The Radisson Hotel Nola Naples has recently opened its doors. Located near the city center, the train station and cultural sites such as the cathedral and the Archaeological Museum of Nola, the hotel has 73 rooms and suites inspired by Scandinavian design. On the ground floor the starred restaurant Rear and the café-lounge bar Ro World are ideal for working lunches, cocktails and romantic dinners.

Nola’s annual Festival of the Lilies is in June

Nola is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Campania region in southern Italy. Lying on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the  Apennines,  every June it hosts the Festival of the Lilies with festivities lasting a full week.

Environmentally-friendly meeting rooms

The hotel also has two meeting rooms that can accommodate conferences and corporate meetings for up to 70 people. Events hosted at the property are totally carbon-free. This is also true for all the Radisson Meetings rooms, thanks in part to the group's global commitment to environmentally-friendly practices, together with its partner First Climate, an organization specializing in offsetting greenhouse gas emissions.

Stylish and friendly Radisson hospitality 

Senior Vice President Central & Southern Europe of the Radisson group, Yilmaz Yildirimlar says the group is proud to bring the style and friendly hospitality of Radisson to Naples. “Our team, guided by the motto Yes I Can! is ready to welcome guests, doing our utmost to ensure their well-being with attentive service and a positive outlook."

Baia Holiday closes 2021 with a profusion of Italian and international awards for its campsites. Starting with the Camping Village Travel portal, which gave Most loved by Tourists 2021 to six of the company’s campsites.

These are the Cavallino in Veneto, Roma Capital in Latium, Gardiola in Lombardy, Mare Pineta in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Baia Blu la Tortuga in Sardinia as well as the Isuledda holiday centre again in Sardinia, and the Piccola concept village.

Awards from Germany to the Venetian and Sardinian camps

International recognition comes from the German giant Adac which awarded the SuperPlatz prize to the Cavallino Treporti campsite in the Venice lagoon, and also to the Baia Blu la Tortuga in Vignola Mare. And both campsites carried off the maximum score of five stars.

Six are in the 100 best Italian camping areas

Another noteworthy ranking is that of the web portal PinCamp, linked to Adac, which included six Baia Holiday developments in the 100 best Italian camping areas. Looking closely at the ranking, three of these sites make their debut in the top 100, while the other three have significantly improved their position in the ranking. And to better understand this achievement let us underline  that there are a total of some 2,600 campsites in Italy.

A new spa in Veneto and a large water park in Rome

Luca Neboli, Sales & Marketing Director Baia Holiday said: "These awards mean a lot to us, they validate what we do year in year out to ensure that we offer quality experiences to our guests. Results like these are the result of investments in time and resources. They have also allowed us to open a new spa in the Cavallino Treporti campsite and we will be opening a very large water park in our Roma Capitol site. Then there are the investments we make year after year in green areas and technology, which is so important for our industry.”

Italian culinary memories abound with the Buon Ricordo restaurant union, and from Lombardy to Calabria, seven new restaurants have joined this leading association of professionals with Italian restaurants.

The new entries are the Capolago Inn in Colico (Lecco), the Torcolo Restaurant in Verona, the Fratta in Verucchio (Rimini), Romanè and the Trattoria Santa Pupa in Rome, Al Pescatore in Gallipoli (Lecce) and from Ercole to Crotone.

“We welcome seven new restaurants”

"The fact that we have been united, as friends even more than as colleagues, in this very difficult period of the pandemic, is a testament to the vitality and strength of our association - underlines Secretary General, Luciano Spigaroli.  Buon Ricordo is more vibrant than ever, so much so that we have the great pleasure of welcoming seven new restaurants: their membership is a great stimulus for us all.”

The Buon Ricordo restaurants are in Italy and abroad 

The number of restaurants (nine of which are abroad, between Europe and Japan) that are part of the group, founded in 1964 to safeguard and enhance the extraordinary mosaic of Italian gastronomic traditions which - as the gastronomic journalist Vincenzo pointed out, were then "unknown or neglected" - would risk disappearing. The idea was launched by Dino Villani, a man of culture and an extraordinary master of communication, backed by a group of quality restaurants, united by the aim of restoring notoriety and prestige to regional gastronomy and enhancing Italy’s countless traditional dishes. 

A hand-painted plate for guests trying the local specialty

Restaurants have to choose and keep a recipe on the menu that significantly represented their area. The trait d’union between them was (and is) a plate, hand painted by the artisans of the Solimene artistic ceramics of Vietri sul Mare, on which the local specialty is presented. The plate is given to those who try the Buon Ricordo menu, of which the specialty is always the main course. The restaurants can vary the menu several times a year, so that its guests can experience exciting examples of the local cuisine.

Protecting Italy’s gastronomic traditions

Cesare Carbone of the restaurant La Manuelina in Recco adds: "At our restaurants you can experience a cognitive and emotional experience, rediscover ancient flavours and savour new, expertly composed dishes. Ours is not only the protection of Italy’s gastronomic traditions, but also the enhancement of these roots in a contemporary style. We are forward looking, and each of us contributes to transitioning Italian gastronomy into the future."

Lana, a charming and strategic little town in the South Tyrol is made for holiday breaks and is an excellent starting point for reaching the most beautiful holiday destinations around the region as well as many of its most appealing attractions.

Accommodation in 5-stars and guest houses

Between the towns of Merano and Bolzano - the regional capital of the Trentino-Alto Adige region, from which it is only half an hour away - Lana lies in the Adige Valley which is perfect for day trips by car or by bicycle. Furthermore Lana has a wide range of accommodation facilities, from 5-star resorts to guesthouses, meaning that everyone can find the accommodation that suits them.

Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle

Merano’s thermal baths have 15 indoor and ten outdoor pools

From Lana the city of Merano is just 10 minutes away by car, and offers many attractions. From spring to autumn you can visit the famous Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, enjoy the Tappeiner promenade with its wonderful views over the city, and go shopping under historic arcades. And for pure relaxation there are the Merano Thermal Baths with their 15 indoor pools, ten outdoor pools, thermal park and various types of sauna.

A winter skiing paradise

For winter holidays and ski lovers Lana has four nearby ski areas: Schwemmalm in Val d'Ultimo, which is just half an hour by car, Merano 2000, about an hour away, Pfelders in Val Passiria and Val Senales, a glacier where you can ski even in summer. From Postal, which is only five minutes from Lana, there is a cable car to Verano, from which you can reach the Knottnkino  natural open-air cinema wit 30h seats for hikers to rest while enjoying the scenery from the spectacular panoramic terrace.

The Forst Beer Garden is popular in summer

In just 10 minutes you are in Nalles, a more modern town with an ancient wine cellar dating back to 1764. Visitors can take a guided tour or just enjoy a wine tasting of the extraordinary selection of local wines. Just ten kilometres from Lana, Lagundo is the town where the first FORST Beer factory opened in 1857, and dining on typical South Tyrolean dishes while enjoying a cooling beer in the Braugarten Forst beer garden is an experience not to be missed in summer.                                      

Just 20 minutes from Lana you come to Tirolo, a beautiful village with the Historical-Cultural Museum of the Province of Bolzano. This regional capital, with its wonderful historic centre, is only 25 minutes from Lana, and a visit to the South Tyrolean Archaeological Museum should not be missed to see the Mummy of Ötzi, a Copper Age man found on the Val Senales glacier by two climbers in 1991.

Historic Turin and the rolling Langhe Hills

Only4U, an Italian destination management company specializing in experiential tourism, shows happy couples the many facets of Turin.

Along its historic streets you can get a sense of the elegance and nobility that it still retains today, in a succession of arcades, galleries, squares and Baroque masterpieces. As a place to step into the past you don’t want to miss out on its historic cafes. Just outside the city, the natural scenery of the Langhe with rolling hills and vineyards dotted with ancient villages and castles, create a stunning and varied panorama. The experience includes: 2 nights in a 4 star Turin hotel, a guided aperitif in the city of Turin, a half day guide in Turin, a full day guide for Alba and Barolo, a guided wine tasting in the cellar in the Morra area, private transfer with NCC, a Turin card for free entry to the museums, medical insurance and cancellation coverage    Cost for two people €1818. 

Chianti and Truffles and a stay in the Tenute Ruffico

This Only4U experience from the Italian destination management company specializing in experiential tourism, is dedicated to all truffle lovers. A chance to head out in search of this small but precious treasure together with a professional truffle hunter accompanied by his faithful hound. A stay is planned in the charming agriresort of Tenute Ruffino in Bagno a Ripoli. The experience includes: a stay in the charming Tenute Ruffino ageiresort, a walk in the woods in search of truffles with a tasting lunch based on truffles, a visit with tasting in the vineyards and cellar, medical insurance / cancellation, an authentic gift: a selection of authentic products.  Cost for two people: € 898.

Romantic Venice and its culinary delights

Let yourself be led by Only4U, an Italian destination management company specializing in experiential tourism, to discover old taverns, pubs and wine bars. This food and wine tour will allow you to combine both historical and culinary traditions. Delight your palate with cheeses, typical sweets such as buranelli, and the famous chicchetti. With the help of restaurateurs and your guide, pair traditional drinks and typical wines for a true all-round experience, and get to taste real tiramisu, in the very land where it was invented.

Your adventure begins from Campo di Santi Apostoli, located in the Cannaregio district in a local bacaro. After having enjoyed a glass of wine and tasting the famous cicchetti, you board a wooden boat which is moored nearby, and prepare to enjoy a stunning sunset in Venice on your way to an exclusive wine bar with over 800 organic wines, before returning to your hotel. The experience includes: two nights in a charming hotel, entrance to the Venetia 1600 Births and Rebirths exhibition at the Doge's Palace, a concert of classical Venetian Baroque music,a signature dinner with cicchetti in a typical restaurant in the Rialto area, afternoon tea at the historic Caffè Florian, a vaporetto water bus pass, a reservation on the terrace of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi to admire the sunset. Cost for two people €1050

Trame d'Italia has many unusual experiences and cultural itineraries in the province of Parma, offering visitors the chance to discover the history, culture and life of the inhabitants of the Parma area.

This online platform is for travellers looking for direct contact with places, traditions, people and those intriguing lesser-known and inaccessible aspects of one of the most fascinating parts of Italy.

Walking and cycling itineraries 

This tourism promotion project is from Trame d'Italia, with the contribution of the Fondazione Cariparma and in collaboration with the Association of Castles of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Pontremoli and with the European Association of the Vie Francigene. For lovers of culture, nature and the unanticipated, this is a series walking and cycling itineraries that uncover hidden gastronomic gems, age-old castles and unexpected wonders.

yurta Ca' Cigolara
Yoga lessons and signature cuisine

A Mongolian yurt under the Apennine peaks is the overnight surprise on the Night in a Yurt in the Apennines itinerary: two days in contact with nature, guided by the owners of a farmhouse and the custodian of the Castle of Compiano. This experiential journey includes yoga lessons and Shiatsu massages, signature cuisine, time to explore the beautiful village of Compiano and its manor with its secret prisons, and walks in the Ca' Cigolara woods. The itinerary, valid from April to October 2022, is from €218 per person.

Tastings of local cured meats and wild apple cider

Unusual places for Curious Travellers on the Parma Hills is an itinerary through places where lovers made their vows, starting from the Sala Baganza and the rooms of the Rocca Sanvitale, guided by the owner, with Duke Antonio Farnese’s apartment and its history revealed through an Olympus of mythological figures. There are also tastings of local cured meats, a guided walk in the ancient village of Calestano, a special visit to a farm producing wild apple cider, and dinner in a wine cellar. A few kilometers away, the tour continues in the enchanting Castle of Torrechiara with romantic stories about Count Pier Maria Rossi and Bianca Pellegrini, a stop in Sasso, and a guided visit to the Romanesque parish church. The final stop is in the ancient village of Cedogno at the intriguing Museum of Ancient Locks. The itinerary is available from March through November 2022. Prices start at €497 per person.

An afternoon Japanese bookbinding workshop

The magic of the Orient as imagined and experienced by the artist Galileo Chini will surprise and delight visitors on the itinerary The Orient at Salsomaggiore Terme: Atmospheres and Techniques, a one-day experience in the company of a passionate expert on Salsomaggiore’s history starting in the Grand Hotel des Thermes. Then on to savour Emilian dishes in an osteria in the historic centre for a delicious farm-to-the-table lunch, and finally an afternoon to savour with a delightful Japanese bookbinding workshop. Prices start at €149 per person.

Tavern in Salsomaggiore

Ferrara, in the Emilia Romagna region, is a splendid art city, and its mayor Alan Fabbri is confident that tourism will recover in 2022.

Like all Italy’s art cities Ferrara was particularly hard hit by the Covid crisis, and Mayor Fabbri outlines the many measures that have, and are being taken, to ensure that visitor numbers increase this year. 

Exhibitions,  museums and theatre festivals  

”Over the last two difficult years we rolled out bids for projects to support cultural activities, and we set up security protocols allowing us to organize events when this was possible. Sometimes we had as many a ten exhibitions and musems open, and our theatre season of drama, opera and dance was a success, as was the November Ferrara Food Festival. On New Year’s weekend we attracted 1,800 visitors with the offer of free entry to our museums for an overnight stay.”     

Ferrara is twinned with Toledo in Ohio

“Ferrara’s image is going around the world: we are twinned with Toledo in Ohio, and we are targetting the US market in particular. In Europe the Petit Palais in Paris will host an exhibition dedicated to Ferrara’s great painter Giovanni Boldini, and the writer Manfredo Manfredini is the focus of studies in Germany.” 

Just 40 minutes from the sea and 30 minutes from Bologna 

"We are in a logistically strategic position, along the Bologna-Venice axis. Italo has recently upgraded its train schedules and we are just 40 minutes from the sea, and less than half an hour from the regional capital, Bologna. Visitora are attracted by the Renaissance soul of our city, and during the summer season, we organise themed tours for tourists stayaing on the Adriatic Riviera".

“In 2021 we had a 38% rise in tourist arrivals” 

With an annual €3 million being invested in tourism in Ferrara, and with the tourist tax contributing an average €800,000 Mayor Fabbri says that in 2021 the city saw an overall rise of 38% in tourist arrivals and 40% in overnights compared to 2020. 

“These are far from the pre-Covid figures, but they are an encouraging sign. The pandemic has deprived the municipal coffers of €13.2 million, but what is worse are the effects of the closures in tourism-related concerns.  We have allocated some €2 million municipal funds to support the hospitality sector, from hotels to farmstays.”

“We must offer visitors accessibility as well as quality services and products” 

"I think that Covid has contributed greatly to the redefinition of destinations, lifestyles and ways of approaching travel. This means a return to local tourism and a strong focus on quality. Low-value - adding mass tourism is now a thing of the past. Today, more than ever, it is essential to pay the utmost attention to hospitality, the environment and the integration of tourist services, offering visitors accessibility as well as quality services and products.” 

The Th Resorts in the north of Italy conclude the peak winter season with positive numbers despite the difficulties associated with the resurgence of the pandemic, with 60,000 visitors enjoying the company’s mountain resorts from the Valle d’Aosta to the Trentino Alto Adige.

Italians were up 15% but there were 20% fewer foreign visitors 

Stefano Maria Simei, Th Group Commerical and Marketing Director said:

“Despite the pandemic we have seen strong numbers, at times we were even sold out, bringing us very close to the results of the successful 2019/2020 winter season. There has been a positive shift in Italian customers (+ 15%) but foreign visitors were down (-20%) compared to two winters ago. We have worked hard and we have rigorously applied all health protocols; our focus is always on safety.”

 

Efficient management of the pandemic situation

Th Resorts owns a dozen mountain resorts in the north of Italy, from Corvara, Sestriere and Madonna di Campiglio to Courmayeur, Pila, Marilleva, Passo San Pellegrino and La Thuile.  Internal procedures in the properties ensure screening and an efficient management of quarantine for anyone testing positive for the virus. 

“There have been Covid cases, but almost all of our guests were testing negative at the first quarantine testing deadlines. In cases of personnel quarantines, it was not easy to find replacements so we all worked overtime. Despite all the difficulties we can say that we made it.”