The second Organics Skybar by Red Bull, after the terrace on the 13th floor of the Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale, has opened in the Aleph Hotel in downtown Rome. 

A Skygarden with an infinity pool

The central location, much loved by Romans and by the international jet set, is on the hotel’s rooftop, and the Skygarden is framed by a spectacular infinity pool where guests can enjoy moments of relaxation and leisure. The area’s style is contemporary and refined, with an essential blend of design and neutral colours.

Patrons can enjoy a wide range of signature cocktails by Daniele Gentili, a leading mixologist who, together with bartender Lorenzo Politano, creates unique and innovative drinks with a perfect balance. These are mixed with The Organics by Red Bull soft drinks, the organic drinks with 100% natural ingredients. 

Creative dishes, and music from Wednesdays to Sundays

To accompany the cocktails, traditional Italian dishes are reinterpreted in a contemporary key by chef Carmine Buonanno, Mediterranean flavours and excellent raw materials combining with Anglo-Saxon pragmatism and the most creative food design. From Wednesdays to Saturdays cocktail hour on the terrace has a DJ atmosphere with a contemporary mix of traditional music and rhythms contaminated by innovative sounds.

We have reached the point where even Carlo Bonomi's Confindustria (confederation of Italian industries) has a good word to say about tourism. The study by the Confindustria Studies Office starts on a negative note. If the high cost of petrol were to persist into 2023, up to 582,000 jobs would be at risk in Italy, it says, adding that two econometric simulations were conducted for the price of petrol to remain until the end of 2023.

Italy is holding out thanks to tourism 

However, the study points out, the prices of various commodities are included. Because the world economy is more sluggish. Italy, on the other hand, is holding out thanks to more mobility and tourism and (less) growth in construction. The qualitative indicators, Confindustria continues, have 'worsened'. In August, small and medium-sized concerns fell even further into negative territory (48.0), signaling recession. Judgments on Istat orders are also down, anticipating lower demand, and business confidence fell further, to low levels.

Spending by foreign travelers is helping

However the recovery of tourism in Italy is also supporting the industry. Spending by foreign travelers has now closed the gap since pre-Covid with -0.9% in June against -21% in April. Higher spending on services (+5.3% in the second quarter, but still a -4.5% gap) drove consumption, especially purchases outside the home, thanks to the end of the Covid restrictions.

Trame d'Italia offers sleeping in yurts near Parma, and many other exciting proposals on its online platform, for travellers looking for direct contact with places and traditions, as well as lesser known and inaccessible aspects of the most fascinating parts of Italian. The site is packed with original and engaging itineraries and experiences for learning about the history, culture, and life of the inhabitants of the Parma area.

The beautiful village of Compiano

The Night in a Yurt in the Apennines itinerary is for overnights in a Mongolian yurt among the Apennine peaks, overlooking the Ghirardi Regional Oasis, about an hour by road from Parma, and is hosted by the friendly owners of a farmhouse and the caretaker of Compiano Castle. Visitors can enjoy yoga classes and Shiatsu massages, the local cuisine and explorations of the beautiful little walled town of Compiano and its manor house with its secret prisons. The many walking trails in the Ca 'Cigolara woods further add to this unique experiential journey. 

Overnights in yurts

The itinerary, which is valid up to October 2022, costs €218 per person in one of the nine yurts, built in natural materials, and simply but very comfortably furnished.  They are built on wooden platforms to provide better insulation against the cold, and are equipped with electricity and external toilets.

One of the real problems Italy has as a tourist destination is that it has not had a dominant airline for years. Alitalia did not succeed in this, and neither has Ita Airways. Our airports are moorlands of conquest for countless airlines, especially the low-cost carriers. A strong Italian airline would organically occupy strategic cities, as happens in Great Britain, Germany, France and Spain. In Italy this does not happen, and for a very obvious reason. The main Italian airline does not have the strength to expand because it is excessively overrun by vested interests, particularly political interests.

Now without taking anything away from Ita Airways’ chairman Alfredo Altavilla - who worked alongside Sergio Marchionne in the car sector, not in the airline sector - he is clearly not an expert on air transport, which is why he should not have been given the job. It should have gone to someone who had been in the business since he was a child. Someone who knows the world of aviation inside out. Who knows his way around and is not just a good salesman. Perhaps only then would Ita Airways have stood a chance. Right from the start it was denied this chance.

Giuseppe Aloe
Editor in Chief

International tourism has returned to Italy. According to research by Accor the global hospitality leader, Italy is topping the list of preferences of European travellers (33%) and global travellers (26%).  German visitors remain in first place, followed by Americans (Bankitalia statistics), but what has changed is the type of tourism international travellers are seeking. The Americans call it revenge travel, and it now means seeking out exotic and little-visited destinations and experiencing off-the-beaten-track places and local traditions and customs.

Visits to vinegar mills and cheese factories

Cesarine.com, the oldest network of home cooks is recording its highest ever numbers this summer. And, it says,  the type of cooking experiences being requested have changed. Now visitors no longer just book dinners or lunches, they want at least one cooking class, and how to make fresh pasta and r are the most popular dishes these would-be celebrity chefs want to learn. They are also requesting tours of markets and food shops.   "But now market tours and cooking classes are not enough to satisfy our most loyal customers from the USA,- says Davide Maggi, founder & ceo of Cesarine.com. - They are asking to visit vinegar cellars, oil mills and cheese factories.”

And if the great art cities remain an important attraction, tourism is expanding to new destinations. A survey by PaesiOnLine shows that international tourists want to discover Italy’s smaller towns and villages.  So no longer just famous destinations such as Portofino or Civita di Bagnoreggio, but lesser-known ones with amazing stories. From Roscigno Vecchia in Campania which has only one inhabitant, to Marzamemi in Sicily with its tuna catching traditions and from Casperia in Lazio, mentioned by Virgil and 3,000 years old, to Rasiglia which is criss-crossed by torrents that have earned it the nickname of the Venice of Umbria. www.cesarine.com

Last Saturday in the province of Irpinia a new important step was taken in the five-year 2023-2028 Ritorno in Italia (2023-2028 Return to Italy) project by Rete Destinazione Sud. It is aimed at intercepting the desire of many Italians living abroad to return home, either as return visitors or to relocate with a view perhaps to repopulating small villages, as well as being involve in investments, joint ventures, import-export operations and acquisitions of real estate, including hotel facilities.

A tourist hub to welcome returning tourists

Some 30 mayors from the province of Avellino met in the old town of Montella, just half an hour from the provincial capital, where they officially signed a memorandun of understanding for the creation of the first tourist hub in Italy to welcome returning tourists. 

“The aim is to replicate this model elsewhere” 

“With this initiative,- explained the president of Rete Destinazione Sud, Marcello Lurgi, - we have entered the third phase of our project. After the meeting another 19 municipalities in the Irpinia area joined the programme. The objective now is to implement a pilot project that envisages the opening of a series of territorial hubs that would be dedicated, integrated and interconnected information points. The aim is also to replicate this model elsewhere in the short term.”

Rete Destinazione Sud
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Eco-sustainable  holidays in the Dolomites using soft mobility are a perfect choice for anyone looking to holiday in the Val d'Ega. Not only are doing themselves a favour, they are also helping the planet by choosing a destination that has long embraced tourism and an eco-sustainable lifestyle. This destination is green from every angle, and you can practically forget that you have a car thanks to the Mobile and Guest Pass that allow you to use 18 ski lifts and public transportation, all of which goes towards minimizing the environmental impact and promoting a stay in total harmony with nature.

Photovoltaic systems to reduce C02 emissions

With five hydroelectric plants providing electricity to over 5,000 households and businesses without emitting CO2, and two district heating plants fueled by local biomass, there are annual fuel oil savings of approximately 1.2 million litres. Some 36 holiday accommodations use solar panels or systems powered by wood chips or pellets to heat the water and rooms, and 27 generate their own electricity, heating the water and their premises by using photovoltaic systems.

Geothermal energy heats a mountain refuge

At present this green corner of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site can boast four hotels that have signed up to the 2025 Climate Neutrality Pact. These properties are measuring their CO2 footprint annually in order to reduce or compensate for it as much as possible. Carezza Dolomites, the first privately managed ski area to sign the Agreement, is following suit. And this green chapter would not be complete without mentioning the Oberholz refuge at 2096 metres asl, a true marvel of eco-sustainable design that towers over the slopes from which it takes its name and is heated entirely by geothermal energy.

Unlimited rides

The Living the Dolomites with Soft Mobility programme, which is valid up to 1 November 2022, is aimed at anyone who wants to delight in the mountains of the Val d'Ega without driving, but by taking advantage of the free public transportation in the Alto Adige region, including unlimited rides on the Catinaccio, Latemar, and Sciliar ski lifts. The package includes 7 overnight stays, 7 days of Guest Pass Val d'Ega unlimited use of public transportation throughout South Tyrol, the 5-day Mountain Pass with unlimited use of 18 lifts, the Tappeiner hiking map & MTB map. And there is also a bonus for those arriving in the Val d'Ega with low-emission vehicles such as trains and buses. Prices start from €232,50 per person in apartments.

Tuscany by Bike (Toscana in bicicletta) is a new guide that highlights the many fascinating attractions of Tuscany just waiting to be discovered on two wheels. “This guide enhances and identifies Tuscany, highlighting its cycle routes, and much more,-  says the President of the Tuscan Region Eugenio Giani. – It is a support for tourists who love to travel on two wheels and want to discover our region’s history, culture, art, food, wines and unique lifestyle.”

Giving new life to small towns

"Many of Tuscany’s historical cycle routes have been rediscovered and brought back into vogue over the years and are ideal occasions to combine sport and the discovery of Tuscany, giving a new lease of life to small towns and villages throughout the region, added Giani.  

“Cycling holidays almost surpass winter tourism” 

Cycling is experiencing a rebirth, thanks to the progress of technology and the advent of pedal-assisted bicycles bringing many more people closer to places that are often difficult to access, thanks to the clean energy provided by electricity. “Taking as an example Abetone, in the province of Pistoia, the movement in economic terms generated during the summer by cycle tourism paradoxically almost surpasses that produced by winter tourism.” 

Marzamemi was recently an exclusive destination for high fashion and good food when it was chosen by Dolce and Gabbana for its men's fashion show. Following the show a dinner was held in Marzamemi's square, which was decorated with typical Sicilian festival lights while the tables blazed with the colours of the traditional Sicilian carts that once paraded through village streets. “The city centre, with its age-old history and incomparable beauty, and incomparable places like Fontane Bianche and Marzamemi, still preserve the culture, style, and authentically Sicilian traditions that have always nourished our creativity and find new life in the Dolce and Gabbana aesthetics,” say the two stylists.

The magic of Marzamemi

The magical Arabesque atmosphere of Marzamemi is expressed by the perfect harmony created by the meeting of the maritime landscape, delectable cuisine, and stunning architecture, and the close connection of this village with the sea and fishing activities is still very much present. 

Marzamemi’s Cortile Arabo restaurant owes its name to the Arabesque style of some details of the dishes as well as to the architecture of the courtyard with its white and blue majolica tiles. Chef Massimo Giaquinta's kitchen is of course dominated by fish, shellfish, and seafood, with dishes based on fresh and seasonal fish for a unique Mediterranean-style culinary experience.