The border between the Veneto and Trentino regions cuts through the Adige Valley where the Vallagarina begins – the main city is Rovereto - before continuing up to Calliano and Besenello. Along this route the visitor will discover different types of vineyards, in fact in the Avio area they grow Cabernet and Merlot and Chardonnay grapes especially in the valley, while in the hills we find the Müller Thurgau. And in Rovereto the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and the famous Marzemino, which is the symbol of the valley, predominate.

Marzemino

The Castel Veneto castle is the symbol of the city

Homeland of the Marzemino variety of grape Rovereto is a city rich in culture with an intact historic center and elegant patrician palaces. The Castel Veneto fortress, which is worth a visit, was built in the 1300s by the Castelbarco family, the lords of Vallagarina, and was transformed by the Venetians at the end of the 15th century. The sturdy walls and the towers reveal the prevailing military function of the old fortress, and in 1509 the castle was ceded to the Habsburgs, who kept it until 1918. 

The MART Museum of Modern Art and Venetian landmarks

During the Great War the fortress was heavily bombed, and since 1921 it has been the Italian War History Museum. Rovereto is also known the world over for the great Peace Bell on the Miravalle Hill that rings out a hundred chimes every evening to commemorate the fallen of all wars. The famous MART Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, designed by architect Mario Botta, is home to important temporary and permanent exhibitions, and the historic center still has many landmarks dating back to Venetian days.

Mozart gave his first Italian concert in Rovereto

The Corso Bettini main thoroughfare that starts from Piazza Rosmini square, the heart of modern Rovereto, has many beautiful eighteenth-century buildings including the Zandonai Theater which was built more than 200 years ago. Rovereto is also renowned for two major international festivals: East-West, a theater and dance celebration, and the W.A. Mozart International Festival in Rovereto, dedicated to the music of the great Austrian composer who gave his first Italian concert here.

Golden beaches and green hills full of history, scents, nature and freedom: the Etruscan Coast is one of the most fascinating places in Tuscany. Many poets and writers have visited this coast in search of inspiration, passion, comfort or relaxation: Pirandello, Dante, and Goldoni are just some of the literary greats who chose this wonderful coast, and Park Hotel Marinetta is the ideal starting point to follow n their footsteps and visit the most authentic side of Tuscany.

Birthplace of the poet Carducci 

Bolgheri and Castagneto, childhood places of the Tuscan poet and Nobel Prize winner, Carducci, are a must. This is where Carducci spent his childhood, and a visit to these places will catapult the visitor straight into the verses of some of his masterpieces. 

An “idle and hedonistic" paradise

Towards Livorno, we come to the towns of Rosignano Marittimo and to Castiglioncello, one of its hamlets overlooking the sea and described as an “idle and hedonistic paradise” by Gabriele D'Annunzio. Amidst the Renaissance fortresses of Livorno, Carlo Goldoni, the father of modern comedy, experimented with his art. The author is closely connected with this seafaring city, which has a theater bearing his name.

Relaxation and spa treatments in the Park Hotel Marinetta

The Park Hotel Marinetta has suites that overlook the Tuscan seaside town of Marina di Bibbona. The Marinetta Wellness Spa at the hotel is equipped with a heated hydro-massage pool, a bio-sauna, a calidarium, a tepidarium, chrome-aromatic showers and a wide range of regenerating massages and beauty treatments. 

Emilia is a region to be experienced on foot, revealing itself to travelers and hikers who leave the city behind to immerse themselves in an intertwining of the history and nature, culture, food and wines of the great historical itineraries that were traveled by pilgrims down the centuries. 

History, nature and slow tourism 

Routes like the famous Via Francigena that crosses the heart of the Parma and Piacenza Apennines, the ancient Via degli Abati an early medieval route, the Via di Linari that touches places of great naturalistic importance such as the UNESCO Tuscan-Emilian Apennines Biosphere Reserve, and the Via Matildica del Volto Santo through the ancient fiefdom of Matilde di Canossa.  

A Council of Europe Cultural Route

One of the most popular routes for travelers of all ages is the Via Francigena. On over 1,000 kilometers between the Gran San Bernardo Pass and Rome, it crossed the heart of the Apennines in the provinces of Piacenza and Parma, and was declared a Council of Europe Cultural Route in 1994.

Walking along mule tracks and ancient pathways

The Via degli Abati, also called the Francigena di Montagna, is an ancient late-medieval itinerary used by the monks of the San Colombano di Bobbio Monastery to get to Rome, crossing part of the province of Pavia and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The 190 kilometres of this demanding walk are in part mule tracks, cart tracks and pathways with only small sections giving away to asphalted roads.

Following in the footsteps of the pilgrims of yesteryear

The network of paths along ancient medieval routes that constitutes the heart of the Via Matildica del Volto Santo is an opportunity to set our feet but also our imagination working as we come to the castles of the Countess Matilde di Canossa, crossing villages and trampling the same venerable land traveled long ago by pilgrims on their religious journeys.

Nature, art, fine foods and wines

The Via di Linari, an ancient deviation of the Via Francigena, takes its name from the abbey of the same name on the borders between Emilia and Tuscany. This was a commercial route and an alternative for pilgrims on their way to Rome and Lucca, and today it is a fascinating experience of discovery of nature, art, fine foods and wines.

“We are at the WTM to tell the world we can guarantee safety to those who choose our country.”

Speaking to ItaliAbsolutely Giorgio Palmucci looked back on the last 18 months. “There was a lot of uncertainty, and then the second Covid wave hit. Today there is more positivity and greater confidence in a recovery, thanks to the vaccination programme and to investments made by industry players to ensure greater peace of mind and guarantees for visitors. We are at the WTM to send out the message, to neighbouring markets and to the world, that we guarantee safety to those who choose our country.”

“We have to grow, not in volume but in value”

“Before Covid tourism was already in a phase of evolution, and we, as the operative arm of the Ministry of Tourism, were starting to think about trends, and how the ways of using a holiday and of traveling were changing. Covid accelerated these processes.  In 2019 we were worried about over-tourism. Now we need to grow back not in volume but in value, keeping people longer in our country and making sure they don’t just visit the most popular destinations.”

Boosting domestic and international markets 

“Italy is a very diversified country and we can not limit ourselves to selling certain times of year and the classical over-crowded destinations. Tourism can work 365 days a year and there is no such thing as a minor destination; what we have are amazing lesser-known destinations. The first step is to work on the domestic market as Covid has shown us that Italians do not know their country very well. The next step is to make sure that more mature neighbouring markets like Germany, the UK and France come back fast.”

“The number one variable for a holiday is safety”

For intercontinental visitors, from the USA to Canada, from Australia to Japan, and from South America to China, over these difficult months ENIT recounted a virtual story. “We told international visitors that Covid has not touched the hardware. That Italy is the same as it always was, and we have worked very hard to respond to what is now the number one variable in choosing a destination which is safety.”

We need to move fast before other destinations  

At the end of last October, before the second wave hit, the perception of 84% of international travellers surveyed was that Italian operators had done everything possible to ensure safe holidays. “The message we want to get across now is that visitors don't have to worry about Covid or anything else that doesn't add value to their stay. But if we want to be competitive we have to move fast, before other destinations.  In 2022 we will bounce back though not to the levels of 2019. It will be a year of recovery, although MICE and business travel will only kick-in later.”

The Leonardo Hotels Italia group has launched a new service for business and MICE events in collaboration with Niutek Technology Solution, a leading Italian technological services company  that produces and develops entertainment programnes. 

The latest technologies for innovative corporate events

At the five Italian properties innovative corporate events can be organised using the latest technologies such as LED wall installations, video mixers for transmission, cameras, videomapping and LED design, all with the support of Niutek. Using live streaming events and webinars, as well as live events, supported by a scenography and a stage specially designed by Niutek's team of experts, Leonardo Hotels guests will also find servies such as audio systems, simultaneous translation, lighting and lighting effects, DJ consoles and the production of video content.

In-person and remote events 

“We are pleased to offer increasingly technological and innovative systems for our business and MICE customers”, said Rafi Carmon, Cluster General Manager Leonardo Hotels Italy, Austria, Hungary. “This collaboration with Niutek will allow our guests to create engaging events in person or remotely, using cutting-edge technologies with the support of a team of experts.”

Hotels in Rome, Milan, Venice and Verona

The Leonardo Hotels are NYX Hotel Milan in the city center near the Milano Centrale railway station.  Leonardo Milan City Center is in the hub of Milanese nightlife and ckose to the city’s main monuments such as Piazza Duomo and the Castello Sforzesco. Leonardo Boutique Rome Termini is located in the heart of Rome just a few steps from the Termini central station, the subway and the terminal connecting to the airport. Leonardo Royal Venice Mestre, with its 244 rooms and suites, is the ideal place to stay while visiting the splendid city of Venice or organizing your business trips and meetings. And the splendid Leonardo Hotel Verona is the perfect choice for both leisure and business travelers, thanks to its location near the Fiera di Verona fairgrounds.

The Orazio Palace in Rome, a project by the Studio ColliDanielaArchitetto, was inaugurated last June in the Prati district on a total area of ​​4,000 square meters spread over nine floors. There are 65 rooms, including six suites, and many attractive public spaces, open not only to hotel guests but also to the whole city: a hall, library, lobby bar, garden and gym and the Ozio restaurant on the rooftop which has a skybar lounge.

“The hotel is inspired by the light of Rome at the magical twilight hour”

The Orazio Palace is for meeting, working and gourmet experiences, but above all it is an opportunity to rediscover Rome for those who live in the Eternal City or know it and want to return to delight in the architecture, colours and images of a beauty crystallized down the ages. The hotel project is inspired by the light of the Eternal City at twilight: «It is a clear, golden light - comments Daniela Colli, owner of the architectural studio – that defines contrasts, contours and plasticity, enhancing shapes and materials with saturated colours. Our project wants to celebrate the changing nature of the Capitoline sky at the magical twilight hour.” 

This exciting tour of Puglia begins along the Adriatic ridge, on a 150-kilometre cycle path starting in Siponto, passing the Margherita di Savoia salt pans, which has been a protected nature reserve since 1977, and the splendid villages of Trani, Bisceglie, Molfetta and Giovinazzo. After a stop in Bitonto, the city of olive oil, the trail ends in the old heart of Bari Vecchia. 

Trulli, age-old olive trees and the city of Brindisi

The A Painted Ride itinerary starts from Bari and continues south passing the characteristic cone-shaped trulli dwellings that are reflected in the thousand shades of the sea. In Polignano a Mare you continue straight on towards the seafront of Monopoli, and from here to Ostuni you pass majestic centuries-old olive trees. The end of this trail is in the ancient city of Brindisi, gateway to the East and once a stopover for crusaders travelling to the Holy Land.

The beautiful beaches on the Ionian coast 

The Riding past Two Seas cycle tour takes you away from the Adriatic towards the Ionian Sea. The starting point of this exciting coast-to-coast trail is Ostuni with its cluster of white houses. It then leads past towns in the Taranto Murgia area, coming to the Ionian coast near the Saturo Archaeological Park. From here the itinerary becomes a lot less strenuous, along the beaches of some of the most beautiful seaside resorts in Puglia, before ending in Gallipoli in the Salento region.

Trails through historical vineyards  

Messapi Wine is a simple but emotional itinerary starting from Grottaglie with its ancient cities of Messapian origin, and from Manduria the cyclist rides past Primitivo and Negroamaro vineyards. The route had two variants: one that plunges through the vineyards between Brindisi and Guagnano, including those in Cellino San Marco  belonging to the singer Albano Carrisi, while the other cuts through the Manduria vineyards before reaching the sea near the estuary in the Chidro River Nature Reserve.

Cycling from Lecce to Otranto

For those who love silence and beauty this trail through nature begins in Lecce and ends in Otranto. From the fortified village of Acaya to the beauty of the Le Cesine oasis, for several kilometers you are cycling through woodlands before you come to the beaches of San Foca and Torre dell'Orso and then continue past the Alimini lakes before finishing this exciting trail under Otranto’s bastions.

With an investment of over €20 million the first stone has been laid for the construction of the new Jumanji attraction, The Adventure. The attraction is scheduled to launch in 2022 and personalities who starred in the Jumanji films attended the ceremony with three actors then laying the symbolic first stone.

A new dark ride for families and teenagers

"This is an important investment for the creation of a unique attraction, it is not just a spectacular ride, it is also a high-tech gem. We believe that this new dark ride for families and teenagers will be greeted enthusiastically by our Italian and foreign visitors,” said Gardaland CEO Aldo Maria Vigevani. 

Tackling a mighty stone giant to return a sacred stone 

Jumanji The Adventure will be located right in the heart of Gardaland and be for adventurers of all ages: a real mission to save the kingdom of Jumanji from a curse. Visitors will tackle the jungle in a jeep-shaped vehicle making their way past dangerous animals, obstacles of all kinds and a mighty stone giant who will stop at nothing to block their way. It will be a real race against time to return a precious sacred gem to the legendary temple and save the world of Jumanji.

Rome as a destination to be experienced and not just admired: this is the aim of the new promotional campaign Rome is created by CNA Roma, the National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises of Rome, in collaboration with Invidio Srl, and Integrare Srl.  

More nights, more dreams. A campaign to boost quality tourism 

"We face a major challenge, that of bringing Rome and the Lazio region back to the center of national and international tourist flows. In recent months we have worked in synergy with all the stakeholders, in particular with the trade associations, on the More nights, more dreams campaign,” said Tourism Councillor Valentina Corrado. The aim, said Stefano Di Niola, Secretary CNA Roma, is to boost quality tourism and bring added value to the thousands of businesses in related industries that offer goods and services. “CNA Roma will continue to work with local administrations on a communications and promotional strategy, as well training and advising companies.” 

Today’s tourist wants to feel like a Roman

“We have to try to see Rome with the eyes of the tourist who is better informed and has studied the destinations and itineraries that interest them. He wants a more authentic experience, and to be able to interact with locals. He wants to feel like a Roman,” said CNA Turismo’s President Marco Misischia. The video will be used at events and trade fairs and broadcast on CNA Roma’s official digital channels in Italian and in English as well as on Youtube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeDpNFXOQsA 

Telepass and Dolomiti Superski have joined forces to expand the TelepassPay Skipass service to all the ski areas in the Dolomite association, for a total of 1,200 kilometres of new slopes.  The two partners are also jointly promoting resorts in the Dolomites through marketing and visibility projects.  

No more queues and 3,000 kms of slopes on a single subscription

Starting this winter thanks to this partnership with Dolomiti Superski it will be possible to enjoy days on the snow without queuing or having to pass by the ticket office as you will be billed directly on your Telepass account at the end of the month.  

The TelepassPay Skipass service is currently active in seven regions (Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Molise, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto), for a total of over 40 ski areas. Thanks to this partnership the TelepassPay Skipass covers the largest network of ski facilities available on a single subscription, with over 3,000 km of slopes.

Telepass facilitates people on the highways, in cities and in the mountains

"The goal of Telepass is to facilitate the movement of people, whether for work or for fun on the highways, in cities and in the mountains. From the moment they pass the toll booth on the motorway we want our customers to move safely, quickly and sustainably even on the slopes. We integrated the 12 Dolomiti Superski areas, thus bringing the highest number of ski slopes in all of Italy onto a single Skipass,” said  Telepass CEO Gabriele Benedetto.