The Courtyard Milano Linate has opened, strengthening the Italian presence of the upscale Marriott brand. 

The new Courtyard by Marriott has 154 rooms

Managed by the Italian operator Amapa, the property features the brand's new European design. In fact its 154 rooms and public areas have wood elements, neutral colours and earth tones and textures that evoke the intricate patterns of textiles, creating a feeling of tranquility and relaxation.

The hotel has easy access to Milan’s main monuments

With excellent transport links the hotel's location allows guests to easily explore the main attractions in the city centre, including Milan’s Cathedral, the La Scala Opera House and the Sforzesco Castle. Designed by architect Umberto Carlos Calloni of the HCC studio, the property draws inspiration from Milan's suburban and culturally vibrant Ortica district, known for its creativity and green spaces.

Casa Angelina near Praiano, between Positano and Amalfi, gets a new gozzo craft named the Lady Angelina. 

Open-air dining on board

Guests can embark directly from the nearby port, and there is an open-air dining area on board, where dishes prepared by Casa Angelina's star chef, Leopoldo Elefante, can be enjoyed. Below deck there is a cozy living area, while courtesy products, beach towels, leisure equipment and personalized services are also available.

Excursions and water activities

Guests can choose from a wide variety of itineraries and special excursions: from the most classic and well-known to the most hidden that are accessible only by sea, and then there is snorkelling, swimming and many other favourite water activities. The outings include a tour of the Amalfi Coast and a visit to Capri, as well as to the coast’s hidden grottos and bays, and there are also sunset itineraries. Customized excursions and historical guided tours combined with the pleasure of sailing are also included.

Ancona airport - and the Marche region in general – and their constantly growing appeal (you could call it a questions of feeling) for Lufthansa has led to a real boom in foreign tourists to the region. 

Lufthansa is doubling daily flights on Munich-Ancona

And that's not all: the Marche airport is in the top five for increased bookings among the 220 destinations served worldwide by the German carrier. “Connecting flights via Munich are going very well,- says Alexander D'Orsogna, managing director of Aia, Ancona International Airport, - and we also registered increasing numbers in July. Much is due to the doubling of the frequency of daily flights on the Munich-Ancona.”

Early-morning flights operated by Air Dolomiti 

“Of the 220 destinations worldwide served by Lufthansa, the Marche is among the top five in terms of the percentage increase in bookings between April and June. This shows the ever-growing appeal of our region on an international scale, as well as the intermodal functionality of the service.”  From 31 March the Lufthansa group expanded the offer at Ancona airport, boosting the routes thanks to Air Dolomiti: the operation allows flights to Munich in the early hours of the morning, potentially making it possible to reach New York by the middle of the day, and vice versa. 

The ultimate goal: 600,000 passengers this year

“Between May and June the most important numbers came from two target markets: Northern Europe and the United States. “From the US we had around 1,000 passengers in May and over 900 in June, on flights that were always full. In the same months we recorded 1,200 passengers in May and the same in June from Sweden, and almost 800 per month from Denmark.” The ultimate goal: “To close the year at around 600,000 passengers.”

The French open-air glamping group Sandaya has opened new offices in Italy.

Four campsites in Veneto and Tuscany

After acquiring four campsites in Veneto and Tuscany from the PGIM group last June, the French company has just opened its first foreign branch in Italy.

Optimizing synergies between France and Italy

Managing director of the company will be Roberto Franchi, who will lead the integration and launch of the recent acquisitions, developing the accommodation chain through external growth and optimizing synergies between France and Italy. 

Expanding throughout Europe

Sandaya's Italian moves are part of the group's growth strategy in Europe. Since 2013 the company has acquired two campsites in Spain and one in Belgium. In France, there are fourteen new locations for the 2024 season, bringing Sandaya's offer to a total of 65 destinations, all located by the sea or in the heart of nature.

There is a bit of Basilicata at Bari airport: the Lucania territorial promotion agency has opened a new information desk in the arrivals area of Bari’s Karol Wojtyla airport.

The Puglia and Basilicata regions join forces

“The presence of Basilicata in our airports,- said the president of Aeroporti di Puglia Antonio Maria Vasile, “honours us while reinforcing the Puglia-Basilicata macro-region. This desk is not only an important step forward in the cooperation between our regions, it is also important for travellers who want to discover the wonders of Basilicata, as well as our territory and its excellences.

Promotional material for arriving visitors

“This is a promotional opportunity for our entire region,- says Aeroporto Basilicata director general Antonio Nicoletti. - Travellers arriving at Bari airport will receive material on all the municipalities in our region, the protected areas, our historical and architectural landscape and our cultural heritage, as well as the many ways to discover our region.”

“Bari Airport is the main gateway to Basilicata” 

“They will also receive information on public transport from the airport to Matera, the Ionian coast and the rest of Basilicata. Bari Airport is the main gateway to Basilicata for both Italian and international visitors. In the first six months of 2024 we had an increase in arrivals from abroad of 63% compared to the same period in 2019 while travellers from Puglia remain our leading market."

The municipality of Erice in Sicily has launched its new virtual tourist portal, the Erice website and virtual tour, in both Italian and English. 

Aerial, street and interior views

The project, financed with funds from the NRP Services and Digital Citizenship Measure 4.1, was launched in August and offers an immersive experience to explore the historical and cultural riches of the city. The portal has three levels: an aerial view with high-definition footage of the municipal area, interactive navigation of the historic centre at street level, and virtual access to the interiors of monuments and historic buildings, including the Ettore Majorana foundation.

Suitable for all kinds of devices

The platform is designed to be universally accessible on desktops, mobile devices and in VR mode, with optimized functionality for users with motor disabilities. The virtual tour includes recently restored areas, such as the Elymium Walls and the Balio Gardens.

“The site, in English, amplifies our global reach” 

“This portal provides potential visitors with an in-depth digital preview of our cultural heritage,-  say Erice’s mayor Daniela Toscano, and tourism councillor Rossella Cosentino. -The fact that the site is already translated into English greatly amplifies our ability to reach a global audience.”

Cavecation is the latest trend; brought on by this year’s extreme Mediterranean heatwave.

Cooler air and high humidity

The caves of Pertosa-Auletta, in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and the Alburni National Park, a UNESCO natural heritage site in the province of Salerno, are the first to propose a new and intriguing trend: cavecation, the name is a contraction of cave and vacation and the idea is to explore places that have cooler temperatures. Places in the heart of the earth, underground, where constant temperatures are of around 15 degrees and the high humidity guarantees just the right amount of cool air, contrasting with the summer sultriness.



“Peaks on the hottest days and hours” 

"This is a phenomenon that we have been recording over the last month, with peaks in demand on the hottest days and hours,- explains Maria Rosaria Carfagna, president of the Mida foundation that manages the Pertosa-Auletta caves. -This is an excellent sign for our area, because it confirms the variety and complementarity of what our caves and surrounds can offer. In fact, tourists who flock to the Cilento coast in these months, can take a break from the heat and discover the unique natural beauty of our underground areas.” 

Mont Blanc, in the Vallee d’Aosta region, has an invisible forest with 142 trees thanks to Acrobatica and Reair technology.

An innovative and far-reaching project

The trees are invisible to the human eye, but capable of improving the quality of the air and the environment. They are the trees in Skyway Mont Blanc's Invisible Wood, the result of maintenance and cleaning carried out by Acrobatica, a group led by CEO Anna Marras and specialized in the outdoor renovation sector. The innovative products used come from Reair, a company that develops and produces eco-technologies for the purification of air inside and outside buildings.



Similar to having planted 142 deciduous trees

Acrobatica chose to use eCoating on the more than 600sqm of outdoor area between the Pavillon (at 2,173 metres) and Punta Helbronner (at 3. 466 metres). This transparent, nanotechnological, ecological, 100% green coating patented by Reair is activated by means of photocatalysis, an oxidation process that combines light and air, continuing proactively over time to decompose pollutants present in the air such as nitrogen oxides (Nox), organic pm powders and other harmful pathogens, as well as moulds and fungi. This reaction transforms pollutants in the air into harmless by-products such as salts, carbon dioxide and water, eliminating, in the case of the Skyway operation, up to 59 kilos of Nox per year, the equivalent of what 142 deciduous trees would do.

“We are ready to grow virtual forests all over Italy”

“We started from the roof of Europe, and now we are ready to grow virtual forests all over Italy,- comments Acrobatica's Northern Italy sales manager, Jacopo Rossi. -On the Mont Blanc Skyway in the Valle d’Aosta with the invisible forest we have succeeded in demonstrating that our technology can be applied not only to large urban centres, but also to accommodation facilities in environments of incomparable beauty, which can serve as an example for a careful and respectful use of our extraordinary natural heritage,- adds Reair co-founder Nicola Parenti.

The Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa in Friuli has partnered with Saturnia and the Purobeach Clubs. 

The first Saturnia spa outside Tuscany 

The official opening of the first Terme di Saturnia spa outside the Tuscan complex is the Friulian Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa, which soft opened some time ago.  The 3,600sqm wellness area is to be inaugurated later this year and will include eight treatment rooms, including a panoramic spa suite for couples, a large indoor and outdoor swimming pool with a view of the sea, as well as saunas and a Turkish bath.

The Purobeach beach clubs are also a partner 

But the partnership with Terme di Saturnia is not the only new development for the resort, which is also opening up to collaboration with the international Purobeach beach clubs. Already operational, the Portopiccolo club includes a selection of lounge areas: one by the pool near the restaurant and bar with sun loungers and DJ sets by Puro music; there are also two terraces with infinity pools, sun loungers; a white pebble beach with jetties jutting out over the water and a  green beach area, which is perfect for families, with its pool and sun loungers by the sea. The food on offer at lunch and dinner is a 3M (Melbourne, Marrakech and Miami) ethnic-inspired menu, with salmon poke, nachos with guacamole and club sandwiches, along with local favorites such as pasta, risotto, fresh fish and seafood.

A mix of rooms, suites and apartments 

Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana has 58 rooms, including 20 suites, and 30 apartments. Located in the hotel's main building on a terrace overlooking the marina, the Ocyan Restaurant serves gourmet Mediterranean cuisine. The Azur Lounge Bar serves light snacks and lunches such as salads and sandwiches, ceviche, tartare, pasta or fried local fish and the bar terrace is perfect for glamorous sunset aperitifs with panoramic views of the marina and the sea.