SNAV, an MSC Group company, is modernizing its fleet and advancing connectivity.

Boosting connections and the environmental impact

The shipping line is developing a range of new features for connections in 2025 which are due to be officially announced shortly.  The aim is to offer an increasingly efficient service in terms of both connections and the environmental impact. 

Investments in new ships

This year SNAV launched a fleet modernization programme with the introduction in June of the first HSC of the Sirius series, an enhancement that will continue in the coming months with the arrival of a sister unit. These investments have been made with the aim of providing an increasingly high-quality service and reducing the environmental impact that vessels have on the sea and the land. SNAV will focus on new lines on both short and long-haul services, opening 2025 bookings in October and presenting SNAV’s innovations aimed at the trade.

Good occupancy levels and new investments

This summer closed with a substantially positive balance. The lines that operated in the Gulf of Naples to the Aeolian Islands and to the Pontine Islands confirmed the numbers that highlighted last summer’s great recovery of tourist traffic to SNAV destinations. The company recorded good occupancy on all lines throughout the year, maintaining levels of service quality above the standard. In the Adriatic the ferry service from Ancona to Split in Croatia, a top destination, maintained a more than positive trend and the company has targeted investments planned to further boost connections.

SNAV’s year-round and seasonal services

SNAV connections are: from Naples, Castellammare and Sorrento to Capri (all year round); from Naples to Ischia and Procida (all year round), from Naples to the Aeolian Islands, from Naples to the Pontine Islands and from Ancona to Split in Croatia

The Hilton Rome Eur la Lama, which has added seven new suites, is in Rome’s  EUR business district.

The Presidential Suite is on 150 square metres

All the rooms feature large windows, contemporary design and views that reach beyond the city limits. The 150 sqm Presidential Suite on two floors has an internal staircase that embraces the vast surrounding panorama as far as the Roman Hills which can be seen from the large private terrace. This representative environment has interacting interior spaces that also relate to the dehors.

The interiors of all seven suites designed by the Lorenzo Bellini Atelier aim to envelop guests in an almost domestic comfort, with blue and sugar-paper walls, dark walnut Hungarian herringbone parquet flooring and large bookcases in the living area alongside authentic objects, glassware and vintage design ceramics. 

Show-stopping vintage furnishings

The decorative lamps and furnishings were designed by the Lorenzo Bellini Atelier studio and are complemented by authentic vintage Italian design furnishings. These include a 1950s round table attributed to Ico and Luisa Parisi, a 1950s console table with a mirror and wall sconce, 1940s upholstered deco armchairs, a 1930s rosewood art deco sideboard and a 1940s art deco dining table attributed to Osvaldo Borsani. 

A changing scenario in Italy 

It seems there is no stopping Ryanair which is aiming for 60 million passengers in Italy. The airline is having to adjust its pawns on a chessboard inevitably influenced by delays in Boeing deliveries and by changed market scenarios, from the ITA Airways-Lufthansa agreement to the closure of easyJet’s base in Venice.

“We aim to transport 4.5 million passengers at Malpensa” 

For the coming winter, the low-cost airline has therefore decided to transfer “four of the 24 aircraft based in Milan Bergamo, with a consequent 5% cut in the 20 million seats offered and five routes, to airports with lower costs and where greater growth potential is expected,” said the group's CEO Michael O'Leary. “Malpensa will therefore receive its eighth based aircraft and we will add ten new routes, for a total of 42, with the aim of transporting 4.5 million passengers (+7%).” The new entries to Malpensa will take off from Athens, Budapest, Paris, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Majorca, Marrakech, Reggio Calabria, Rzeszow and Tallinn with the “new spaces and potential opening-up linked to the finalization of the ITA-Lufthansa agreement.”

10 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft by end 2024

Globally, the low-cost airline expects to transport 200 million passengers this year, +35% compared to 2019 and +8% compared to last year, said O'Leary, who reiterated how forecasts have improved, with fares “still falling, although less than initially expected.” This sore point is confirmed by the delays in aircraft deliveries by Boeing, “which are weighing on our growth, and the strike announcement will lead to a further delay.” By the end of the year the carrier expects to receive 10 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

More growth at Venice Marco Polo Airport

Ryanair is also interested in Venice, where easyJet recently announced the closure of its base. “In Veneto we have a base in Treviso and one in Venice: we were already negotiating with Marco Polo for further development and, after easyJet's announcement, these talks have accelerated. I am reasonably optimistic about our growth in Venice from April 2025, even if, once again, everything is subject to the arrival of new aircraft.” 

Aeroporti di Roma and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) are promoting new travel experiences between Italy and the US.

An innovative booking platform

At this stage of expansive growth of intercontinental traffic at Fiumicino airport (18% in 2019 and 23% in 2023), Aeroporti di Roma's objective is to bring the potential of its booking platform FlyandvisitRome.com to a wider audience. The platform was launched recently to allow all NIAF members - over 20 million Italo-American citizens living in the United States - to find and purchase the most convenient tickets, supplementing their journey with a stop-over, a long stay of at least 24 hours, in the Eternal City.

Fast security checks and discounted shopping 

In addition to being able to book the QPass service for a fast way through security checks, NIAF members will be able to take advantage of Airport in the city, the check-in-off-airport service that allows them to check-in with their hold baggage, directly at Roma Termini station at no extra cost, collecting their bags directly at their destination. And there are also discounts and promotional campaigns in the airport shops.

“We have 39 daily departures to North America” 

“Italy and the United States have never been so close, - says Marco Troncone, managing director of Aeroporti di Roma, - with 12 daily departures on the Rome-New York route, making Fiumicino airport the third hub in Europe for the number of connections to the Big Apple after London and Paris, and before Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Madrid. We have a total of 39 daily departures from Fiumicino to 16 different destinations in North America, including the new ITA Airways routes to Chicago and Toronto.” 

Enriched travel experiences

“This partnership with Aeroporti di Roma is significant for our members and for their travels to Italy. Whether they are exploring their roots or simply admiring the beauty of Italy for the first time, this partnership will make their journey smoother and more enjoyable. We are excited to offer these exclusive benefits that will enrich travel experiences for our members,” says NIAF’s president Robert Allegrini. 

The Pausilypon Archaeological and Environmental Park is located in Posilippo, one of the most fascinating districts in Naples.

From Posillipo there are beautiful views over the Bay of Naples

The Pausilypon Park is in Posilippo which is one of Naples best-known districts and has fantastic views over the Bay of Naples.  The entrance to the park complex is from the majestic Seiano Grotto, a Roman-era tunnel over 700 metres long that connects the area of Bagnoli and the Flegreaen Fields with the Gaiola valley.  The Pausilypon Park contains part of the ancient remains of the Pausilypon villa, built in the 1st century BC by Publio Vedio Pollione, and thanks to recovery work being done by the Naples Archaeological Superintendency an initial part of the huge Pausilypon archaeological site has been permanently reopened to the public.    

The tour leads through an ancient Roman tunnel

The tour begins at the entrance to the Grotta di Seiano, a man-made tunnel running for over 700 metres through the tuffaceous hill of Posillipo, This ancient passageway, which was dug out about two thousand years ago, snakes through the fascinating half-light to only to end with the blinding light from lateral underground passages that lead to steep coves from which there are breathtaking sea views.

Many ancient Roman remains

Beyond the tunnel there is the area of the villa to which Vedio Pollione gave a name of Greek derivation, "Pausilypon", or "place which stops all the cares" in order to describe the beauty of Posillipo. There are remarkable archaeological remains in the area including a theatre with an overall seating capacity of two thousand which exploited the natural slope of the hill, on the style typical of ancient t Greek amphitheatres, while on the opposite side are the remains of the Odeion, the ancient roofed theatre. Other impressive archaeological finds on this site are the Temple or Sacrarium to the east of the theatre and the Nymphaeum to the west.  

For information: https://www.areamarinaprotettagaiola.it/en/pausilypon

A new suite in Rome’s Anantara Palazzo Naiadi has been dedicated to Sophia Loren, who recently turned 90. 

The great actress loves staying in this hotel 

The new Sophia Loren Suite which Anantara, together with the actress’s son Edoardo Ponti, has been preparing for months, has been conceived as a Roman home for the actress, faithfully recounting her life, habits and passions. It all stems from a close, decades-long relationship between the actress, her son and the Anantara property where the actress  loved to stay while in Rome.   “It will not be a museum,- explains general manager Francesco Mennella, -but a vibrant and dynamic place of the soul, that gives guests a true and authentic experience.” 

The suite has a picture of Sofia Loren’s hometown Pozzuoli

A suite reflects the actress's habits, her personal tastes and her most precious memories, like the white roses, her favourite flowers, her favourite books and her best-loved images such as a painting of Pozzuoli, her beloved hometown.  “My mother,-  says her son Edoardo, - has always particularly loved this hotel. She knows every nook and cranny, but she is especially fond of this suite from which she loved looking out at the square and the fountain, towards the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.  She visited the basilica accompanied by a dear friend, Giuseppe Marzio Prontrandolfo, who is the hotel's institutional relations manager. They have been friends for 20 years and it is also thanks to him that this collaboration with Palazzo Naiadi began.



Guests can get to taste the actress’s favourite dishes

The new Sofia Loren Suite also has a makeup corner, and the great actress’s favourite perfume is sprayed on the air. Then there is the DVD player to watch her most iconic films, the music playlist with her favourite songs, and the coffee ritual served with two ladyfingers as she is wont to do. I addition there are family photos, recipe books written by her, biographies and some of her favourite books, and guests can also get to taste some of her favourite dishes, which the chef can prepare on request, drawing from the recipe books written by the screen star and Oscar-winning actress.   

That perfect selfie at Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain could soon cost visitors more than the coin they are about to toss into it for luck. Because city officials are considering an entrance ticket to protect the timeless beauty of one of Rome’s most famous monuments. 

Rome's mayor Roberto Gualtieri wants to introduce a limited-access reservation system to ease the crush of tourists at the famous fountain. Which is actually not a bad idea, as the celebrations for the 2025 Jubilee - a historic Catholic tradition held every 25 years – are expected to draw a staggering 32 million visitors to the Eternal City next year. Which inevitably means even more crowds, even more litter, and even more wear and tear for the Trevi.

The idea is to charge tourists (but not locals) a modest €2 fee and to create two zones: a free entrance piazza for strolling, and a reserved area for small groups to access the fountain’s front row for a closer look and prime selfie time.

All this because visitors often fail to treat the majestic fountain, designed by Nicola Salvi in 1762, with the respect it deserves. From tossing bread to pigeons, to taking a dip like Anita Ekberg did in the movie La Dolce Vita, to protesters dyeing the water, the fountain comes in for more than its fair share of abuse. 

 “We want to transform the Trevi Fountain into a true experience,” said councilor Alessandro Onorato, “not a chaotic struggle for the best selfie spot or a place to eat fast food.”  Soon, although no date has been set, anyone planning a trip to Rome should check out booking a slot because, just as Rome was not built in a day, neither it seems is the plan to save one of its most iconic landmarks.

Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor

The new Marriott Casa Brera, a luxury lifestyle hotel, has opened in Milan.

A 1950s building with Milanese flair

The project is the result of the conservative restoration of a building that dates back to the late 1950s and was designed by architect Pietro Lingeri, a leading figure in the Italian rationalism movement. Casa Brera is designed by Patricia Urquiola who has played on the dichotomy between stylistic rigour and creative flair, representing two complementary faces of Milan and paying homage to the rationalist architecture of the Lombard capital.

The hotel has 116 rooms and four F&B hubs 

Located in Piazzetta Bossi, just a few steps away from the La Scala opera house, the hotel has 116 rooms inspired by typical Milanese design, art and culture.  It has four gastronomic venues: the all-day Casa Brera Living lounge bar, the Scena haute cuisine Italian restaurant, the Etereo panoramic rooftop with a skybar and the traditional Odachi Japanese restaurant. Chef Andrea Berton, the consultant for the first three food & beverage hubs, helms the gastronomic offerings.

Delta Air Lines plans a +10% increase in capacity and new routes for Italy in 2025.

Four new routes for Italy from 2025

The airline recently chose Rome to present its developments and strategies for 2025, including the launch of four new routes and an increase in the frequencies of other flights. Starting in May 2025 Delta Air Lines will inaugurate the Catania-New York, Naples-Atlanta, Milan Malpensa-Boston and Rome Fiumicino-Minneapolis routes. 

A total of 116 weekly summer flights from the US

At the same time, it will increase to three daily flights between Rome and Atlanta, its hub, in the peak months, as it already does with New York. Another novelty concerns the Venice-New York, already inaugurated, which will be extended in winter from this year. Overall, Delta Air Lines will operate up to 116 weekly flights between Italy and the US in summer 2025.” 

Serving Sicily for the first time

“We confirm our love for Italy to which we have been flying for 34 years,” said Matte Curcio, senior vice president Delta Emeai, - We will operate up to 116 weekly flights between Italy and the United States in the summer of 2025. Not only will we serve Sicily for the first time with a direct flight to New York, but we will also be the only airline to operate a direct flight between Milan and Boston and between Naples and Atlanta.” 

Flights up by 6% in Rome and 22% in Milan

“Further, we will offer five non-stop routes to the US from Rome, with the addition of our hub in Minneapolis. Compared to 2024, Rome Fiumicino will see +6% and Milan Malpensa +22%. Overall, Delta remains the best choice for Italian passengers to fly to New York, Los Angeles and Boston.” 

In terms of product, all flights from Italy will have four classes of service and Delta is equipping its international flights with fast, free wi-fi.