Thai Airways is returning to Milan Malpensa from 1 July with daily flights to Bangkok, using new Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

“The only airline to operate non-stop between Thailand and Italy”

"Our non-stop flights are returning to Italy, guaranteeing a state-of-the-art travel experience thanks to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, where comfort and innovation blend- said Armando Muccifora, Thai Airways International sales manager Italy, South East Europe, Mediterranean & Africa. -We are proud to be the only airline to operate a non-stop connection between Thailand and Italy. Thanks to the reintroduction of flights between Milan and Bangkok, Thai is once again in a leading position for flights between Southeast Asia and Italy.” 

Flat beds and Michelin-starred menus in Royal Silk Class

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is configured to offer a comfortable and luxurious flying experience while maintaining operational efficiency. Royal Silk Class offers seats that transform into flat beds, providing privacy and comfort for optimal rest during the flight. The culinary offerings for Royal Silk Class passengers are curated by Michelin-starred chef Duangporn Songvisava (known as Chef Bo), with an international menu designed to maximize the dining experience for passengers that draws inspiration from Thai culture and includes the use of selected local ingredients.

Ergonomic seats and ample legroom in Economy Class

Economy Class is designed to maximise passenger comfort with ergonomic seats, ample legroom and individual screens for in-flight entertainment from which a wide selection of movies, music and games can be accessed. Economy Class passengers can also choose from a wide range of meals and drinks inspired by Thai and international cuisine.

HABITA79 has a breathtaking rooftop view of Vesuvius and the archaeological excavations of Pompeii. 

Europe’s first green hotel 

Following a recent renovation, the early 20th-century building is now a sober and refined boutique hotel with design elements that are a combination of modernity and craftsmanship. And, by virtue of the services offered, it is the first green hotel in Europe.

There are 79 rooms including suites

Easily accessible by car from both Naples airport and railway station, HABITA79 is just 50 metres from the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Pompeii and a 5-minute walk from the town's railway station. The 79 rooms are modern in design and are divided into three suites, five junior suites, eight deluxe and 63 superior rooms. They have contemporary décor as well as air conditioning, high-speed Wi-Fi, a 55" Smart TV with premium channels, a walk-in shower, a safe with a charging socket,  a minibar and 24/7 assistance.

Two restaurants and a rooftop bar

The hotel also has six high-tech meeting rooms with natural light, one of which can boast a separate kitchen for banquets. HABITA79 also has a bar and two restaurants. The Roof cocktail bar has an exclusive view of Vesuvius from the hotel terrace. The Il Circolo restaurant is a modern social club with a 1950s atmosphere offering traditional local cuisine, including the famous Neapolitan pizza. At Raw, on the other hand, guests  find the haute cuisine of chef Roberto Lepre, for a refined sensory experience with a breathtaking view of the archaeological excavations.

Exceptional green technology 

This is the only hotel in Europe to jointly use a geothermal plant, a cogeneration plant, a glycol storage system as well as other advanced thermoregulation systems, thus maximizing energy savings and minimizing the environmental impact. The property’s use of green technology extends to the use of two TIPO 2 charging stations of 22 kW each operated by Enel X for electric cars.

Visiting the Malatestian Library in Cesena is like stepping back into the Middle Ages. 

A library donated for public use in the 15th century

Dating back to immediately before the invention of printing, the Malatestian was the first civic library in Europe, and is the only 15th-century library that is still perfectly intact. Cesena is in the Emilia-Romagna region, between Ravenna, the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine mountains, a handsome art city where cultural traditions go hand in hand with hospitality, good food and good living. The library is in a wing of the monastery of the former Franciscan Convent, and started life when Malatesta Novello, Cesena’s noble ruler, agreed to finance the project, donating it to the Municipality for public use.  

Two keys open the massive wooden door

With both the municipality of Cesena and the friars of the monastery responsible for overseeing its use, and controlling who could enter, a dual key security system was devised, with one key given to the town officials and one to the monks. Today only a small number of visitors are allowed in at any one time, and the custodians who accompany them use copies of the original old keys to unlock the massive wooden door over which there is a marble engraving of the Malatesta elephant emblem.  In 2005 the library was recognized a UNESCO Memory of the World for the value of its architecture, and the rows of priceless codices on its shelves.  Divided into three naves, the wide center aisle is flanked by 20 pale floor-to-ceiling columns, each carrying the Malatesta coat of arms. 

Arched windows supply the only light 

There are 29 rows of dark wooden multitask pew-like desks with seats, inclined lecterns and bookshelves under the desktop. The hall is filled with light that pours in from the arched windows on both sides and from the circular front window, and the library has only ever been used in daylight hours.  The Malatestian Library houses a total of 343 manuscripts of legal, medical, scientific, literary, theological, and philosophical works as well as Greek and Hebrew codices. Chained to each of the desks these precious, large and often unwieldy leather-bound books are all the more extraordinary because they were hand-written before the invention of the printing press. For information: www.comune.cesena.fc.it.

Last October there was talk in the Italian media of a takeover of Villa San Giorgio, also known as Castello di Portofino, by the Cascade group, which controls Four Seasons. 

The Castello di Portofino sold for €66.4 million

The operation was soon denied by the Bill Gates' company, but now the Italian daily Corriere della Sera has revealed that at the end of April the property was sold for €66.4 million by the previous owner, the Garrè family to Fort Partners, a Puerto Rican company headed by the entrepreneur Nadim Ashi, who has been working with the Four Seasons for years. It was a good deal for the Ligurian family, given that, according to the Milanese newspaper, four years ago the Ligurian property was valued at €37.33 million.

Four Seasons is opening two hotels in Rome

Villa San Giorgio is spread over more than 1,200 sqm, divided into 12 mini-apartments, has a private lift leading to a small beach below, and a private park. The municipality's zoning plan identifies the building for residential use, as already explained last October by the mayor of Portofino, Matteo Viacava, commenting on rumours that were already circulating about the current deal. To transform the complex into a hotel would therefore require a change of use. Two similar transactions conducted by Fort Partners in Rome, with the acquisition of Palazzo Marini in the centre and Palazzo della Rovere in Via della Conciliazione, have however already been carried out with the aim of opening two Four Seasons hotels in the capital.

At the Trento Festival of Economics Italy’s minister of tourism Daniela Santanché said: “We are in point of fact a start-up”.

“In the past not enough was done to support tourism” 

Interviewed for the panel Tourism, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence at the Festival dell'Economia, organized by the Italian financial daily Il Sole 24Ore in Trento, the Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanché said “in the past, not enough was done to support tourism: only very recently tourism got a ministry so, in point of fact, we are a start-up.”   

“We must not become hostages to artificial intelligence”

With reference to the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the minister said that over €1 billion had been “invested to improve accommodation facilities.  I have a great ambition, - she continued, -I want to go back to seeing Italy first, not fourth as it is now. We will succeed if we boost the quality of services. Tourism is fundamental for economic growth.”  Minister Santanché went on to say that artificial intelligence must be at the service of, and not against, man emphasizing that “we must not become hostages to it, but approach it as an opportunity...of course, it must be regulated.” 

The tourist tax needs to be revised 

On the burning issue of the tourist tax, the minister said that the measure needs to be revised, and that it should not be used to balance a budget. "If you got that revenue for tourism, it must go back into tourism, and it must be used to improve the life of the community, which should not feel threatened by the arrival of tourists. Tourism must belong to everyone: from hostels to camper-van pitches...from normal to extra-luxury hotels. It is not blasphemous to talk about extra-luxury.”  

Venosa is one of Italy’s Most Beautiful Little Towns and it was called after the goddess Venus, to whom the Romans dedicated the colony.  

An ancient Jewish community

In the province of Potenza in the Basilicata region it is also the birthplace of the Roman poet Horace who was born here in 65 B.C. in what was then a Roman colony in a strategic position between Puglia and the historical region of Lucania.  From the IV century A.D. there was an important Jewish community in Venosa, as has been shown by the epigraphs, and the hypogeum complex that was used for burials and has many inscriptions in Greek, Latin and the Jewish alphabet.

Remains of baths and of an amphitheatre

The most important Roman archeological area is San Rocco and the most interesting remains are the baths and the amphitheater, as well those of many private houses. In the tepidarium it is possible to see some brick pillars and in the frigidarium there are mosaic floors with geometric patterns and aquatic animals.  The amphitheater could host 10,000 spectators and had an elliptical shape; the parts visible today include the perimeter and the walls in opus mixtus and opus reticulatus styles.

The 15th-century Aragonese castle

One of Venosa's most important artistic and architectural treasures is the majestic Aragonese Castle built in the middle of the 15th-century by Duke Pirro del Balzo. On a similar layout to the Castelnuovo Castle in Naples, it was surrounded by a defensive moat and had a drawbridge and mighty cylindrical towers. In the 17th century it was turned into a noble residence, and today it is the Municipal Library and the Archaeological Museum. 

Famous for its red Aglianico wine

Broad beans and chicory, fresh cheeses, lamb and honey are just some of the delicious gastronomic specialties to be enjoyed in Venosa, which is famous for its Roman archaeological park and magnificent castle. Without forgetting that Venosa is one of the municipalities in Basilicata that are home to the famous Aglianico del Vulture which is one of Italy’s great red wines.
For information: www.venosaturistica.com

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Tickets for travelling on board the FS Italian State Railway’s Treni Turistici Italiani's Espressi trains are now on sale through all Trenitalia distribution channels.

Daytime trains on the Ligurian Riviera

For this summer they include the Espresso Cadore and the Espresso Versilia, but within the next few weeks the other daytime service, the Espresso Riviera, will also be on sale.  The Espresso Versilia includes an itinerary through the Ligurian Riviera, with Portofino, the Cinque Terre, the beaches of Versilia, Pisa and Livorno. There is a daytime round-trip connection from Milano Centrale and Pavia to Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure, Monterosso, Corniglia, Riomaggiore, Massa Carrara, Forte dei Marmi, Camaiore, Viareggio, Torre del Lago-Puccini, Pisa and Livorno. Departures will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 August to 26 September.

A night train to Cortina d’Ampezzo

The Cadore Express departs from the heart of Rome travelling at night to Calalzo di Cadore and, thanks to a dedicated bus connection, on to Cortina d'Ampezzo. The frequency of summer departures is modulated to offer the opportunity to experience not only Cortina d'Ampezzo but also many places in the Cadore and Belluno Alps. There are departures from Roma Termini on Tuesdays and Fridays, with intermediate stops at Ponte nelle Alpi and Longarone, and the return is from Cortina d'Ampezzo/Calalzo on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Espresso Cadore will run from 25 June to 31 August.

Compartments for 4-6 people at weekends

The Espresso Riviera is the daytime train that passes the beaches on the Ligurian Riviera dei Fiori to the French Riviera, with departures from Milano Centrale and Pavia to Varazze, Savona, Albenga, Alassio, Sanremo, Bordighera and Ventimiglia. Here too, it will be possible to rediscover the pleasure of travelling in serenity and privacy, thanks to the return of lounge compartments accommodating no more than four to six people, and with XL windows. Weekend departures are from 3 August to the end of September.

Restaurant service and a carriage for bicycles 

All the FS Treni Turistici Italiani's express trains have a restaurant service. In the special carriage, unique of its kind and with large windows  there are refined interiors and comfortable seating, and typical Italian menus. The on-board bar is available for the duration of the journey. They also all have a special carriage with ample space and manned by dedicated staff, for the comfortable and safe transport of bicycles, sports equipment and large luggage.

Small pets are welcome and there are 50% discounts

Small pets are welcome on board and FS Treni Turistici Italiani has activated the promotional offer TTI Special, offering a limited number of seats with a 50% discount on the basic price and available within 48 hours of the train's departure.