This year Naples is celebrating its 2,500 years with a full programme of events, offering a unique opportunity to discovered and experienced all its extraordinary richness.

A new official logo

As the city prepares to celebrate 2,500 years of history with a full calendar of events, the first stage of the journey was the creation of the official logo for the celebrations, designed by Rita Zunno, aka ‘Kinky’, a young graphic designer from Campania, who used the number 2500 to create a series of symbols that represent Naples. From its cultural heritage that embraces past, present and future, to the sea and the siren Parthenope, representing openness and hospitality, to the legend of Virgil, symbolizing rebirth and metamorphosis, and finally the architectural arch, symbolizing a window on the future. The colours of the logo are inspired by tradition but with a contemporary look. 

Visitor numbers are growing in Naples

Among the new initiatives is a call for entries for the first Fringe Fest in Naples, an event dedicated to the independent and experimental theatre scene, with the ambition of transforming it into a regular event beyond 2025. This 2,500th anniversary comes at a historic moment in which the city has strengthened its brand and is increasingly drawing tourists. The committee is made up of two branches, one strategic with the mayor Gaetano Manfredi and the councillor for tourism Teresa Armato, as well as the president of the Mezzogiorno foundation Antonio D'Amato, the president of the Unione Industriali di Napoli Costanzo Jannotti Pecci, and the president of the Federazione nazionale dei cavalieri del Lavoro - gruppo del Mezzogiorno, Carlo Pontecorvo. The other is a more technical-operational working group. Laura Valente is the artistic director.

The new Mu’ museum dedicated to a Neapolitan singer

The rich and varied programme of events will take place throughout the year, covering various areas of art and music. One of the city's newest attractions, in the heart of the Vomero district, is Mu’, the Murolo House Museum, a cultural space dedicated to Neapolitan song and the famous singer, promoted by the Roberto Murolo Foundation, it aims to preserve and enhance Naples’ unique musical heritage. Mu' won't be just a museum, but a lively and interactive cultural centre, offering guided tours, workshops, concerts and with music studios. Educational events, a violin-making workshop and micro-concerts are planned, inspired by the model of the Amalia Rodrigues Foundation in Lisbon.

Royal Palace

Exploring history through a multisensory experience

Moving towards the sea, but still in the heart of the city, the Royal Palace invites visitors on a unique virtual journey with The King's Lift, an interactive installation that allows you to explore four centuries of history through a multisensory experience that combines visual, sound and tactile elements. Through an evocative narration, visitors can immerse themselves in court life, reliving key moments in the history of the Kingdom of Naples and the Two Sicilies. Each floor of the virtual lift corresponds to a different era, allowing visitors to discover the architectural, social and cultural changes down time.  

The Naples’ underground is worth a visit

Underground Naples is also a city of artistic and architectural innovation, as demonstrated by the incredible No 6 underground line. Each station is a true work of contemporary art, where sculptures and installations transform urban spaces into underground museums. Travelling along this line becomes an immersive experience, the colourful walls and works of art blending in with the too-ing and fro-ing of the passengers. 

Land of Fashion’s store villages join the MeliáRewards programme of the Spanish hotel group which has more than 16 million registered users worldwide. 

Combining luxury shopping with tourist experiences

The agreement will allow Land of Fashion customers to combine luxury shopping with their tourist experiences, offering additional benefits during their holidays or visits to Italy. Benefits for MeliáRewards members include exclusive discounts at partner shops in Land of Fashion villages. 

Accumulating MeliáRewards points

In addition to shopping, visitors will also be able to participate in unique events and activities, organized in collaboration with the Land of Fashion group, which will further enhance their experience. Their purchases will then contribute to the accumulation of MeliáRewards points, which can be redeemed in all the Spanish company's hotels globally. 

The SAVE group, the managing company of the North-Eastern airport hub, highlights the Dolomites.

Promotions before the Winter Olympics

SAVE is behind the original training initiative involving a number of international airlines in discovering the sights and attractions of the Dolomites from the Veneto to the Trentino region, a year before the start of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Trentino Marketing and Dolomiti Bellunesi, the DMO that manages and strategically promotes the destinations of Trentino and Belluno, accompanied some carriers operating from the airports of Venice and Verona on a tour that touched on the Val di Fiemme, the Val di Fassa with the Passo San Pellegrino ski area and Cortina D'Ampezzo.

Enhancing the accessibility of the tourist experience

The visit, focused on winter sports and recreation focused on activities such as skiing, trekking on the snow, as well as in-depth studies dedicated to food, wine and culture. The carriers involved in the tour cover large international and intercontinental market areas, with direct or hub flights to North America and the Middle East, and connections across the Atlantic. A key focus is on engaging airlines in enhancing the accessibility of the tourist experience through a diverse range of activities available year-round. Additionally, the initiative aims to raise awareness of how effortlessly visitors can combine cultural explorations in the region’s art cities with mountain stays, thanks to the short travel distances between airports, cities, and the Dolomites.

“Increasing air connections during the winter months”

“This initiative is an opportunity to convey to the airlines involved the uniqueness of a territory for which our airports are gateways,- says Camillo Bozzolo, director of aviation development of the Save Group. -We strongly believe in the effectiveness of synergies with territories served by our airports, and the start of a joint collaboration with Trentino Marketing and Dolomiti Bellunesi represents a fundamental starting point for boosting the number of air connections during the winter months”

The Leonardo Hotels Central Europe Group expands in Rome, acquiring the Hotel dei Borgia. 

Close to the Colosseum, with 80 rooms 

The transaction, concluded for an undisclosed sum, was conducted through the closed real estate fund Borgia managed by Castello SGR. Located just a few steps from the Colosseum and the Imperial Forum, the former Hotel dei Borgia has been renamed Leonardo Boutique Hotel Rome Monti: a 4-star hotel on six floors with a basement. It also has 80 rooms, a breakfast room, a lounge bar adjacent to the lobby and two fully equipped meeting rooms as well as a wellness area.

The six Leonardo hotels have a total of around 1,700 keys

The Italian market represents one of the biggest growth areas for Leonardo Hotels Central Europe, where the hotel chain headed by Yoram Biton currently boasts six properties with a total of some 1,700 keys, including the Leonardo Hotel Milan City Center, the Nyx Hotel Milan, the Leonardo Royal Hotel Venice Mestre, the Leonardo Hotel Lago di Garda Wellness and Spa, the Leonardo Hotel Verona and the Leonardo Boutique Hotel Rome Termini. 

A new hotel for Rome this summer 

With the acquisition of the former Hotel dei Borgia, the Italian portfolio will comprise nine properties by 2025. In addition to this recent acquisition, there is a Master Collection property, recently opened by a sister company, and the Nyx Hotel Rome (formerly Hotel Cicerone), which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2025. Following the record turnover of €50 million generated by Cluster Italy in 2023, this is expected to increase to some €56 million in 2024, supported by an average annual occupancy close to 85%.

The first spa on Lake Como is due to open in the Spring of 2027.

A hotel with 80 rooms and 160 parking spaces

The Wonders Group recently announced the opening date for the QC Spa, the conversion of the former Redaelli velvet factory in Mandello, for a planned investment of some €20 million. The property, it was reported in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, which was already owned by the company, will be redeveloped and converted into a new hotel with 80 rooms, a spa, and public and private parking for 160 cars.  

Work will start by the end of this year

The project is now in the hands of the Services Conference. Authorization is expected by the end of April, while work is scheduled to start by the end of the year. The opening of Lake Como's first spa is expected in the Spring of 2027.

Is the private equity fund Blackstone ready to sell HIP?

Reportedly ready to sell Spain’s Hotel Investment Partners 

The US private equity fund giant Blackstone is reportedly preparing to sell Spain's Hotel Investment Partners for an estimated €6.5 billion, according to Reuters quoting the Iberian newspaper Cinco Dias.

The company could be listed on the stock market 

HIP currently owns 73 hotels with a total of 22,000 rooms in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, including the Mangia's group properties covered by the partnership agreement signed at the end of 2021 with the Sicilian company. The sale of the shares held by Blackstone in Hotel Investment Partners (65%) could also take place through a stock market listing of the company.