Sustainability and the spread of green hotels has evolved into a broad commitment held dear by an increasing number of people. Even when on vacation.

Here are some properties that care about the future and providing authentic experiences – without any kind of deprivation.

Gradonna **** S Mountain Resort Châlets & Hotel  

The eco-resort Gradonna **** S Mountain Resort Châlets & Hotel, located in the degli Alti Tauri Nature Park, just over an hour's drive from San Candido, is surrounded by mountains and woodlands. It is the ideal refuge for a full green immersion without having to renounce anything. It has received coveted awards for its sustainability, including the Green Luxury Award 2014 and Europe's Leading Green Resort 2015.

Zero-emissions heating

Located in the heart of the park, this hotel combines the concept of responsible travel with redefined luxury to provide an authentic experience. Starting with the spa, which has 3,000 sqm of wellness areas and four swimming pools, all of which are heated by self-sufficient wood chips with zero emissions. Then there are saunas and steam rooms, as well as quiet relaxation areas with comfortable water mattresses.

An endless network of trails

From the hotel and the chalets scattered throughout the woods, you can also set out on your own along the endless network of trails or on guided nature hikes with the Hohe Tauern National Park's Rangers. There is also the ski-in, ski-out experience in the winter. Prices: €125.00 for the Klassik double room until November 1st, and from €394.00 for the Chalet Klassik (for 4 people).
For information: www.grandonna.at

Schneeberg Family Resort & SPA. A super green family hotel near Bolzano

The Family Resort Schneeberg is located in Val Ridanna, 18 kilometres from Vipiteno, and is framed by the Monte Giovo mountainn range, the Stubai Alps, and Monte di Neve. The hotel relies on a hydroelectric power plant and a wood chip plant to power the property, while supplying surplus energy to the valley.

An adults-only area with a pool

It recently opened a new 2,000 sqm Adults-Only area with an indoor infinity pool and a natural bathing lake, and there is a menu of treatments based on herbs and local products. There is also the Family Acqua Park Bergiland, which has water and tunnel slides, a baby pool, and an adventure corner, as well as a mini-club and an indoor and outdoor playground for those travelling with children. Prices start at €99 per person per night for an All-Inclusive Light treatment. Children under the age of three are free. 60% savings between 3 and 6 years. There are numerous discounts available for all other age groups.
For information: www.schneeberg.it

Plunhof Hotel.  Sustainability a few kilometers from Vipiteno 

The Plunhof Hotel is a special place in the heart of South Tyrol, a few kilometres from Vipiteno, with a warm and refined welcome. And the attention to sustainability is right down to the smallest detail in this certified eco-hotel.

Unrivalled wellness experiences

The Minera Acqua & SPA, which is on 4,000 sqm, is an unrivalled wellness experience with saunas at 80-100 ° and with a Turkish bath,  a bio and infrared sauna, an outdoor salt pool with hydromassage with heated spring water, and an indoor water world with a 20-metre-long pool and a relaxation pool. And outside there is a salt lake. Prices start at €1,019.00 per person for seven nights until November 20, 2022, with The Pleasures of Autumn offer.  Cooking classes, wine tastings, and trips for cheese tasting are also available.
For information: www.plunhof.it

Wood, stone, glass, design. Four spacious water-front refuge suites in the Siusi Alps, half an hour from Bolzano in Italy’s Alto Adige region, the Gatschhof luxury suites and spa are in an old farmhouse converted into a temple for exclusive, unforgettable holidays. 

Art and nature

A few steps away there is the Gallaria, which is an exhibition space and a gourmet restaurant for exclusive events. A glass cube with stunning views of the Sciliar mountain range it houses Sylvie Blum's superb fine art erotique, Giorgio Butini's Michelangelo-inspired works, but also sculptures by Irma Hözl, ancient and contemporary masterpieces together in a fascinating play of contrasts. And the 12 Arabian thoroughbreds housed in elegant horseboxes are also allowed to roam free among the works.

Ph Credits: Jochim Schmeisser

Four dream suites 

The dream of Stephan Pramstrahler - owner of the five-star Romantik Hotel Turm in Fiè allo Sciliar - Gatschhof and Gallaria are set in wondrous natural surroundings and the Alpe di Siusi ski resort can be reached by private shuttle bus to the cable car, to enjoy kilometres of slopes where the Dolomites are of legendary beauty. The Gatschhof's four dream suites, all different in size and character and meeting the highest expectations have private saunas and relaxation corners, a gym area and unique furnishings. 

Breakfast and dinner are served in the suites

Corax is the largest on 192 sqm with a large bedroom with bath and shower, a TV room set into the rock with a fireplace and a circular deigner sofa, and with a second bathroom with freestanding bathtub. Pica, the smallest, is ideal for a couple looking for an unusual getaway with exquisite design elements.  Bubo is spacious, airy and informal and Tetrix is on two floors has a terrace with a pergola, and a fireplace.  In the mornings, breakfast is served in the suite, as is dinner with the Gallaria chefs amazing guests with a cuisine that is stellar, simple, exquisite, and extraordinary. 

Creattivando’s the Funny Pesto Experience workshops are experiential events for adults and children in selected venues in the historical center of Genoa.

They are a unique way to learn the techniques and methods for making genuine Genovese pesto in a mortar.

Understand pesto and you’ll understand Genoa and Liguria 

Pesto sauce is the symbol of Genoa and to make it you need basil, pine nuts, a mortar and a pestle. “But pesto is also a passion, and we want to transmit this to our guests, - says CEO Cristina Robello.  - Discovering the traditions of pesto is a unique way to understand Genova and the Liguria region which is rich in art and history and is set between the hills and the sea.”

At the workshops what you make is what you eat 

Creattivando’s cooking workshops start with buying the fresh produce in a local market. The attention to detail and selection of ingredients are key elements, leaving nothing to chance to make sure that each time it is a truly unique and unforgettable experience. But it is also about more than pesto, as there is the chance to learn how to make many different traditional Genoese dishes from cappon magro to fresh pasta, to anchovy pies, pansoti with walnut sauce, canestrelli, trofiette and corzetti and “what you make is what you eat.”  

“We work through the net and tour operators with individuals and groups”

“We started Creattivando in 2013, firmly believing in the Genoa and Liguria brands, and over 1,000 visitors have confirmed that our model is on-target,” says operations manager Mario Clavarino.  “We work through the net and tour operators and have flexible formats.” Clients are individuals, couples, families and groups, and the pesto experience can be completed with a lunch or dinner as well as guided tours of the city and visits to historical buildings.

The exhibition Cagli and Federico - archive documents and paintings by Giovanni Santi in the Church of San Domenico in Cagli, in the province of Pesaro and Urbino, is open until 30 November.  Giovanni Santi was the father of the Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio.

Promoting the province of Pesaro Urbino

The exhibition is organised by the Municipality together with Confcommercio Marche Nord, as part of the tourism promotion and enhancement Itinerary of Beauty (Itinerario della Bellezza) project of the province of Pesaro Urbino. With the support of deputy mayor Benilde Marini and Confcommercio’s director Amerigo Varotti, it is part of the  Cagli and Federico celebrations to mark the 600 years of the birth of  Federico da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino. 

Raphael’s father painted the Tiranni Chapel

The church of San Domenico was chosen as the exhibition venue both for the quantity and the quality of the paintings it contains, and for its link with Raphael's father, Giovanni Santi. In fact it contains the paintings Santi did for the Tiranni Chapel among which a head depicting the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

"This head of St Sebastian is by far the most beautiful work of a much under-rated painter, Giovanni Santi Raphael’s father, - said Amerigo Varotti. - It was found in the 1800s under the lime with which they had covered the interior of the church back in the 1500s at the time of the plague. There are also showcases displaying interesting original writings of the Montefeltro family sent to the bishops of Cagli”. The exhibition can be visited until 30 November every day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The entrance ticket is €3. It is also possible to purchase a €6 discounted cumulative ticket that also allows entry to the Fossombrone Art Gallery.  For information 

Towns of Italy, which defines itself “experience makers” is the new name of the experential tour operator Florencetown founded in 2006 by Luca Perfetto and Urbano Brini which thus expands its range of action from Florence to other destinations throughout Italy. 

From cooking lessons to Vespa and museum tours

The company offers authentic experiences for small groups and individuals, and is dedicated to a medium and high inbound target. From regional and Italian cooking lessons with professional chefs, to Vespa and bike tours and tours with expert guides of the main museums, from the Uffizi to the Last Supper.

"We are experience makers on a national scale," says CEO Luca Perfetto, "and this differentiates us from all the others in a highly fragmented sector that in recent years has seen the emergence of many small local operators. A sector where today, all too often, there is a lot of improvisation and little professionalism.”

Looking for local operators in Southern Italy

Towns of Italy directly and professionally produces everything it offers and therefore has direct control over its entire supply chain, thus guaranteeing authentic, local and high quality products. The company aims to be a unique operator offering experiences throughout Italy, from Florence to Milan, Rome, Venice to Sicily, and negotiations are already underway to acquire local operators, especially in Southern Italy.  "For us the tourist experience means putting the traveller and the local culture at the centre, so that the induced activity generates a positive impact on the local social fabric, working directly on the territory, with respect," adds Luca Perfetto. 

A partnership with Arno Travel and ItalyXP

Towns of Italy has from minivans to Piaggio Vespas, and from bicycles to vintage Fiat 500s, and also three cooking schools in Florence, Chianti and Milan, with a new opening planned in Palermo, with professional chefs as part of the team. Together with Arno Travel (its own luxury division) the newco set up the To Italy Group last May together with ItalyXP - whose founder Saverio Castilletti is now chairman of the Group - with the aim of becoming Italy’s top experiential tourism operator.

Condé Nast Johansens' Awards for Excellence 2023 for Europe and the Mediterranean region include 23 Italian hotels.

Italy has hotels in 13 of the competition's 18 categories, with as many as three finalists out of three in some cases. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner celebrating the guide’s 40th anniversary on 7 November 7, 2022, at the Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel in London.

Categories with Italian finalists

In the Best New or Recently Renovated Hotel category: Feudi di San Gregorio - Wine Estate, and as Best House, Villa or Serviced Apartment category Buonanotte Garibaldi and Castello di Monsignore. Among the names competing for the Best Small & Exclusive Property there are Speronari Suites in Milan and Villa Spalletti Trivelli in Rome. 

Best Value and Waterside Hotels

For the Best Value Experience there are the Borgognoni Hotel and the Petroia Castle in Umbria, while for the Best Waterside Hotel there are the Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites, located on the coast of Sardinia and the Grand Hotel Fasano & Villa Principe. 

Best Urban and Green Practices properties

The Elizabeth Unique Hotel, in Rome, is among the finalists for the title of Best Urban Hotel. And three Italian properties are competing for the Best for Green Practices & Sustainability: Borgo Pignano in the San Gimignano countryside, the Susafa farm in Sicily and the Venissa Wine Resort Hotel in the Venice lagoon. The Black Truffle Lodge in the Umbrian countryside and the Toscana Resort Castelfalfi are candidates as Best Immersive Experience. 

Best Hotels for Weddings and Celebrations

For the Best For Families among the finalists there are the Punta Molino Beach Resort and Thermal Spa in Ischia and the Color Hotel Style & Design in Veneto. Venice again appears with the Ca 'Sagredo Hotel among the finalists for the Best for Weddings, Parties & Celebrations together with the Torre a Cona Wine Estate immersed in the Tuscan countryside. 

Best Spa and Best Countryside hotels, and Best Breakfasts 

As a finalist in the Best Breakfast category there is the Madama Garden Retreat in Venice, and the Palazzo di Varignana Resort & Spa near Bologna is a finalist in the Best Countryside Hotel category. Finally, among the Italian finalists in the Best Hotel Spa category two hotels are nominated: the Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel & Spa and the Esplanade Tergesteo - Luxury Retreat.

As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, Rocco Forte Hotels launches the Musical Suite Service, an immersive en-suite dining with music experience, combining food and music in the privacy of your suite.

Live music and fine dining

All the iconic hotels in the collection have called upon theatres, musicians and opera houses to present the most unprecedented performances, available to order together with in-room dining from the restaurants of the individual hotels.

Singers, instrumentalists and musical groups

From established sopranos to funky-jazz bands, to young talents from renowned musical institutions, guests have the privilege of attending their own private concert in the comfort of their personal suite. Singers and string players, keyboard and wind instruments, soloists and groups, each hotel has drawn up a fun billboard to offer the most engaging breakfast, lunch or dinner ever experienced.

A jazz session or a soprano aria?

Why not gather friends for a jazz session in the Hotel Amigo's Blaton Suite! Alternatively, for a romantic evening for two, the terrace of the Picasso Suite at the Hotel de Russie is the setting for an unforgettable Roman dinner with the famous cuisine of Fulvio Pierangelini and a soprano who fills the air with the delicate notes of a serenade.

Musical Suites are subject to availability and to be booked in advance

Prices start at €2,000, and the service is available at four hotels in Italy. In the Presidential Suite at the Hotel Savoy in Florence, the Tuscan cuisine of the Irene Restaurant blends with the young talents of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Academy. At the Villa Igiea in Palermo, the Teatro Massimo Opera House, grand dame of Palermo’s music scene, presents the ancient tradition of the serenade. You can choose a trio or opt for the Antiche Serenate Notturne group, for poetic love songs overlooking the gulf. At the Hotel de Russie in Rome Fulvio Pierangelini provides the sumptuous dinner, to accompany lyrical arias. From classical to jazz, from violin to saxophone, the music concierge knows how to choose the best traditional Roman music for a romantic serenade at the Hotel de la Ville in Rome.

With seven hotels in different districts of Rome totaling nearly 1,000 rooms OMNIA Hotels has enjoyed constant growth, opening and acquiring new properties even during the last few difficult years.  

Redevelopment projects

The group is currently involved in hotel redevelopment projects in Rome ranging from the Donna Laura Palace, a villa overlooking the Tiber river in the Prati district, with work just finished work on the facade and internal garden, to the Hotel Imperiale on Via Veneto with a completely restored façade. The Rose Garden Palace, a boutique hotel in Via Boncompagni, will be completely renovated, getting a new-look façade while the guest rooms and the common areas, with special attention to the internal garden,  will also get a makeover.

An extra 70 guest rooms

A new congress area is being added to the Shangri La Roma EUR, starting with a modular room of some 200 sqm suitable for meetings, events, and as an extension of the restaurant, followed by the conference centre on 1,500 square meters which will have a swimming pool.  Additional development in 2024 will include an additional 70 guest rooms, and the new Shangri La restaurant. 

Committed to training and heritage

“Our group started just a few months before the lockdown, - says CEO Francesco Lazzarini, - we opened the St. Martin in 2021 after completely renovating a disused building. We are growing and developing, with special attention to staff training and to the enhancement of the heritage of the buildings.”

The OMNIA Hotels portfolio

The OMNIA Hotels portfolio now includes: the Hotel Donna Laura Palace in the Prati district overlooking the Lungotevere, the Grand Hotel Fleming, the Hotel Imperiale in Via Veneto, the Hotel Shangri La Rome, the Hotel Santa Costanza in Via Nomentana, the Rose Garden Palace in Via Boncompagni, and the new Hotel St. Martin.

Only4U, an Italian destination management company specialized in experiential tourism, offers a one-of-a-kind day in search of a rare treasure, the white truffle, in the Friuli region’s woods near Udine. 

With boundless hectares of English oak and hornbeam, maple, oak, ash, and elms, as well as a fresh and deep rich soil very close to the lagoon which accentuates its salinity, this is ideal truffle land. 

The precious white truffle

An expert will give a brief explanation of the product to look for and the techniques to use before the adventure begins. Following that you set out in search of the precious white truffle accompanied by a local guide and the truffle hunters with their faithful dogs. 

An area of extraordinary scenic beauty

Following the conclusion of the truffle hunt, the appointment will be in the nearby Marano Lagunare, an area of extraordinary scenic beauty, to taste the Malvasia di Laguna. This white wine typical of the area stands out for its elegance and refinement, and for its strong floral tones and exotic shades.

Only4U is an innovative DMC

Only4U is an innovative Italian DMC that promotes the integrated management of territories, improving their image, and acting as a driving force for local economic development. It is also a business facilitator and promoter of a coordinated and cohesive system that benefits small local producers.

For information: www.only-4u.it/event-details/alla-ricerca-del-pregiato-tartufo-friulano

This summer Europcar Mobility Group, an international leader in the car rental sector with a network of offices in Italy, recorded a strong rise in rentals by inbound visitors especially those on long-haul flights, although the first signs of a downturn were seen towards the end of the season. "At the end of July there was a drop in customer confidence, due to the global macroeconomic situation. This was felt not only in Italy but throughout Europe.  However, the summer was absolutely above our expectations compared to the start of the year," stressed Enrico Farina, the group’s commercial director. 

Farina predicts growth for business rentals in 2023 while the leisure demand remains a question mark.  "The drop in consumer spending power may well have implications for leisure travel trends. But we must also consider some extremely positive aspects, namely that international travellers still view Italy as an exceptional tourist destination. This is both for its high levels of hospitality and its beauty but also with respect to safety, which is perceived as very high.”  

The trend in sustainable demand is both interesting and not unexpected, said Farina, as many visitors from northern Europe, and Italians too, are much more environmentally responsible. "The demand for sustainable mobility solutions is growing, and we are significantly increasing our green fleet. It is a work in progress.”

Central for the Europcar Group is the support of travel agencies. "Our GSA is working structurally and we are in a phase of proposing but also of listening. The rapidly changing customer mix is forcing us to be flexible and to propose a range of rentals that reply to the changing market.”