Two old rural stazzo homesteads have been renovated for the Gallicantu Retreat in the Gallura region of Sardinia.

Standing on more than three hectares of Mediterranean scrub, the five rooms and two suites in the old buildings are a short walk from the village of Luogosanto, in the heart of the Gallura. Abandoned for almost half a century, the old 1930s properties belong to Marco Maria Berio and Raffaella Manca who followed every step of the renovations, selecting the materials and designing the furnishings.

Two suites overlooking the almond grove

The term stazzo derives from the Latin statio (station, resting place) and indicates both the farm and the buildings inhabited by the owners or sharecroppers. These two old stazzi have been restored with traditional materials and the main house has five bedrooms, each one different from the next, a living room with a fireplace for cooler evenings, a wellness area with a sauna, a Turkish bath and a small relaxation area. A little further on the Igna and Mendula Suites overlook the almond grove, and each area is designed using natural elements such as iron, stone and ceramics of modern Sardinian craftsmanship.

A swimming pool caved out of rock

The old stable now houses the Gallicantu's kitchen. Breakfast and dinner, only for the Retreat’s guests, are served on a terrace from which you can see the villages of Alta Gallura and Corsica. At the center of the estate is the swimming pool carved out of rock, a relaxing corner where you can forget the pace of the city and relax in the shade cast by ancient trees. Not to be missed is the Grotta, a spectacular wine cellar in which to enjoy cold cuts, hams and cheeses from the nearby stazzi and small local producers.

Olive oil and honey from the estate

The estate is surrounded by hundreds of olive trees, which produce the oil used in the kitchen, as well as almond trees, citrus and cherry trees. More than two hundred myrtle plants produce a delicious liqueur while ten families of bees produce honey for guests to enjoy. 

The massive ancient Fort Bard fortress in the Vale d’Aosta has remained almost entirely intact since its construction, and is one of the best examples of an early 19th-century blockading fortress. The stronghold consists of three main buildings, across three different levels: from the lowest, the Opera Ferdinando, to the mid-tier, the Opera Vittorio, and finally to the highest, the Opera Carlo Alberto for a total of 283 rooms.

Rooms for workshops and temporary exhibitions

The Opera Ferdinando is in the shape of a pincer and consists of two buildings, the Opera Ferdinando Inferiore and the Opera Ferdinando Superiore within which the Museum of Fortifications and Borders is to be found. The Opera Mortai, located behind it, and the adjoining Polveriera host rooms intended for educational workshops that are also used for temporary exhibitions. About halfway up the fortress stands the Opera Vittorio, which hosts the Alpi dei Ragazzi, a walking route entirely dedicated to the youngest mountaineers.

The Museum of the Alps and the Vallée Culture facility

At the height of the cliff, the most imposing of the three defensive works is a massive wall on which all the buildings rest and which encloses the Opera di Gola, with its courtyard, located to defend the south side, and the Opera Carlo Alberto with the large Piazza d'Armi quadrangular courtyard surrounded by a large portico. The first floor houses the Museum of the Alps. On the ground floor, along the walkway overlooking the large Piazza d'Armi, there are spaces to accommodate more temporary exhibitions and the Vallée Culture facility

Marvel shot some scenes of The Avengers: 

in the fortress

Inside the Carlo Alberto Opera there is also the prison with 24 detention cells across four sections. The narrow cells where the prisoners were held are very small, no more than1.3x2 metres, and in the 19th century they held dozens of prisoners. Later they were transformed into food stores for the fortress and now they are part of a multimedia path dedicated to the history of the fortress. In 2014 the fortress was chosen by Marvel to shoot some scenes for The Avengers: Age of Ultron movie.

The debris of an ancient glacier

There is also an open-air walking route, accessible for free to the public. The landscaped path illustrates the context and the characteristics of the site and its immediate surroundings. Through a series of viewfinders visitors can focus on the surrounding environment: the main valley shaped by the Balteo glacier, the Champorcher Valley, the Corma di Machaby with its smooth wall, the path of the Dora Baltea, the waterfalls and side tributaries, and on the huge stone debris which was once a glacier.  

A nature trail illustrating the area’s flora and fauna

The nature trail is centred on the area’s geological peculiarities as well as on its flora and fauna, with particular attention given to the many botanical species (oaks, mixed broad-leaved woods, minor species such as ferns, ivy and rock plants) and

Let Wild Run Free, the solo exhibit by Swiss-Californian artist Allison Zurfluh, opening on Mazzorbo island on 19 March 2022, interprets the environment, inhabitants and local life of the Northern Venice Lagoon.

The works on display relate to the conservation and sustainability of the Lagoon, and to the artist’s relationship with this vast marshland, a fascinating ecosystem all to often overlooked by visitors who come to explore Venice and its outlying islands. 

Allison Zurfluh 

Conserving the local culture 

Through her work –the exhibit includes oil paintings and watercolours as well as works with salt and natural fibre paper - Allison champions the protection of one of the world’s most beguiling wetlands, encouraging appreciation for ancestral fishing methods, local culture, and a sustainable lifestyle. 

"We have forgotten the quiet freedom of untamed space. Every land has its pockets of wild, let us leave them there for the birds and for the person who wants to nurture a deep need for connection to the earth,” she says. “I am honoured to present this exhibit at Venissa, whose commitment to both cultural and ecological sustainability continues to inspire.”

Still time by Allison Zurfluh

The exhibit is on the Venissa wine estate 

Let Wild Run Free will run through the summer in the striking spaces of the Osteria Contemporanea of Venissa, on Mazzorbo Island.

“We are bound with Allison by friendship and our shared love of the lagoon which is a unique ecosystem. Her work shines with passion for this territory, a passion that always united us and that makes us happy to host her at Venissa,” says Matteo Bisol, owner of Venissa.

Mazzorbo is Burano’s neighbouring island

The peaceful little island of Mazzorbo, in one of the most untouched parts of the Venetian lagoon, is a short walk across a wooden bridge from Burano, which is famous for its brightly-coloured fishermen’s houses. Burano is one of the most popular daytrips from Venice and is linked to the city with regular vaporetto waterbus services. 

A resort with a Michelin restaurant

The Venissa estate is a project of agricultural rejuvenation and sustainable hospitality in a walled vineyard which is the backdrop for the five rooms of the Wine Resort, the Osteria Contemporanea and the Michelin-Starred Restaurant Venissa. Here the ingredients of native Venice – seafood, herbs, and vegetables – become gastronomic experiences of cucina ambientale combining taste of place and environmental practices.

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.