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

The Donna Camilla Savelli in Rome has been given a completely new look. 

The property has 94 guest rooms

Located in the Trastevere district, in an ancient 17th-century convent designed by Francesco Borromini in honour of the duchess Savelli, VRetreats' Rome property has undergone a thorough restyling of its 94 rooms and some of the common areas.

Antique arches and ornamental mirrors

The aesthetics and charm of the old Trastevere district inspired the refurbishment of the rooms, some of which are in the former nuns’ lodgings. Common areas like the reception has been enlarged to welcome guests into an open space with a wall decorated with antique-style arches and ornamental mirrors. The latter, as well as the decorative objects in the new bookcase in the St. Augustine room, are inspired by the great vaults of the hall, using its geometric form to create a common thread between the different rooms.



There is all-day dining in The Garden

The floor plan of The Garden bistro bar has also been made over to create a more fluid flow, by using of architectural forms that integrate with the concept behind the entire renovation: the arches with antique mirrors, for example, add depth and luminosity, reflecting the garden inside. The Garden has a new all-day dining service from 11 am to 10 pm which complements that of the Pranzo del Chiostro which has an à la carte menu.

The Orangery has new flooring and furnishings

The Sant'Agostino Room overlooking the Angioletto cloister with its fountain, has also been given a new look with a large wall bookcase and a bench for reading. The Borromini Hall, originally the monastery refectory, returns to its original function as the breakfast room during the colder months. Moving outside, we find Donna Camilla Savelli's Orangery, surrounded by the green citrus grove and with renovated flooring and new furnishings.

New flights from Manchester and Birmingham to the Salerno Costa d'Amalfi airport for Jet2.com in 2025.

Flights are due to start on 26 May 2025

The British airline is the latest to schedule flights to the new Campania airport, due to start from 26 May 2025 for the entire summer season, up to 29 September. Jet2.com, as revealed online by FlySalerno, will connect the airport with the cities of Birmingham and Manchester, with one flight a week on Mondays. Flights are already on sale on the airline's website.

Salerno Amalfi Coast Airport

Four airlines are operating on the Campania airport

Salerno’s airport therefore confirms itself as a pole of attraction for many carriers and the results achieved so far are further proof of this. Ryanair has confirmed that since the start of operations it has sold out the summer routes from Turin, Bergamo and London Stansted and, in view of the winter season, is preparing to launch a renewed operation that could reserve further novelties. EasyJet, Ryanair, Volotea, Universal Air and Wizz Air are currently operating on Salerno.

Familienhotels Südtirol welcomes Das Gerstl Family Retreat in South Tyrol into its network.

65 family suites and studios

The new hotel will open on Lake Resia in South Tyrol on 24 May, 2024. The property will have 65 family suites and studios, most with lake views and furnished with sustainable natural and locally sourced materials.

Regionality ad seasonality

Das Gerstl also intends to develop a short supply chain philosophy called the Gerstl r30 guarantee: a commitment to use products that come from local farms, no more than 30 kilometres away from the hotel. A philosophy in favour of regionality and seasonality that is not limited to food but extends to wellness in the Venosta Spa.

“Growing together with our guests”

The aim,- says hostess Marion Gerstl, who together with her husband Lukas also runs the Das Gerstl Alpine Retreat of the Belvita Leading Wellnesshotels Südtirol group in Venosta valley, - is to create a cozy place with a unique character. And also with energy that puts everyone, from children, to each individual guest to entire families at the centre, allowing us to grow together.

Chase, Marshall and Skye, SpongeBob and Patrick Stella, the Ninja Turtles and Dora will find a new home in Mirabilandia’s Nickelodeon Land in 2025. 

Mirabilandia is close to Ravenna (Emilia Romagna region)

Thanks to the collaboration between the amusement park - which is close to Ravenna, on Italy’s western Adriatic seaboard - and Paramount Global, the next season will be enriched with a new area dedicated to families with children and young adults.

“The countdown has already begun”

“We are thrilled at the idea of the new season, - says Sabrina Mangia, current sales and marketing director and next general manager of Mirabilandia. - Being chosen by Nickelodeon-Paramount to host such an important area is truly something to be proud of. Once again we will offer our public a season of great novelties: the countdown has already begun.”

Messina, the City of the Strait, boasts the Mediterranean’s most beautiful port which annually showcases the celebrations to mark the 1571 arrival in Sicily of Don John of Austria following his victory over the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto.