Global projections are forecasting that from April we should see the biggest tourism rebound in history.

From the UNWTO to the WTTC the signals for the industry, which is licking its wounds after two very dramatic years, are more than comforting.

There is talk of a 250% increase in bookings for Easter, with soaring numbers extending throughout the summer. And even mass booking aggregators like the otas are saying the same thing.

This tells us that what people most desire is to travel, to move, to take holidays. And we can see that this desire, which has more or less been dormant for two very long years, is now ready to explode.

Will hotels be ready to handle numbers of this magnitude? After all the inactivity will organized tourism still be able to react to the impact of billions of people who want to travel? We think so. We have always had faith in the industry, even when no one thought it could cling on.

Tourism’s head honchos are ready to handle the maxi-flows that will travel the roads of the world from April. We are waiting confidently for spring. And we see it as the new springtime of the world.

Giuseppe Aloe
Editor in Chief

On the weekend of 12 and 13 March the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan will host the first Italian fair dedicated to cycle tourism and bicycle travel. The event, which is free to attend and for which registration is online, is aimed at all active vacationers interested in cycling trips. It will also be of interest to those who would like to try this mode of transportation for the first time, whether with family, friends, or alone.

Ideas for cycle adventures

The cycle tourism fair, sponsored by the city of Milan, will be a meeting point for operators in the sector, both destinations or tour operators and, of course the general public who are looking for nature adventures. Itineraries and services for cycle tourists, new destinations for the coming holidays, tourist packages, and many travel ideas and much more is what visitors will be able to find at the Fabbrica del Vapore.  More than 50 destinations and operators from Italy and around the world will be participating at the event.

Training workshops and presentations

Aside from the exhibition area dedicated to tour operators, territorial consortia, destinations, cities, and international stars active in the sector, the event will host The Talks. This is a programme of presentations, training workshops for almost every circumstance, travel stories to be discovered on a saddle, and a thousand ideas for the visitor to imagine and prepare for his first or next experience of a journey on a bike.

Italian and Spanish sponsors

Gran Canaria (Spain), the Valencia region (Spain), Sicily, and Basilicata will be the event's main sponsors; destinations that have focused on cycle tourism as a new way of enjoying vacations and getting to know the most authentic side of their territories. Other sponsors to date are Turkey, Catalonia (Spain), Valtellina, Atl Biella, the municipality of Cuneo, and Terres Monviso. 

The Vallone dei Mulini valley with its mysterious ruins is on the Sorrento Coast at the southern end of the Bay of Naples. It is a natural spectacle not to be missed as down the years nature has again and again retaken areas that man had industriously subtracted, for the most part to build mills that served to grind wheat.

The art of inlaid handicrafts

 Annexed to the old mill there was a sawmill that was fed by the spring waters coming down from the hills, and was used for processing the different types of local woods from which inlaid handicrafts were made. The valley also had a public washhouse, where the women of the village went daily to do their washing.

A microclimate with rare plants

The stone mills remained in function until the beginning of the 19th century, when the increasing humidity in the valley, which is a deep canyon-type gorge, made it impossible to continue milling. However, it is the unique microclimate that makes this valley special, and has benefited the proliferation of many plants, some considered very rare, as well as many types of ferns and different forms of carnivorous plants.

 
Old mills at the bottom of a deep gorge

From downtown Sorrento, which is in fact built over the top of the canyon, a short walk a block inland from the main Piazza Tasso square leads to the Via Fuorimura from where it is possible to look down into the deep gorge on the vegetation-clad ruins of the old multi-story mill. The valley is no longer accessible, but all you need is the naked eye or a pair of binoculars not to miss any detail, and the view is even more magical at night when the ruins are illuminated.

Anghiari is an Italian town in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany. One of the most beautiful villages in Italy, it holds the Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club. The Orange Flag is given to towns and villages with a population of fewer than 15,000 inhabitants that welcome tourism in a carefully maintained environment, promoting local industries and crafts.

Made famous by a battle and a Leonardo painting

This small medieval gem is set on a gravel hill accumulated over centuries from the passage of the Tiber River, which until the mid-1200s flowed at the foot of the town.

The famous Battle of Anghiari was fought in 1440 on the plain just below the settlement, with the Florentine troops defeating the Milanese army and thus allowing Florence to take over the government of the city. Leonardo da Vinci’s famous fresco The Battle of Anghiari, which has unfortunately been lost, was commissioned to honour this victory.

The medieval walls are still practically intact

The original centre of the town dates back to the 11th century when Camaldolese monks started to shape it through artistic and economic developments. The mighty Monastery of S. Bartolomeo, transformed by the Perugians into a defensive bulwark, was the first building in Anghiari together with the Church of the Badia. The high walls that surround the town have protected and preserved the town over the centuries and are still almost intact today.

Stone houses and an interesting museum

The township is an evocative succession of small stone-paved streets, Renaissance palaces and unexpected views. Strolling through the narrow streets you can almost breathe an air of other times, and the hustle and bustle of daily life becomes a distant memory. The stone houses overlooking the narrow streets of the town have small windows, old shutters and wooden doors, and inside the Taglieschi Palace you get a great overview of the colony’s history in the Museum of Memories and Landscape in the Land of Anghiari.

The Alcantara Gorges, in the Alcantara Valley in Sicily, are an enchantment and a must for all those who love nature and sport. About an hour by car from Catania, these natural volcanic inlets have walls up to 50 meters high, under which the river of the same name flows.

Basalt walls in prismatic shapes 

It is said that a long time ago a small volcano north of Mount Etna awoke, erupting a huge mass of lava that slowly made its way to the sea. The lava river’s winding course was later furrowed out by a stream as it descended the mountainside. Towards the end of its course the water met a more moveable mass of soil, forging two high walls of very hard basalt and moulding it into fascinating prismatic shapes.

Spectacular overhanging vertical walls

So it was that the Alcantara river created this truly unique valley over tens of thousands of years, relentlessly eroding the outcropping rocks and creating particular lava formations that are still visible today. Considered a place of great beauty the characteristic gorges have soaring overhanging vertical walls that are as spectacular as they are wondrous.  

Perfect for trekking hiking and rafting

The Alcantara Gorges are most appreciated by those who love nature, outdoor holidays, and dynamic activities such as trekking, river hikes and exciting rafting descents along the crystal-clear waters of the Alcantara river. The rock formations are truly a unique spectacle in a setting of a thousand colours and extraordinary landscapes, and they are the perfect choice for all those who love nature, enjoy exhilarating excursions and delight in relaxing walks.

Costa Cruises is the official cruise line for the 2023 Ryder Cup. The world’s most famous golf competition, in Italy for the first time in 2023, will roll out at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, which is in Guidonia about 25 kilometres north-east of Rome, from 29 September to 1 October. 

Cruises for golfing enthusiasts and families

To mark the announcement of this partnership Costa has launched its brand new Cruise & Golf formula, designed for golf enthusiasts and their families. This allows guests to combine a unique golf experience with the relaxation and fun of a cruise aboard the Costa Smeralda, while playing in some of the most beautiful golf clubs in Italy, France and Spain, as the ship stops at its various ports of call. Meanwhile, the families on vacation with the golfing buffs will be able to enjoy the services on board, or go ashore and explore with the customised excursions organized by the company.

Promoting golf clubs and helping local tourism

“Our cruise holidays aim to create unique and enriching experiences, and the union with golf fits perfectly with this philosophy. To achieve our goal of becoming the reference company for the world of golf, we have embraced a special and unique initiative: the partnership with the Ryder Cup 2023, one of the most popular sporting events in the world, “ says The Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Roberto Alberti. “Our Cruise & Golf sailings will help promote golf courses in the countries we visit and they will also help local tourism, considering that six out of ten passengers say they want to return to the destinations they visited on a cruise.”

Packages include three or four green fees

The new Cruise & Golf offer will be available from May 2022 on Costa Smeralda with week-long cruises in the western Mediterranean, stopping in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca, Palermo and Civitavecchia/Rome, and reservations will open on 1 February. To take advantage of the new offer, simply purchase a cruise, and then add one of the two packages dedicated to golf. These include either three or four green fees to access some of the most famous and popular golf courses in the Mediterranean.

Rome is the official host of the Ryder Cup

Among the selected golf clubs in Italy there are the Marco Simone, official seat of the Ryder Cup 2023; Golf Nazionale, the technical centre of the Italian Golf Federation; Olgiata Golf, which has hosted the Italian Golf Open several times; Acquasanta Golf, one of the oldest Italian clubs, and the Garlenda Golf Club on the enchanting Ligurian Riviera di Ponente.

In just a few days James Joyce would be 140 years old and, on the same day, his Ulysses will be 100 years old. It was 2 February 1882 when the writer was born in Dublin, and on 2 February 1922 when, what would become his most famous novel, was published. Joyce conceived and began to write this intense work in Trieste, his adopted city where he lived for over a decade. To mark this important centenary there are numerous events in store to pay tribute to the deep bond between the regional capital of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and the Dublin-born author.

Trieste the city of Joyce

"My soul is in Trieste," wrote Joyce, and as a writer he brought together the high and the low parts of the city, frequenting in equal measure the bourgeoisie, who lived in the neoclassical palaces of Borgo Teresiano, and the Cavana district, home of Trieste's nightlife. The author arrived in Trieste in 1904 and was immediately intoxicated and fascinated by the city and its contrasts. It is a city with a seafaring heart and a dynamic port, a crossroads of cultures and one of Italy’s most elegant regional capitals. On the one hand, the austere Hapsburg Trieste with its stately buildings and, on the other, the Mitteleuropean lifestyle of the people, the literary cafes that at the time were frequented by writers and artists and the city’s multicultural nature, all elements that were a source of great inspiration for the author.  It was in Trieste that Joyce finished Dubliners, wrote Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and conceived and wrote the first three chapters of Ulysses.

Trieste of Ulysses

The deep link between Trieste and Joyce will be celebrated throughout the year with various events organized and backed by the Trieste Convention and Visitors Bureau, with the aim of attracting more visitors to the city and accompanying them to discover the Trieste of Ulysses. Among the various events and happenings on the programme there will be special itineraries on foot to the places where Joyce lived, such as Borgo Teresiano (his statue is on the Ponterosso), Piazza Barbacan, the Greek-Orthodox Church of S. Nicolò and the many houses in which he lived. In the Cavana district, which Joyce loved to frequent, there is a path with Neon Art dedications to him that are part of Doublin’, a project conceived and inaugurated in 2019 by the Cizerouno Cultural Association and the DMAV Social Art Ensamble. Doublin’ is a play on the name Dublin, with Dublin’s red-light district “doubling” with Trieste’s. Another Joycean street is Montgomery Street which was recently added to the Monto described in the Circe episode.

Trieste and its Joyce

Visits to places linked to Joyce will begin on Saturday 29 January and continue on further Saturdays at 10.30 am and 4 pm with departures from the PromoTurismoFVG Infopoint in Piazza Unità d'Italia 4/b. Each tour will cost €10.00. Then in June, to mark Bloomsday which is celebrated all over the world on 16 June in commemoration of Ulysses, it will be possible to experience the novel first-hand through happenings and activities organized around Trieste over a four-day period. From the favourite breakfast of Leopold Bloom, the novel's protagonist, to concerts at Ponterosso, with of course the fun of dressing up in costumes like those worn in Joyce’s day.

Castelmezzano, a town in the province of Potenza under the Lucania region’s Dolomite peaks, is one of the most beautiful gems of the Basilicata region, and one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy. The most fascinating spectacle to be enjoyed in Castelmezzano is the scenery of the Lucanian Dolomites. Like their more famous namesakes, these sandstone giants also become an enchanting spectacle at sunset when, as if by magic, they turn a glowing pink.

In Castelmezzano the Normans staved off the enemy 

The story of Castelmezzano dates back to ancient times, but it’s wealth and prosperity arrived around the year 1000 with the Normans, who exploited the fantastic position of this small village (halfway between Pietrapertosa and Albano) to monitor and stave off the advance of their Arab enemies.

Numerous intersecting stairways and steps 

You arrive in the village through its natural door: a tunnel dug into the rock face that leads straight into the main square. And you will find yourself in a magical place. Strolling around the historic centre you admire old buildings and the numerous and steep stairways and steps that intersect one another and invite you to ascend to the mountain peaks that soar behind the town.

Legends of the Knights Templar

Castelmezzano has always been surrounded by an aura of mystery thanks to the many legends about the Knights Templar. The remains of the fortress, the stone staircase, the coat of arms in the town hall with the symbol of the Order of the Templars, the Church of Santa Maria dell’Olmo and an ancient tree which is considered sacred, all speak of the presence of the ancient knights.

Exhilarating zip line rides 

Today smart tourism is doing justice to the charm of this location. The most adventurous new attraction is the Angel's Flight, a zip wire that runs from Castelmezzano to Pietrapertos. This exhilarating ride, suspended at over 1,000 metres high, is sure to delight young and old. 

"As important a sector as tourism expected much more from the support decree that has just been issued,” said Ivana Jelinic, president of Fiavet Confcommercio,  the Federation of Travel Agents of the Italian General Confederation of Enterprises, commenting on the new state aid allocation promised to the industry.  

“Since late 2021 some 2,500 travel agencies have closed”

“The redundancy fund discounted until March is insufficient, both for the brevity of the period and for the measure itself. And, it is not enough that it exempts the payment of the additional contribution with tourism practically at a standstill.  We are talking about 9% of 4% of the €80 million allocated that we will have to share with hotels, restaurants and catering. Since late 2021 some 2,500 travel agencies, out of the 13,000 in Italy, had to close. Without further aid I do not know what is going to happen."

“We are at the end of our tether” 

"The same goes for the increase of the Single National Tourism Fund; it is just not enough, and the calls for tenders and delivery times are not clear. We are at the end of our tether. Hopefully things will return to normal from April, but I think this is a very optimistic view, and limiting the measures to three months does not allow us to plan our survival. Uncertainty is the worst of all evils for any business, and with this pandemic we have had to pay a bitter price.”