Hakuna Travel, which specializes in Italian sea and sun holiday villages, opened ten years ago in Palermo.   

A wide offer of multi-brand holiday villages

"In Italy we have a very wide and varied offer of multi-brand villages at highly competitive prices. Initially we worked with agencies in the south but now we have many clients in central and northern Italy, although we are particularly strong in Sicily and Campania," says Simona Apprendi, booking manager of the Palermo-based operator.  

Mangia's Pollina Premium Resort - Ph Credits: Hakuna Travel

“This year expectations are good” 

This year numbers are returning to pre-pandemic levels, says Simona Apprendi who adds that they also programme Sharm el Sheik in Egypt and Tunisia.

“In 2021 we were able to survive thanks to the July and August upward trend for sun and sea holidays, and this year expectations are good, thanks to the return of the demand for medium-haul destinations, despite the hike in prices.”   

Travel on Trenitalia's highspeed Frecce trains in the Emilia region for discounts.

Discounts in museums in Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia

Anyone travelling on Trenitalia’s highspeed services qualifies for discounts in main museums in Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia and also special deals for hotels and restaurants in the three Emilian art cities.

A partnership between Visit Emilia and Trenitalia

Up to 23 April 2023, thanks to a partnership between Visit Emilia and Trenitalia, travellers will receive discounts on admission to Emilian museums and promotions on accommodation, experiences and guided tours organised by the best Emilian tour operators.

A 15% discount for 2/night stays

Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia have endless attractions from the splendid Camera di San Paolo to the historic Teatro Regio in Parma, from the Pilotta Complex to the Baptistery, from the contemporary art exhibitions of Palazzo Magnani and the Maramotti Collection in Reggio Emilia to the Cathedral Museum of Piacenza and the Civic Museums of Palazzo Farnese. For holders of Trenitalia tickets affiliated hotels will apply a 15% discount for 2-night stays from Fridays to Sundays.

Palazzo Pilotta Parma

“We encourage the use of the train” 

“The train is a sustainable and convenient way to get to Emilia, – says Cristiano Casa, president of Visit Emilia. - Thanks to the agreement with Trenitalia we encourage the use of the train and promote tourism in our cities. We are very satisfied with the feedback from the tour operators and all involved who immediately joined this important Visit Emilia project.

Reggio Emilia

Comfortable, sustainable travel by train

“The partnership with Visit Emilia once again highlights the central role of the train in the development of local tourism systems. Travelling to Parma, Piacenza, and Reggio Emilia, comfortably and sustainably, will encourage visitors to discover these three splendid art cities,” says Pietro Diamantini, Director of Trenitalia's High Speed Business Department.”

Travel Open Day Srl, the publisher of ItaliAbsolutely and Travel Quotidiano, brought together hoteliers and suppliers at TOD Hospitality, an innovative Travel Open Day workshop-market in Urbino in the Marches. 

Analyzing hospitality products and services

Reactions were positive and close to unanimous for the success of the first edition of Travel Open Day Hospitality, organized in collaboration with Asteres and Inside Marche Live. Everyone liked the formula, and very much so, with the day-long event offering visitors and exhibitors in-depth analyses of hospitality products and services.

"This is an opportunity to be close to operators and companies”

"Here in the Marche we have history, culture and also innovation, and this event is an opportunity to be close to operators and companies,” said Roberto Cioppi, Councillor for Tourism of Urbino, sponsor of the event together with the Pesaro hoteliers association and Assoturismo.   

“We need more professionalism and the support of the institutions”

Alessio Viola, owner of Businessence, a Forlì company offering marketing and management services to small and medium-sized businesses liked the TOD Hospitality formula. “So much so that we are thinking of a collaboration to develop it in other locations. Italy is a country with a great deal of tourism potential, but we need more professionalism and the support of the institutions, and these events are indispensable to develop both.”

 

Interested in contacts with inbound operators

“It was a very well organized event,-  said Valentina D'Amelia, hospitality manager Tenuta di Tavignano di Cingoli, Macerata. - It was interesting to exchange views with exhibitors and companies in the area.” Eva Polonara, founding partner of the Marche events company Asteres, which collaborated with Travel Quotidiano in organising the event, said the hotels present were “interested in contacts with inbound tour operators to favour growth from foreign markets.”

Building mutual trust with hoteliers and property owners

“Compared to global competitors Italy is a large market made up of small operators,” said Silvia Calciolari co-owner of consultants Ex Works of Milan. “We strongly believe in the potential of bottom-up aggregations. Getting to know small and medium-sized properties such as those at TOD Hospitality enables us to build the necessary mutual trust with hoteliers and property owners.”

Media gallery

Ragosta Hotel’s Raito Amalfi Coast has reopened on the Gulf of Salerno, amid the citrus groves and greenery of the terraces on the Amalfi Coast.

76 rooms and suites, a spa, and two outdoor pools

With spectacular views over the Gulf of Salerno and of Vietri sul Mare the Hotel Raito Amalfi Coast is easily reached from Salerno and is a favourite destination for wellness and relaxation and good food, thanks to the mastery of Chef Francesco Russo, who also makes it a gourmet stop for weddings and special events.  The property has 76 rooms and suites with panoramic terraces or private balconies sloping down to the coast, two outdoor pools and the Expure Spa with a Turkish bath, whirlpool, relaxation area and solarium.

The Hotel Raito Amalfi Coast has two popular restaurants

"The 2023 season opens with a new lobby, while the garden is being restyled," says Giuseppe Marchese, CEO Ragosta Hotels Collection. The Il Golfo restaurant and the Grill pizzeria, with a wood-burning oven and open for both lunch and dinner, are popular with guests and locals. The Hotel Raito Amalfi Coast thus joins the Palazzo Montemartini Rome, a Radisson Collection Hotel, open all year round and easily reached by high-speed train in one and a half hours. Other seasonal openings of the Ragosta Group's hotels - La Plage Resort Taormina and Relais Paradiso Amalfi Coast - will follow in April in two of Italy's most beautiful destinations.

Flights from North America to Rome are to increase, with a plethora of flights scheduled for the coming summer.

A full recovery in the peak holiday months

The peak months will see a full recovery for Aeroporti di Rome with flights on routes from North America counting 34 daily departures to Rome Fiumicino, 11 of which from New York alone.  This is thanks to the new flights to be launched by ITA Airways and those operated by the American carriers which will see a 50% growth compared to the pre-pandemic summer.

Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci will be Europe’s third hub

Leonardo da Vinci will position itself as the third European hub after London and Paris for the number of flights from and to the Big Apple and among the airports with the greatest growth in flights to North America, including Canada. Among the main novelties are the new ITA Airways and United Airlines’ San Francisco-Rome flights, and flights from Mexico City thanks to the debut of Aeromexico. Destinations historically linked to the capital will also increase, with New York in the lead and Norse Atlantic Airways as a new player with daily flights. 

US and Canada, but also Buenos Aires flights

ITA Airways will introduce a new direct flight from Washington starting in June, while the increased Air Canada and Air Transat services will rise to three daily from Toronto and Montreal. WestJet will also invest in Rome by boosting flights from Calgary, the only direct connection from Western Canada to Italy, launched last year, which will be operated up to five times weekly. And from South America Aerolineas Argentinas will connect Leonardo da Vinci with five weekly Buenos Aires flights. 

“2023 could really be the year of the definitive recovery of traffic”

 “During the summer Fiumicino's traffic is set to return very close to pre-pandemic levels. 2023 could really be the year of the definitive recovery of traffic, with Rome’s the two airports playing a crucial role, - said Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma. - The dynamism of the American market, the gradual opening of flights from Asia, and the return of strategic areas such as South America and the Middle East, confirm a trend of progressive growth that will boost Rome's role as a strategic gateway for Italy."

The Schneeberg Family Hotel & SPA in the Alto Adige has been awarded GIST’s Best Green Family Hotel for hospitality facilities that have implemented sustainable and responsible tourism projects.

Experiences in contact with nature for adults and children

The Schneeberg Family Hotel is in the heart of South Tyrol’s Val Ridanna valley, in beautiful natural surroundings that the resort has always been committed to preserving. The Schneeberg is also an extraordinary treasure trove of nature experiences for adults and children, with daily walks and excursions to explore the alpine landscape, along miners' trails or on the tracks of forest animals.

An indoor infinity pool and bathing lake

In the Schneeberg Family Hotel nature becomes a wellness experience in the Adults Only area on 2,000 sqm with an infinity indoor pool and a natural bathing lake, and offering a range of treatments using herbs and local products. For the whole family there is also the Bergiland Family Water Park with water and tunnel slides, a baby pool and adventure corner, the Mini-Club and an indoor and outdoor playground. 

The Light All-Inclusive package includes soft drinks

Sustainability is at the core of the philosophy of the Schneeberg Family Hotel. Only renewable materials are used for the energy supply and the wellness area.  Prices for the Bergl Room (2-4 people) start from €120 per person with the All-Inclusive Light package (soft drinks included from the buffet both at lunch and dinner) and all services included. 

The city of Rovigo in Italy’s Veneto region is turning to digital to promote its monuments, exhibitions and attractions.

“We are using new digital and downloadable innovations”

Experiencing Rovigo and its surroundings means experiencing the emotions of surprising and unexplored places, where life unfolds at a gentle pace, in a setting untouched by time.

“To boost awareness of area, the Rovigo Convention & Visitors Bureau is promoting leisure and business travel with the help of new digital and downloadable innovations,” says Cristina Regazzo who heads the Rovigo CVB 

The Rovigocard gives access to monuments and exhibitions

Besides the Discover Rovigo app, released shortly before the pandemic, which provides insight into a wide range of attractions, there is the new Rovigocard, an  integrated ticket that provides access to places of historical and artistic interest at a discounted price.

“This new tool facilitates visits to symbolic monuments in the city and is part of a broader project to promote the Rovigo,” adds Roberto Tovo, municipal councillor for culture and tourism. 

The Grandi Fiumi Museum has appeal for mythology and amber lovers

With the Rovigocard visitors can access the Two Towers, the ancient Medieval Castle built in 1138 and the Temple of the Beata Vergine del Soccorso. The card also covers the Social Theater and the Grandi Fiumi Museum, with its two new rooms dedicated to mythology and amber, as well as the exhibitions in the Roverella and Roncale palaces.

The Renoir exhibition focuses on post-Impressionism

A Renoir exhibition will run from 25 February to 25 June in Palazzo Roverella with 40 masterpieces from the most important European museums.

“The exhibition puts the spotlight on Renoir’s post-impressionist period - says Alessandra Veronese of the Cariparo Foundation - during which time the great painter embarked on a tour of Italy.”

Palazzo di Varignana’s Treno Reale-Carrozza Ristorante - Royal Train Restaurant Car is a new fine dining offering from Castel San Pietro Terme 25 kilometres from Bologna.

The prototype of a royal train for a sensory gastronomic journey

This gastronomic journey transports guests to other places and times, and the star of this sensory experience is an authentic period carriage dating back to 1921. This refined culinary proposal from Palazzo di Varignana’s executive chef Davide Rialti is set in a prototype of a royal train. The refined and elegant cuisine takes guests on a culinary journey that celebrates the routes and historical period of the royal train. 

A menu to match the magnificence of the setting

Each course becomes the star of an unusual dinner, a journey through time with flavours, and ancient preparation techniques that entice the senses and elicit emotions.  Risotto with Sangiovese Palazzo di Varignana creamed with Stiffonte EVO oil, Parmesan fondue and bacon, and Crespella stuffed with dairy mascarpone, almonds from Podere Rio Rosso, and pear creme anglaise are two of the most memorable dishes.

For private events and special occasions

The restaurant, which is open every Saturday, has 22 seats divided between the main “carriage” and a private room. A space designed for private events and special occasions that is ideal for celebrating any kind of event. Dinner begins at 20.30 with a whistle to mark the journey's departure, and the setting, the food and the service are designed to accompany guests into a new dimension of good taste and elegance.

Four choices for fine dining

The Treno Reale-Carrozza Ristorante completes Palazzo di Varignana's gastronomic offer, joining the fine-dining Grifone Restaurant, the Aurevo Pool Restaurant with its contemporary oil-centric cuisine, and Le Marzoline, which specialises in traditional Emilian cuisine. 

Subiaco, the beating heart of Rome’s Aniene valley, a treasure trove of ancient crafts, history and nature, is just 50 kilometres from Rome.

A medieval town with a mighty 11th-century fortress 

This little medieval town, the beating heart of the Aniene Valley, immersed in the Monti Simbruini Regional Natural Park, is the cradle of monasticism and printing. The first stop on our itinerary is the Rocca dei Borgia, the most important and imposing building in the historic centre of the town. The fortress was built in the 11th century to establish monastic rule over the castle of Subiaco. Equipped with fortifications, dungeons and a mighty tower, the fortress also has a small church dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle.

Subiaco

The birthplace of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia

Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia restyled the fortress in 1476, raising the fortified tower, and it was here that the cardinal's two famous children, Lucrezia Borgia and her brother Cesare, were born. Today it still preserves numerous works of high historical and artistic value, and inside the fortress we can visit the MACS - Museo delle Attività Cartarie e della Stampa (Museum of Paper and Printing Activities), which will guide us through the history of written communication and its media. 

A villa built by Emperor Nero and a town famous for its paper

Emperor Nero had his Imperial Villa built in Subiaco in 60 A.D. This luxurious summer residence extended over an area of 75 hectares, and the emperor used to take refuge here during the hot summer months surrounded by waterfalls, water features and caves.  Today, some remains of the Villa can be seen on the sides of the Via Sublacense including a cistern and numerous rooms which were baths and built with bricks and latticework. The ancient Borgo degli Opifici district is in a strategic position in the town between the Piazza Sant'Andrea square, the site not only of the Basilica of the same name but also of the Town Hall, and the Piazza Benedetto Tozzi. The Borgo dei Cartai papermakers district is an immersive museum that combines didactic enjoyment with the production of paper artefacts.

Rafting, skiing, snowboarding…and polenta! 

The limestone cliffs of Subiaco are a popular destination for climbers and hikers. One of the best ecological experiences to be had in the Aniene Valley is on a ten-seater rubber raft-style dinghy gliding along the emerald river currents. And you can stop every now and then to take a dip in the clear waters. For skiers and snowboarders the Monna dell'Orso facilities are perfect for all levels, from kids to experts, and its several slopes are divided into blue, red and a black.  Subiaco’s Sublacensis polenta, unlike the blend of polenta found in northern Italy, is thin and soft and sprinkled with a rich tomato sauce and meat, usually juicy pork ribs.