Miramis is the new luxury hotel brand of the Swedish investment group Qarlbo. 

Investing in urban regeneration projects

This is the launch of the Erqole Collection, an Italian hospitality company that is part of the same Scandinavian group. The brand's launch portfolio includes the La Roqqa hotel and the Isolotto Beach Club in Porto Ercole, both of which will open in 2023, together with the Torre di Cala Piccola hotel in Porto Santo Stefano and the La Capitana farmhouse in Magliano, Tuscany, which will both undergo major renovations. In addition, as part of a series of urban regeneration projects, a new hotel is to be built in the area of the former Cirio factory, also in Porto Ercole.

“Exploring unique tourist destinations”

“With Miramis we are celebrating a new brand. Our objective is to explore unique tourist destinations and create authentic and unforgettable experiences,” says Qarlbo Hospitality's CEO, Flavio Bucciarelli. The brand intends to base its identity on the values of social and environmental sustainability, respect for communities, and innovation. A goal reflected in the decision to hire local staff, source raw materials regionally, and embrace a farm-to-table philosophy supported by its own gardens. 

A carefully selected portfolio

“The launch of Miramis is an important milestone for our company,- added Erqole's CEO Stefano Cuoco. -With a carefully selected portfolio and a solid operational base, we are ready to embark on this exciting journey.”

The historic Neapolitan hotel Britannique, formerly affiliated with the Hilton soft brand Curio Collection, it be become the de Bonart Naples. 

The hotel was renovated in 2020

The hotel was built in 1870 and was given a major renovation which was completed in 2020 under the Caracciolo Hospitality Group, founded in 2022 and which can now boast a portfolio of three properties: the former Britannique (since 2016), Palazzo Caracciolo Naples (since 2001, newly branded Tapestry by Hilton), and the Grand Hotel Telese, in the province of Benevento.

There are 150 artworks on display

The new name, contemporary look and feel, renovated spaces and a brand new lifestyle aim to make the hotel a landmark in the city not only in terms of hospitality, but also for the celebration of art and culture in Campania. The soul of the Bonart Curio Collection is in fact an ode to art with the name created using the terms Bon and Art, to the extensive collection of works by contemporary Campania artists specially created for the hotel.  Some fifty artists were involved in interpreting the myths and legends of the city, creating the 150 works that can now be found inside the hotel.

A rooftop restaurant and cocktail bar

The names of the suites are dedicated to Neapolitan myths: Partenope, Ovo, Diamante, Sibilla, ‘Mbriana and Donna Regina. In addition to the 72 rooms, of which six are suites, the de Bonart, embraces the Gulf of Naples and The Macphersons Rooftop restaurant, with its Mediterranean cuisine, and the NiqBar Rooftop cocktail bar, are other standout features.  

The Etruscan Way in Tuscany leads to Bologna and the Adriatic Coast, and is a fascinating itinerary.

The Etruscan Way also goes through Bologna 

The excursion route of the Via Etrusca Volterra - Artimino - Florence – Fiesole route, part of the Toscana Terra Etrusca project, largely follows one of the main transit routes that were intended to connect Volterra and the Colline Metallifere to the area of the Middle Valdarno, and then on to the trans-Apennine regions, Bologna and the Adriatic coast.

Discovering old Etruscan routes

The route laid out by the Region of Tuscany in the area north of the Arno starts from the Via Francigena near Fucecchio, crosses Cerreto Guidi and Vinci, and enters Carmignano (three municipalities of Montalbano with typical characteristics of the Tuscan landscape like vineyards and olive groves) reaching areas deeply marked by the Etruscan presence in the Carmignano: Pietramarina, Artimino, and Comeana. From Pietramarina, once again following the signs for the Via Etrusca – with the churches of S. Giusto, S. Martino in Campo and S. Leonardo - we come to Artimino, seat of the town that controlled the territory, where the Archaeological Museum and the necropolis of Prato Rosello, immersed in the Mediterranean scrub, are located, and can be reached by a short branch of the main route.

Old towns and archaeological museums 

Descending from Artimino to Comeana, still following the route of the Via Etrusca, we reach the grandiose Tumulus of Montefortini and that of Boschetti. From Comeana we come to Signa and then Florence by following the cycle-pedestrian route that runs along the Arno, from which, at San Donnino, a deviation leads to the Etruscan town of Gonfienti. The main route, after passing through the historical centre of Florence where the National Archaeological Museum is located, reaches the archaeological area of Fiesole, site of the Etruscan city, later a Roman colony. The route of the Via degli Etruschi from Artimino to Marzabotto starts from the ancient Etruscan city of Artimino and, after crossing the Bisenzio valley and stopping in Prato (Gonfienti), Vaiano - Montecuccoli, Montepiano - Lake Brasimone, Grizzana Morandi - then crossed the Apennines reaching Marzabotto (the Etruscan Kainua) and connecting the current regions of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, the ancient Etruria, with the Po valley.

Visitors can request personal travel certificates

The two Etruscan museums, the Pompeo Aria National Etruscan Museum in Marzabotto and the Francesco Nicosia Archaeological Museum in Artimino, are the two cultural and logistical terminals from which visitors can request travel credentials and personal travel certificates; one on departure and the other on arrival.

The restoration follows the landslide in October 2024, and the reopening of the famous Via dell’Amore path is planned for early 2025.

The pathway is due to reopen at the end of 2024

An inspection by the Liguria Region, the Cinque Terre National Park and the municipality of Riomaggiore on the Via dell’Amore pathway between Riomaggiore and Manarola in the Cinque Terre National Park, which has been closed since the end of October, is planned for the end of the year. The aim of the inspection, which will include the Region President Marco Bucci and Soil Protection Councillor Giacomo Raul Giampedrone, together with Park President Lorenzo Viviani and Riomaggiore Mayor Fabrizia Pecunia, is to take stock of the work being carried out by the regional commissioning agency to restore and make safe the structures damaged by the detachment of a large boulder following heavy rainfall in October.

Heavy rainfall led to a landslide

In the meantime, work has already been completed on restoring the rockfall tunnel where the boulder had fallen, while the complex work on the rock face is proceeding, with the removal of material and the placement of an additional element consisting of netting anchored to the cliff with nails. Complicating the operations is the bad weather and also the strong winds that, on some days, have prevented the helicopter from supplying materials to the site.  Once the rock face has been secured with an extra safety element, one of the four rockfall barriers below the one damaged by the landslide, can be replaced.

The former Golden Palace in Turin will be reopened as the Hilton Turin City Centre. 

Hilton has signed a franchising contract

The Golden Palace was closed in 2022 and acquired at the beginning of the year by the Geras fund managed by Ream SGR. After a complete restyling for €50 million the property will reopen next spring as the Hilton Turin City Centre. It will be operated by the Della Frera Group, which has signed a franchising contract with the American company.

Meeting rooms and a spa

Easily accessible from Caselle International Airport, the hotel is a historic building which was originally the headquarters of an insurance company. It has 175 rooms on five floors designed by the Chiara Caberlon interior design studio. There is also a bar, a restaurant and the Hilton brand's signature executive lounge. On the ground floor,  facing Via dell'Arcivescovado, there is the business area with three large meeting rooms and two boardrooms for private meetings while, on the lower floor, there is the spa with a sauna, Turkish bath, emotional showers and a treatment room, as well as an indoor swimming pool and a modern fitness centre.

“We have over 50 hotels operating or in the pipeline in Italy”

“This property, the seventh in collaboration with Hilton, represents another important step in the growth and expansion of our company,” said Guido Della Frera, founder and president of the Della Frera group. ‘We are thrilled to be working with our long-standing partner, the GdF Group to introduce the Hilton brand to Turin,- said Hilton’s vice president, development Southern Europe, Alan Mantin. -This is our second property in Piedmont’s vibrant capital city, and it further strengthens our portfolio of more than 50 hotels currently operating, or in the pipeline, throughout Italy.”

Italy's second Mama Shelter will open in Como in mid-2025, following the hotel that opened in Rome in 2021.

Five different categories of room and 21 suites

Developed in collaboration with the property, represented by the joint venture Zanklon Capital and Extendam, as well as the vendor and developer Nessi & Majocchi, which worked on the land that had remained unused for many decades. Located in the city centre, just two minutes from the San Giovanni train station, and 35 minutes from Milan Malpensa Airport, the Mama Shelter Lake Como will offer 150 rooms divided into five different categories, including 21 suites, all designed in the irreverent style that distinguishes the Ennismore-Accor house brand.

Two food outlets and a rooftop pool

From intimate meeting spaces to private karaoke rooms and weekly programme evenings, the hotel will colour the everyday with music, entertainment and its urban design. Mama guests will also find a series of food outlets in two new buildings. The Cafè Gelato restaurant and bar will be the beating heart of the hotel where one can indulge in a pleasant break with delicacies and a good coffee. The rooftop bar will be perfect for sunset aperitifs, and exclusively for hotel guests, Mama Como will have an informal restaurant by the rooftop pool, as well as a wellness area.

Neos is relaunching from New York to Puglia in Southern Italy with a new direct flight to Bari.

Two classes of service on board

The new flight will take off on 3 June 2025 and will operate until 15 October once a week with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner configured with two classes of service (Premium and Economy) and equipped with a total of 355 seats. The schedule includes departure from New York every Tuesday at 4.00 p.m. (local time) landing in Bari on Wednesday at 8.00 a.m. from where it will depart the same day at 11.30 a.m and arrive at JFK at 1.50 p.m.

Neos Bari B787

Expanding its North American network

Neos is thus expanding its network from North America, where it has been present since 2021 with three weekly New York-Milan flights and, from April 2023, with a non-stop flight from Toronto to Malpensa. In addition, from June to October 2024, the company introduced the New York-Palermo direct flight with two weekly frequencies, already reconfirmed for 2025.

Developing leisure and business flows

“We strongly believe in the potential of Puglia’s market, which in recent years has carved out a leading role for itself on the national airport scene. The number of passengers at Puglia’s airports is growing steadily, and our goal is to carry some 12,700 travellers in the first year of operation,- says Carlo Stradiotti, Neos CEO. -Following the connection that linked Sicily to the United States, we are further expanding our connections with New York by serving another important Italian region. Thanks to this new flight, we will have a daily offer from New York to Italy with four frequencies from Milan, two from Palermo, and one from Bari, thus helping to significantly develop leisure and business flows between the two countries.” 

“We are a strategic hub for Southern Italy”

“The announcement of the Bari-New York direct flight is the crowning achievement of an extraordinary year for Aeroporti di Puglia. A year full of successes and goals that have allowed us to consolidate our position as a strategic hub for Southern Italy - said Antonio Maria Vasile, president of Aeroporti di Puglia. - This is the first flight that launches us into the world, but I can already anticipate that others will follow. Our objective is to continue investing in new routes and infrastructure in order to transform Puglia's airport system into a driver of economic, tourism and social development. We are building the future of Puglia: a future of connections, opportunities and dreams come true.”

The Bari-New York is a dream come true

“Bari-New York is much more than an air link,- said the president of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano, -it is a dream come true, a bridge that unites traditions, affection, and opportunities. After an extraordinary year for Aeroporti di Puglia, today we are celebrating an achievement that makes our region even more of a protagonist on the international scene. This flight is not only for those who dream of discovering Puglia, but also for the many Apulians living in New York and the United States, who will be able to return home more easily to rediscover their roots and re-embrace their families.” 

Creating prosperity for the next generation

“Puglia is a region with which the United States has always had a special bond,- said Tracy Roberts-Pounds, US consul general in Naples, -over eighteen million Americans proudly claim their Italian origins. The new direct flight between Bari and New York will certainly open up new opportunities in the tourism sector, but it will also be a further boost to support the positive energy and young talent in which Puglia is rich, and further help to create new opportunities and prosperity for the next generation.”