This was a strong summer season for Dimensione Sicilia, which is expanding beyond Europe.

Last-minute bookings are on the rise

The inbound tour operator focuses on the Spanish and French markets but is now also reaching out to the United States and South America. “Increasingly international markets are moving according to last-minute logic,- says general manager, Julian Zappalà. - This means that we work with a constant flow of requests, but with an increasingly smaller schedule than in the past. The traditional season runs from April to October, but we manage to extend it from March until November, with occasional peaks even in December.”

“A growing demand for customization and quality”

The outlook for the future is positive. "Demand is moving towards experientiality which means towards a less standardized product and more immersive content. There is a growing demand for customization and quality. There is also an increasing focus on sustainability, a commitment that we are consciously embracing. Among the other most evident trends are a wider seasonality, smaller groups and the demand for more flexible stays.”

A 9-day Sicilian tour with luxury accommodation

"Next year we are launching some new features for our regular tours. There is a new 9-day Sicilian Secrets, destined for the French market. It will feature the Palermo/Catania route and will be available from May to October to discover authentic Sicily. We will also be launching, as part of the Sicilian Secrets Collection series, the Unique Tour of Sicily for the UK market. This is a 9-day itinerary of Sicily aimed at small groups. It moves at a more relaxed pace and has luxury accommodation and exclusive experiences tailored for more mature travellers. These new projects will continue to be complemented by tailor-made products for all customer needs.”

Air Canada is once again expanding in Italy with the launch of its new route from Montreal to Catania on 4 June 2026.

Catania Airport’s key role in the Mediterranean

With three flights a week throughout the summer season, the new route will make it even easier for visitors from Canada and North America to discover the beauty of Sicily, while offering Sicilian travellers direct access to one of Canada's most dynamic metropolises. With this new route, Catania Airport confirms its key role among Mediterranean airports by responding to the growing demand for direct connections between major international destinations and Italy.

Positioning Sicily as a leading international destination

“The new Catania-Montreal route is a strategic step for our airport and for the entire region, - said Nico Torrisi, CEO of Sac.  -This direct flight will consolidate relations between Sicily and Canada, enhancing the cultural relations that have always united the two communities. Air Canada's arrival in Catania will not only contribute to increasing tourist flows, attracting travellers interested in experiencing our island, but will also offer new opportunities for economic development for local businesses looking to the Canadian and North American markets. This operation, which follows the activation of the Catania-New York route by Delta Air Lines, once again confirms the international vocation of Catania Airport, capable of successfully attracting first-class global partners. With great enthusiasm we welcome this new collaboration that marks a further step forward in the positioning of Sicily as a leading international destination".

“The only airline to operate scheduled services from Canada to Sicily and Majorca” 

The Catania launch is part of the Canadian carrier's broader investment in expanding its network for summer 2026, as Majorca will also be reachable from Montréal. “Air Canada is the first Canadian carrier to operate direct flights to these two coveted Mediterranean destinations; the only airline to operate scheduled services from Canada to Sicily and Majorca,’ said Mark Galardo, Air Canada's executive VP and chief commercial officer.

Rocco Forte Hotels' second property in Milan, The Carlton Milano, will open its doors on 6 November and is now available for bookings.

Rocco Forte Hotels' second 16th property

Following the opening of Rocco Forte House Milano in 2024, the Group is thus consolidating its presence in the city and continuing its growth in Italy. This will be the brand's sixteenth international property and comes at the end of a major five-year renovation by interior designers Philip Vergeylen and Paolo Moschino in collaboration with Olga Polizzi, the group's design director.

In the heart of Milan’s Fashion District

The choice of the name, The Carlton, pays homage to the tradition of hospitality that attributed to it the highest expression of excellence in service and attention to detail, which are expressed here in a contemporary key. Strategically located in the heart of the Fashion District, The Carlton Milano boasts a dual location, at 5 Via Senato and 8 Via della Spiga, and has 71 rooms and suites. The culinary offer, helmed by chef Fulvio Pierangelini, is an oasis in the dynamic Milanese context and includes a winter garden, a cocktail bar and a restaurant with a dehors overlooking the private garden.

A spa, gym and hairdressing salon

To crown the guest services the Irene Forte Spa introduces the brand's nature-inspired rituals and longevity programmes to the Lombard capital. The space dedicated to wellness also includes a gym, wet and relaxation areas, and treatment and beauty rooms adjacent to the hairdressing salon.

W Sardinia - Poltu Quatu, the new coastal oasis by W Hotels, has opened in preview and is bookable for summer season 2026.

New luxury lifestyle destination

With the official launch scheduled for April 2026, the property, located in the picturesque village of Poltu Quatu on the north-east coast of Sardinia, is a luxury lifestyle destination featuring 154 rooms and suites.

A Michelin chef, a spa and a beach club

The immersive dining experience includes the Tanit seafood restaurant overlooking the marina and W Lounge, both helmed Michelin-starred chef Andrea Berton and pastry chef Fabrizio Fiorani, who also curates the Dolce Room interactive dessert corner. Guests will also be able to experience W Hotels branded spaces including Wet Deck and the Fit fitness Centre; while Away Spa and W Beach Club will be operating from the 2026 season on the beautiful Sardinian coast.

Yacht charters and guided excursions

The hotel celebrates Sardinian craftsmanship through an artist-in-residence programme and a series of gastronomic collaborations showcasing local ingredients and producers. Guests can explore the island with guided excursions, yacht charters and boat adventures in the Maddalena archipelago. W Sardinia - Poltu Quatu, the first W Hotel on the Mediterranean island, further expands the brand in Italy, joining W Rome and the recent W Florence.

Shopping in Porto Cervo and hiking in the Pevero hills

The village of Poltu Quatu, which has developed around a lively marina and fascinates visitors with its whitewashed houses, is easily accessible from the new W Sardinia. From the harbour it is possible to take boat trips to explore the coast where unique scenery, coves and beaches abound. And just a few minutes' drive away there is shopping in Porto Cervo and hiking in the Pevero hills.

ITA Airways' new industrial plan will focus on long-haul growth, fleet renewal and synergies with the Lufthansa Group.

The focus will be on new long-haul routes

Approved in August by the company's board of directors, the plan will lead to 2030 revolving around these three fundamental elements with the major focus on the addition of new routes connecting the Rome Fiumicino hub with strategic destinations in North America, South America, Asia and Africa, in reply to the demand of an increasingly international clientele. The opening of these routes will not only favour incoming tourism to Italy, but also enhance trade and cultural flows. At the same time, there will also be developments in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. The network choices have been defined flexibly, so that they can be adapted to market dynamics and to regulatory and economic developments as well as global geopolitical scenarios.

A new-generation aircraft every year

Particular attention will also be paid to the innovation of on-board and ground services, to further enhance the passenger experience through advanced digital solutions, new-generation comforts and moves oriented towards environmental and social sustainability. The intention is to build an airline capable of combining operational efficiency, service excellence and responsibility towards the regions and communities served. The fleet will support the expansion of the network and an additional long-haul aircraft is envisaged for each year of the plan, starting from 2026, with the entry of latest-generation aircraft and the gradual phasing out of older aircraft. The fleet will have 100 aircraft by 2030, all of them new generation.

Full integration into Star Alliance

Over the next five years, operational and strategic synergies with the Lufthansa group will start with international alliances: full integration into Star Alliance in early 2026 and the definition, subject to authorization by the competition authorities, of the A++ joint ventures for flights between Europe and North America and J+ for those between Europe and Japan. Also planned are the integration of the Volare and Miles&More loyalty programmes and synergies in the cargo sector, as well as various code share
agreements.

Convincing more passengers to choose ITAAirways

“Today is another historic moment for the company,- said CEO and managing director, Joerg Eberhart. - The approved business plan makes ITAAirways’sustainable development possible thanks to synergies with the Lufthansa Group. With the expansion of the network, the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies, agreements with major global partners, and a commitment to service excellence, we will be able to convince more and more passengers not only from Italy but also from other countries to come to Italy between now and 2030 and to choose ITA, creating attractive job opportunities and induced revenue for the air transport industry.”

Two U.S. aviation giants are facing class-action lawsuits over an unexpected blind spot in their premium seat sales. The suits, filed in San Francisco and Brooklyn, claim millions of passengers paid extra for the coveted “window seat” experience, only to find themselves staring at a blank plastic panel.

“Many travelers deliberately book a window seat for the thrill of the view,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys point out. Yet for a surprising number of flyers, the promised panorama at 30,000 feet can all too often turn into a viewless wall.

To be fair, some carriers do disclose the so-called “blind window” seats in advance. Still, industry insiders estimate there are at least a million such seats in circulation. And in a business that sells experiences as much as it sells miles, the difference between clouds and plastic could cost airlines a lot more than a business-class upgrade.

Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor

Eleven unique (and unmissable) things to do ONLY in Savona.

Savona, on the Ligurian coast, is for travellers tired of overtourism, and there are eleven (unmissable) things you can do only there - from culture to food and wine, and from the environment to art.

The Savona area has 15 Blue Flag beaches 

This is the area with the most flags in the whole of Italy, and some beaches are right in the city! The Savona area has long held the record as the province with the greatest number of beaches awarded Blue Flags - an award for seaside resorts that respect strict criteria of sustainable land management such as water quality, the enhancement of natural areas and the possibility of access for all without limitations. Among Savona’s Blue Flag beaches the Fornaci Beach is located in a popular city district.

ph credits: the Municipality of Savona

Taste the only authentic Chinotto

The chinotto – citrus myrtifoglia in English – is a small citrus fruit with a unique quality and aroma. Originally from China, around 1500 it was transplanted to the Ligurian coast and it adapted perfectly to its new environment. Savona’s Chinottois not eaten raw but processed into drinks, syrups, liqueurs, jams. There are several places where it can be tasted in the form of a drink with a bitter aftertaste, including the old Besio confectioner's shop in Piazza Mameli, which since 1860 has guarded the secrets of processing the chinotto.

Explore the Priamar fortification

Almost 500 years old and towering over the sea with 360-degree views, the Priamar is one of the most majestic fortified constructions in the entire Mediterranean. Built between 1542 and 1544 to defend the territory from attack, it was once a prison and today is a cultural centre.  Not to be missed: a visit to the underground passages. Tours last about an hour and a half and a torch and comfortable shoes are recommended.

ph credits Ferrania Museum

Did you know that the word film was born just outside Savona?

At the end of 1923 in Ferrania, a village in the Savona area, the FILM (Fabbrica Italiana Lamine Milano) company presented the first production of positive cinematographic film at the Turin Exhibition. In the 1960s, at the height of the economic boom, Ferrania was, together with Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, one of only four factories in the world producing colour film, for cinema and photography. Today, a museum opened in 2018, tells the story of this extraordinary factory.

Taste the famous Farinata Bianca

If you are familiar with the yellow chickpea farinata, in Savona you will find the world’s only white farinata. The perfect white farinata must have the just right consistency, crunchy but at the same time soft, and be cooked in a special oven at a temperature of 400 degrees Celsius. And the same oven cannot be used to make pizzas.

Apple Museum - ph credit AAA Museum

All About Apple. Over 10,000 items on display

This museum is unique of its kind and can boast the entire Apple production from the dawn of 1976 to the present day-  over 10,000 pieces. To date, it is the best stocked Apple museum in the world and allows visitors to explore first-hand the machines on display - over a hundred of them, in rotation – all of which are switched on and in working order. The collection includes personal computers, monitors, printers, minor peripherals, manuals, brochures, posters, various software titles in cd-roms and floppy disks, packages, prototypes, pins and many other accessories. In addition, an area is dedicated to non-Apple machines: a tribute to the home and personal computers of the pre ms-dos era.

Apple Museum - ph credit AAA Museum

Thrill to the tolling of the Peace Bell  

Every day at 6pm, the bell at the War Memorial strikes 21 chimes, one per letter of the alphabet, in memory of the victims of all wars. At the instant of the first chime everything stops: cars in the middle of crossroads, pedestrians on the spot where they find themselves, shopkeepers as they are serving customers. This is an intense and emotional experience which has been going on every day for almost 100 years. Fun fact: this is the Savona attraction with the highest score on TripAdvisor. 

Ceramics Museum - ph credits Federico Farci

A world of white and blue maiolica 

Blue veins that contrast with the white of the glaze: the charm of maiolica ceramics is timeless and still today it is synonymous with quality and its roots are in the Savona area. In the Ceramics Museum in the heart of the town, you visit the maiolica workshops, also those of master ceramists, and at the Majolica Festival in May visitors will find pottery wheel exhibitions and monumental kilns.

Sistine Chapel

Enter the world's only “other” Sistine Chapel  

Savona has the “other” Sistine Chapel, commissioned by the same Pope, Sixtus IV (1471-1484), a great patron of art together with his nephew Giuliano Della Rovere, later to become Pope Julius II. The magnificent original frescoes are no longer visible except for a few small portions, but this rarity is well worth a visit.  

Whale watching in the Pelagos Cetacean Sanctuary

From the port of Savona, located in the historic centre, you can set off on daily excursions of whale watching in the Pelagos Cetacean Sanctuary. marine area is among the richest in marine life in the Mediterranean. Every year research vessels travel around the Mediterranean to monitor the health status and sightings of cetaceans. In 2023 2,900 kilometres were covered and more than 360 sightings recorded, most of them of dolphin, followed by fin whales, sperm whales, pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins.

On the trail of Milena Milani, with Picasso Magritte and others

Milena Milani was one of the great writers of the 20th century, and her voice is kept alive by the Milena Milani Foundation with the works she collected during her lifetime, together with her partner Carlo Cardazzo, and exhibited today in the Savona Art Gallery. On display are, among others, the famous “Portrait of Milena” by Pablo Picasso, “Portrait of Milena Milani” by Lucio Fontana as well as important works by Magritte, De Chirico, Jorn, Dubuffet, Twombly, Man Ray, Sassu and others.