Following its debut in 1995 Futura Vacanze expanded rapidly, and today is one of Italy’s leading tour operators as well as a benchmark for sea, mountain and wellbeing holiday clubs.  

Futura Clubs combine sea and relaxation with emotions, fun and sport

An important turning point for the company came in 2016 when it first specialized in holiday villages with the creation of the Futura Club and Futura Style brands. The Futura Club brand quickly became international with the opening of medium-haul destinations. “The philosophy of our Futura Club brand combines sea and relaxation with emotions, fun and sport,- says key account manager inbound Anna Simonelli. -The highest levels of hospitality, entertainment and customer assistance are the guarantee of the quality of Futura Vacanze’s branded service.” 

“New alliances and partnerships in 2025”

 “This summer we registered a consistent upswing of international guests in our Italian hotels. In the last two years we saw the return of the French market, and the reconfirmation of Italy as a preferred destination for the Eastern European and German markets- added Anna Simonelli.  -We are confident that by 2025 we will be able to further improve these numbers both through new marketing alliances and by strengthening partnerships with our faithful partners.”

Club Baia di Conte topped Sardinian sales this summer

The new Futura Club Le Cale D’Otranto with 400 rooms is set in a park with a private golf course and a pool and is just 1,5 kilometres from Otranto and close to Brindisi airport. The Futura Club Torre Rinalda is a large property right on the sea in the Salento, and the Futura Club Barone di Mare is also on the sea.   Futura Vacanze has three Futura Clubs in Calabria: Futura Club Itaca Nausicaa Futura Club La Praya, near Tropea, Futura Club Casarossa which is ideal for families, while another 2024 new entry is the Futura Style Baia Tropea. The top seller in Sardinia this year was the Futura Club Baia di Conte, which with its 320 rooms and location directly on the sea, is a jewel in Futura Vacanze’s crown.

Cibreo’s sustainable and innovative journey through Tuscan cuisine boosts the Group’s development.

Many traditional Tuscan recipes are vegetarian

“Food has always been important in people's lives. But never before has awareness and attention to quality been so widespread,- says Giulio Picchi, CEO of the Cibreo Group, for 35 years a leading F&B player in Florence.  -Today there is a lot of checking of provenance and certification, and products are increasingly required to come from controlled or organic cultivation,- says the Florentine-born chef and restaurateur. -But there is also an increasing focus on offering creative variants for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan solutions.  We are particularly happy about this, because we have always maintained that many of the tastiest Tuscan recipes are naturally vegetarian.”

In the face of this evolution the profile and role of the chef is also changing. “One can no longer simply be a cook because it would be impossible to transform one's food into ideas and messages for the world,- continues Picchi. -Through his creations a chef can be the vehicle of a fundamental and necessary message for the food of tomorrow. He must also be an ambassador of biodiversity, environmental and cultural protection, where traditions and history reside. And, in order to deliver his or her own message through every dish and every idea, he must always keep in mind the most important issues of today, from climate change to waste and resource conservation.” 

Today Cibrèo is a global brand

The original Cibrèo restaurant and the adjoining trattoria were opened in 1979 by Fabio Picchi who soon made a name for his ecologically ethical use of raw materials. His idea was a cuisine with as short a supply chain as possible and always in step with the seasons. Down the years new concepts have been added and the brand has become known all over the world.  Cibrèo Caffè was added in 1989 and then it was the turn of Teatro del Sale, a circus that combines culture and good food, theatre and conviviality. In 2017 Picchi opened Ciblèo which fuses oriental traditions with Tuscan raw materials, and in 2021 the new Cibrèo Caffè brought a Parisian bistrot atmosphere to the historical centre of Florence.

With the Full Life Holidays model, Club del Sole’s Italian holiday village campsites are evolving into full-service outdoor retreats. 

Far-reaching expansion strategies

The Trentino Alto-Adige region is one of Club del Sole's principal medium-term development objectives. The aim being to diversify the group's offer, de-seasonalize the product and guarantee an uninterrupted workflow for the company's human resources. ‘Thanks also to the support of financial partners such as NB Aurora and The Equity Club, which are minority shareholders, the Giondi family has great confidence in our expansion strategies,” says Angelo Cartelli, general manager of the open-air operator,

“High occupancy rates and return guests”

“This year Club del Sole has added three new villages to its portfolio: the Tenuta di Primero in Friuli, the Mimose in the Marche and the Adriatico in Emilia-Romagna, all of which have been very well received by the market. The response from clients has been enthusiastic, with a high occupancy rate and excellent feedback from both new and regular guests. The new entries have boosted our presence in strategic areas of Italy, in line both with our strategy of diversification, the location and the type of experience. We have noticed how in particular the German-speaking countries (Dach) appreciate the Tenuta Primero and its premium services which include two marinas and an 18-hole golf course. This demographic guarantees a 70% share of the total number of overnights in this Friuli complex.”

Strong growth from the Dach area

In terms of performance Club del Sole's 2024 is tracking as planned in the budget. Having closed 2023 with a consolidated turnover of €100 million, the company estimated a growth of more than 10% for 2024. “At present the results are in line, both as far as the domestic and international markets are concerned,- says Cartelli. –We have also recorded strong general growth from the Dach area, as well as from Poland, Belgium, Holland and France. A clear sign of the interest in open-air tourism and above all in our Full Life Holidays model, a new holiday concept aimed at evolving the format of the traditional camping village into a full-service open-air proposal.” 

Lindbergh’s Excelsior Spa & Lido in Pesaro has joined the Preferred Hotels & Resorts network. 

The only 5-star in the Marche region

The Excelsior Spa & Lido is a true unicum in the Marche region: the only five-star hotel in Pesaro that can boast a private lido and a first-floor spa overlooking the sea. For the group, founded by Nardo Filippetti, this is the second entry into Preferred since the Grand Hotel San Pietro in Taormina was welcomed into the luxury Lux Collection.

“We are very proud to have joined the Preferred family,- says the Filippetti family. -In addition to being the only hotel in Pesaro, we are also the only Preferred partner hotel in the entire Marche region. Our aim has always been to offer our guests an unforgettable, elegant and relaxing stay, and the affiliation with Preferred proves that we are on the right track. Receiving this recognition is not only an honour, but also a great opportunity to further raise our level and attract an international clientele seeking unforgettable luxury experiences.” 

The Villa Cortine Palace in Sirmione is the latest Italian property to enter the Relais & Châteaux network. 

Set in a park with cypresses and palms

This is the fifty-first Relais & Châteaux associate in Italy, and the property is surrounded by mature cypresses and palm trees in a large private park on Lake Garda, just a few minutes from the small medieval town of Sirmione.   

Three restaurants and 52 rooms and suites

The 19th-century building is accessed by a large pier and has soaring colonnades, coffered ceilings, frescoes and marble or mosaic floors. The 52 rooms and suites feature the typical décor of patrician residences, with windows, balconies and terraces overlooking the lake. The property can boast Mediterranean-style cuisine that can be enjoyed in the Le Gardenie, Al Molo (with a terrace) and Maria Callas restaurants, or on the large panoramic balcony of the Belvedere.

The Stockholm Stadshotell also joined Relais & Châteaux at the same time as the Sirmione property. Ths Stadshotell is a historic residence, in the fashion district of Södermalm, in the heart of Stockholm, and is the brand's debut property in Sweden. 

A new spa has opened at the Quellenhof Passeier Luxury Resort in the northern South Tyrol region.

An adults-only environment

The new 4 Elements Spa features a design entirely inspired by the four natural elements - air, water, earth and fire. This is an adults-only environment, with a Pirts bio-sauna (55 degrees with humidity between 40% and 55%), a ritual sauna built from natural Pseirer stone from the nearby Passeier valley, a Fire Lounge with a wood-burning stove and sitting area, two hot-cold tubs for soaking and a sun terrace with a relaxation area. The entire extension of the sauna area was designed primarily as a nudist area.

The group has three 5-star resorts

As a corollary to the new addition to the Passeier, in October the group will launch the brand-new cosmetic line of creams The Q Touch and the perfumed The Q Sense water.  All this was made possible by the contribution of the group's new general spa and quality wellness manager, Alessandra Scatà. A true Venetian, she acts as a point of reference for the group’s three 5-star resorts, boosting communications and the close collaboration between the hotels, as well as expanding the beauty offer with new personalized treatments and the development of original cosmetic lines.

In the European Year of the Bicycle, the Urban Award 2024 once again focuses on smart mobility and intermodal transport for sustainable travel.

The 8th edition of the Urban Award

The award ceremony for the winning municipalities in this year’s 8th edition will be held from 20 to 22 November 2024 in Turin.  Created by Ludovica Casellati, director of Viagginbici.com and Luxurybikehotels.com, the Urban Award focuses on innovative and effective green proposals.

“Less stress and more wellbeing for our cities” 

“The Urban Award is an invitation for municipalities to change and to innovate,- says Ludovica Casellati. -In the past seven editions we have received many projects like new cycle paths, safe school routes and multifunctional spaces for bicycles, which have meant less pollution and cleaner air, less stress and more well-being for our cities.” This year the Urban Award sees the collaboration of ANCI, the association of Italian municipalities, and the support of the Intesa Sanpaolo Bank and Bosch eBike. 

Sustainable mobility for a better quality of life

“Once again this year, we are delighted to accompany the Urban Award,- says Roberto Pella, President of ANCI. .Sustainable mobility is an integral part of urban planning, offering numerous advantages, also in terms of a better quality of life for local communities.” 

For information: https://urbanaward.it/

The first hotel from the German lifestyle brand Ruby has made its debut in Florence.

In Florence’s historic centre

The Bea Hotel and the Dante Workspaces, both located in the heart of the city,  are just a ten-minute walk from the historic centre of San Marco, home to world-famous museums and botanical gardens, as well as the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the Fortezza da Basso. The airport is less than 30 minutes away by car or 40 minutes by public transport

The property has a total of 118 rooms

Covering a total area of 5,292 sqm, the hotel has118 rooms, a bar and a terrace. The rooms are divided into five different categories: the Cosy, ranging in size from 17 to 20 sqm, are designed for single travellers. The Lovely, from 18 to 24 sqm, is ideal for couples or friends looking for a little more space. The Wow, which extend up to 40 sqm, have beds with oversized bedding, complemented by wardrobes and business-sized desks, and some also have armchairs. 

The Maisonettes are on two levels

The Lofts, from 25 to 33 sqm, have extra-long beds, large wardrobes and large desks while the Maisonettes are two-storey spaces ranging from 43 to 47 sqm and can accommodate a maximum of four guests. Each has a sofa bed on the upper floor and a double bed on the lower floor, and most of them also have a private balcony.

There are also smart offices

The Ruby Dante Workspaces, Ruby's eighth co-working space and the third combined with a Ruby Hotel, offers 36 workspaces. The environment features common areas and smart office design with fully equipped workstations. There is also a private roof terrace for working outdoors, enjoying a drink with colleagues or relaxing with a book on a balmy afternoon.

Novara in Piedmont has just hosted the World Skate Games, giving a welcome boost to tourism in the Piedmont city and its environs. 

20,000 fans and a strong media spin-off

Over 20,000 fans poured into Novara for the roller-skate event, as did 66 teams from 29 countries, with an economic impact that can be calculated in some €2 million.  The media spin-off was equally important with 250 hours of live streaming on Worldskate TV and over 100 hours of live TV in the world’s main countries, from Italy and Spain to Portugal tandArgentina where rink hockey is popular.  

“Every euro invested produced a return of 7.5 times as much”

 “Focusing on sports events has been a winning strategy in recent years- said Novara’s cultural councillor Marina Chiarelli. -In 2022, with an investment of €6.5 million euro, we generated as much as €49.19 million in spin-offs for our area. This means that every euro invested produced a return of 7.5 times as much. And we intend to continue in this direction. Sports tourism is a driving force that allows our region to position itself among the most sought-after destinations for major events.”

Climb to the dome of San Gaudenzio in Novara. Ph Credits Visit Piemonte - Gianni Oliva

Novara’s appreciated wine and food traditions

Novara proved to be the ideal setting for the World Skate Games, combining tradition and innovation, and it was an extraordinary opportunity to make the city with its excellences and its environs known. Novara's food and wine traditions are among the most appreciated in Italy, and these games were a unique opportunity to promote the territory in an integrated and sustainable manner.

ph credits ATL Terre Alto Piemonte Novara

Novara has high-level sports facilities

“Novara is a beautiful historic city, set in a surrounding area rich in natural beauty and monuments, and furthermore endowed with sports facilities of the highest level- said the president of the organizing committee Daniele Andretta.   - A blend of fantastic ingredients that can only bode well for the organization of similar equally successful initiatives in the near future.”

For information: https://www.turismonovara.it/en/home