The Serenusa Village in Sicily, Torreserena Village and GranSerena Hotel in Puglia, the Serenè Village in Calabria, Serena Majestic in Abruzzo and Calaserena Village in Sardinia are the first six Blueserena resorts to be restyled.

New contemporary Mediterranean design 

The renovations on these six properties follows the €30 million investment allocated in 2021 after the acquisition by Azora European Hotel & Leisure. The six complexes are due to reopen for the summer with a new contemporary Mediterranean design inspired by nature and local traditions.

“Our most loyal guests…are around 50% of all our clients”

"It is with great satisfaction that we kick off our summer 2022 sales with this extraordinary restyling operation, which represents an important added value for Bluserena," said the new Bluserena CEO, Marcello Cicalò. "I am certain that this new look will be significantly appreciated by our most loyal guests, who are around 50% of all our clients. We will continue to invest in the growth of the Bluserena brand, guaranteeing an increasingly innovative hospitality experience that exceeds expectations."

There is a 15% discount when booking by 31 January

The dining areas in the restyled properties also have a new look, and some of the beaches have new, larger beach umbrellas with safes and two sun loungers per room. Bluserena’s bookings are open for summer 2022 for the hotels and resorts in Sardinia, Puglia, Sicily, Calabria and Abruzzo with special conditions subject to limited availability: 15% discount when booking by 31 January and free cancellation up to 14 days before arrival.

To support the positive upswing post-Covid, Italy was present at the 2022 edition of The Luxury Travel Market International (Iltm) in Cannes with 19 regions, Rome and some 126 travel companies.

Italy a favourite destination for high-end travellers looking for art, culture, food and wine

In October and November 2022 Italy was the second favourite destination for French travellers, preceded by Spain and followed by the United States according to Google accommodation searches. In the first 6 months of 2022 French visitors to Italy spent €1.6 billion, 180% more than in January-June 2021. The most popular regions were Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio, Liguria and Tuscany.

The return of European and American tourists

A Virtuoso survey shows that high-end travellers to Italy are looking for personalised, hyper-exclusive, responsible experiences, and the outlook remains very positive for 2023, with the absence of the Russian and Asian markets is partly offset by the return of European and American tourists. December’s French airline bookings to Italy were in line with those of the same month in 2021, and hotels were the most popular choice with 4.5 million French visitors against the 2.4 million taking non-hotel accommodation

“Italy is attracting millennials and generation Z travellers”

"Traditionally considered the ideal destination for the affluent, family and honeymoon and MICE travel, Italy - says ENIT’s new CEO Ivana Jelinic - is also increasingly attracting millennials and generation Z travellers looking for sustainability and something new."

“I am delighted to announce the second daily direct flight from Rome Fiumicino to Dallas – Fort Worth,” said Cristina Casati, American Airlines regional sales manager Southeast Europe. 

Up to 42 direct American Airlines flights weekly to Rome

“This important milestone shows how important the Italian market is for America, and we are happy to further boost our relationship with Aeroporti di Roma by operating up to 42 direct flights a week between Rome and the US during the 2023 summer season.”

“Fiumicino is one of the most popular European hubs”

“The connection to Dallas was launched in 2017 and immediately stood out for its high commercial performance and appeal to the market – added Federico Scriboni, head of aviation business development Aeroporti di Roma. - The increase in flights is a sign of confidence for the summer season that will see Fiumicino as one of the most popular European hubs.”

Boeing 787s with Business, Premium Economy and Economy

The second daily flight between Rome Fiumicino and Dallas will operate from 2 June to 6 September 2023. The Boeing 787s have Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy seats, state-of-the-art cabins, high-speed Wi-Fi and hundreds of movies and TV shows on-demand from every seat.

Italy has a fascinating history, and wonderful art, culture, nature and traditions. It also has places that are less well known, but that are attracting more and more tourists and to be visited at least once in a lifetime.

Staying in a smaller town to save on accommodation costs

If you travel by car it will be more comfortable and easier to visit the area surrounding where you choose to stay. For example, by choosing to stay in the town of Staggia Senese you will save money on your stay, despite being in the heart of Tuscany. You will be close to such popular cities as San Gimignano, Siena and Volterra, and Staggia Senese itself, though lesser-known town, has lots to offer!

Certaldo

The birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio and UNESCO San Gimignano

Starting from Staggia Senese you can visit Certaldo which is 26 kilometres distant and San Gimignano, just 18 kilometres away. Certaldo is believed to be the birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio (the illegitimate son of a Certaldo merchant) and has numerous buildings of historical and artistic interest. San Gimignano, thanks to the unique medieval architecture of its historic centre, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Volterra

Into the world of the Etruscans in Volterra

Heading west you can visit Colle Val D'Elsa which is just 9 kilometres away and Volterra at 33 kilometres. Colle di Val d'Elsa is best known for its crystal production, but it also has a medieval atmosphere, interesting restaurants and a beautiful cathedral. Volterra has many magnificent attractions such as the Etruscan Museum, the Civic Art Gallery, the Museum of Sacred Art and the Alabaster Ecomuseum.

Tuscan wines and the Palio in Siena

If you fancy some good wines don’t miss Castellina in Chianti which is 13 kilometres east of Staggia, on a hillock at the crossroads of the Arbia, Elsa and Pesa valleys.  Finally, heading south we find Monteriggioni and Siena which is just 30 kilometres distant. Monteriggioni is one of Italy’s most famous fortified villages and makes you feel you are stepping back into medieval days. Siena is universally known for its historic and artistic heritage, its beautiful landscapes, the famous Palio, and the historic centre which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Wizz Air is to introduce new flights to Rome from Europe and the Middle East in 2023.  

Two new Airbus A321neos at Fiumicino airportAirbus A321neo aircraft 

Rome grows as a base for Wizz Air, Italy's third largest airline, with the allocation of two of the ultra-low-cost carrier's latest to the capital’s Fiumicino international airport.

Five new routes from Europe and the Middle East

"The positioning of these two aircraft at Rome allows us to launch five new routes from 2023, - said Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, general manager of Wizz Air Malta. – This means going from the four aircraft at the beginning of this summer to a total of nine aircraft next summer."   

800,000 new seats on offer

The new flights, from Castellon in Spain, Luxembourg, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait City, will bring the total number of Wizz Air routes departing the capital to 66, with a further 800,000 seats on offer. 

Italy is Wizz Air’s fastest growing market

This continued expansion further strengthens Italy's position in Wizz Air's network, making it the fastest growing market for the airline. "The 66 routes we currently operate to and from Rome provide connections to 36 countries in Europe and beyond," added Ó Conghaile, referring to the recent introduction of Abu Dhabi flights to Naples in addition to those already operating to Catania and Bari.
Read also https://italiabsolutely.com/news/transportation/wizz-air-s-twice-weekly-flights-from-naples-to-abu-dhabi

Hotel Terme Venezia is the world's first thermal hotel to enter the metaverse, offering treatments from the Euganean thermal springs. 

An NFT offer promoting Abano and the Hotel Terme Venezia

The hotel, in collaboration with its technological partner Jampaa srl, recently launched a new NFT allowing buyers to enter the hotel's history and enjoy dream weekends. This unique non-fungible token was part of the VeneziaMetaTerme collection and made available on the OpenSea marketplace as well on the Hotel Terme Venezia website.

“A marriage of history and modernity, materiality and immateriality” 

The goal of the VeneziaMetaTerme’s metaverse event was to promote the hotel while raising awareness of the range of treatments and products containing natural extracts that are unique to Abano Terme. “The Euganean thermal waters date back a thousand years to the cult of Aponus, the god of thermal and healing water, from whom the city of Abano takes its name. This marriage of history and modernity, materiality and immateriality, is what distinguishes this project,” said hotel manager Riccardo Panzarini

Successful online and disintermediated bookings

The Hotel Terme Venezia is not new to cutting-edge technology, having embarked on a path of innovation in close collaboration with Jampaa srl, and recognised by Google Italia for its success in online and disintermediated bookings.

Choose from the S, M or XL breaks for the first Christmas of the Palazzo BelVedere, the new hotel, spa & city retreat in Montecatini Terme.

A spa hotel with Tuscan spirit and a warm welcome

The festivities will be an opportunity to experience the different souls of this hotel which, since its opening in early summer 2022, has proved to be a popular blend of the glorious past of the famous spa town, the authentic Tuscan spirit and a contemporary warm welcome.  

A 16-night luxury package with a butler and a personal shopper

The BVXmas Retreat Lux&Exclusive Christmas break package from 23 December to 8 January consists of 16 nights in a Junior Suite with half board and starts from €5,490 per person. The offer includes 12 days at the Terme Tettuccio spa, an Art Nouveau masterpiece just a stone's throw from the hotel, a butler, the 12-day Vitaliter rebalancing programme, a personal shopper and private minivan, plus Christmas lunch and the New Year's Eve gala.

Packages for nine, seven and five nights 

There are also shorter Christmas breaks. From the BVXmas XXL for 9 nights with the Vitaliter programme included and starting from €4,990 for two people to the BVXmas XL for 7 nights, again including the Vitaliter programme and starting from €3,190 for two people. Then there is the L version of the Lux&Exclusive, with 5 nights starting from €3,890 for two people. 

Shorter breaks over Christmas and New Year

Those looking for shorter breaks will like the BVXmas M with 3 nights starting from €1,065 for two people, the BVXmas S with 2 nights starting from €1,000 for two people and including the New Year's Cheers! and brunch on 1 January. The shortest is the XS covering New Year's Eve and is from €950 for two people.

Festive tables and a New Year’s Eve gala

The festive atmosphere will be enlivened by a series of mouth-watering proposals such as the Christmas Eve cocktail with a Tuscan version of fish & chips, the Christmas Eve Seafood & Champagne dinner, the sumptuous Christmas lunch, and the New Year's Eve Cheers! Grand Gala.

For information: https://www.palazzobelvedere.com/it/natale-a-montecatini-terme-toscana

The new Cascina Galarej Hotel opened on 1 November on a 120-hectare estate in Serralunga d'Alba, in the heart of the Barolo wine region.

Ten guestrooms and a spa with grape treatments

With F&B outlets, a congress centre and 360-degree views of vineyards, guests can enjoy  relaxing and well-being stays. The hotel, which was a farmhouse dating back to 1867, has ten rooms with design furnishings, a gym with a view of the hills, a spa with an indoor and outdoor heated swimming pool, a Finnish sauna, Turkish bath and treatments with Barbera and Nebbiolo grapes. Breakfast, light lunch, and aperitifs with typical Langhe products are prepared by the chefs.

Regal wine cellars and great wines 

The hotel has been upgraded with large windows and natural materials such as wood and stone, as well as design furnishings. The spa in the former barn has exposed brickwork, and the property  recalls the historic buildings of King Vittorio Emanuele II’s era. Guests can visit the king’s historic cellars, walk in the woods and enjoy the great wines of the Langhe and the traditional menus in the Alciati family's restaurants.

Snowshoeing becomes gourmet in La Thuile in Italy's Aosta Valley, with the thrill of high- altitude fine dining. 

Mountain cuisine on snowshoes

When snowshoeing becomes gourmet, then those glorious days spent in the snow take on a whole new meaning. In La Thuile, the wild side of Mont Blanc, with its silences and snowy landscapes, you can enjoy some of Italy’s most extraordinary views, combining the soothing experience of snowshoeing with the flavours of mountain cuisine.

Itineraries to discover and taste local products

There is a choice of itineraries of varying difficulty and length (from 1 to 4 hours) that wind their way from La Thuile and the small hamlets of Pétosan, Les Granges, La Joux, Buic and Villaret. 

In the company of expert mountain guide Alberto Miele, an adopted Valle d'Aosta native, the delights of Mont Blanc are revealed in the evening hours. Followed by a tasting of traditional Valdostan PDO products in local restaurants. 

Gastronomic programmes for non-skiers

Those who do not enjoy sporting activities can choose to explore the specialties of Valle d'Aosta gastronomy, in particular D.O.P. products such as Fontina, Fromadzo, Lard d'Arnad and Jambon de Bosses, with the Morning D.O.P. Mountain Flavours programme at the Restaurant Les Granges, in La Thuile.

Discovering the secrets of fontina cheese and other local products

From December 2022 to April 2023 visitors can discover the Grotta delle Fontine in the Buic area, where more than 6,000 wheels of fontina cheese are stored for maturing. At the site an expert will explain the processing and maturing secrets of this extraordinary PDO cheese. This will be followed by an aperitif and a guided tasting of Valdostan products that have been awarded the Protected Designation of Origin status, at the Restaurant Les Granges, which is part of the Saveurs du Val d'Aoste circuit. For information: www.lathuile.it

From all of us at ItaliAbsolutely warmest Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year to all our readers and partners worldwide.   

We had a party!

Last night at the Christmas Party at the Ellington Club here in Rome, hosted by the Travel Open Day Group, we extended these same seasonal wishes to the many travel agents, tour operators, airlines and shipping lines, international tourist boards, hoteliers, travel industry players, partners and friends who joined us.

The mood was one of undeniable optimism

It was an occasion to take stock of the last twelve months, as the travel industry in Italy and around world begins the slow, and often very rickety, ascent towards what we are all now accepting as the new normal. The mood at the Ellington Club was one of undeniable optimism for 2023, tempered with the realisation that every step, every decision, every investment and every intention has to be carefully weighed if it is to bring lasting solidity. 

Wishing you all a prosperous 2023!

Because that is what we wish you all for 2023, a solid footing on which you can build and grow, without forgetting your role in keeping Italy at the very forefront of global tourism.  We at ItaliAbsolutely will continue to play our part, providing the inbound market with a steady flow of B2B stories covering all aspects of the travel industry in Italy, to make sure you are kept right in the picture! One last thing, we always love to hear from you, so do drop us a line anytime.