow visitors to travel on a small train on an itinerary with five stops at five historic wineries in the area. Each stop includes a 30-minute break that will allow visitors to discover each winery in depth and participate in tastings guided by expert oenologists.

Padua is famous for its devotion to Saint Anthony

Enriching the programme is the DiVino Village, the venue for tastings of Serprino and DOC/DOCG wines, as well as dawn and evening concerts, DJ sets, workshops for children, artistic events and a cinema. Vo' is just 30 km from Padua, a destination rich in history, art and spirituality, and it is not far from Verona and Venice.  Padua Urbs picta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its rich cycle of 14th-century frescoes, including the famous Scrovegni Chapel, decorated by Giotto. The city is also a destination for pilgrimages, such as the one that can be made along the Path of Saint Anthony. 

A mini cruise of the Palladian villas 

A tour of the city walls of Padua offers a full immersion into more than five centuries of history. The route along the Medieval and Renaissance walls can be enjoyed on foot, by bicycle or by boat. Furthermore, from March to October, the Burchiello tourist boat departs from the small port of Porta Portello for a mini art and history cruise that passes the Palladian Villas on the Riviera del Brenta, from Padua to Venice and vice versa. Padua is also home to the oldest university botanical garden in the world, dating back to 1545.

On the weekends from 22 November to 14 December, Candles at Candelara and the Christams market return to the Marche region.

Nine days of Christmas festivities

The origins of this Christmas event date back to over two decades ago, and every year it puts the spotlight on the ancient medieval village of Candelara, in the hills seven kilometres from Pesaro on the coast of the Marche region. With nine days of Christmas markets, shows, guided tours, and fun for young and old in an evocative atmosphere, thousands of candles will light up the village streets.

Candlelit processions, food stalls and handcrafts

Artificial lighting will be switched off every day from 17:30 to 18:30 and will last 15 minutes per interval allowing the candles to accompany the townspeople through the events along the entire festival circuit in total safety.  The Advent Tower will be placed at the entrance to the festival, while the walls of the Medieval town will be decorated with the four Advent themes: prophets, shepherds, angels and Bethlehem. Visitors will be welcomed by food stalls and the market with some seventy wooden huts selling handcrafts, gifts and candles of all shapes and scents.

A tourist train, candlelit dinners and guided visits

There is a lot of entertainment on the programme, from stilt-walkers, travelling musicians, jugglers and choirs to elves who will accompany the public. Local artisans demonstrate the crafting of beeswax candles using medieval techniques, while installations of candle-lit wrought-iron sculptures create nativity scenes along the village streets. The Trenino delle Candele tourist train does guided tours and there are optional guided visits to the 18th-century Villa Berloni (where you can have lunch, or dinner by candlelight), the Gothic church Pieve di Santo Stefano, and the Loom and Embroidery Museum. Candles at Candelara will take place on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 November; Saturday 29 November and Sunday 30 November; Saturday 6, Sunday 7 and Monday 8 December. The last scheduled weekend is Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 December. Admission: €3 until 1 p.m., €6 after 1 p.m., free for children under 10.