Chamois, at 1,815 metres asl, is reachable only on foot, by bicycle or by cable car.

The village chose a cable car over roads back in 1955

In Italy’s northern Aosta Valley region, this little town is not to be missed for the crisp mountain air that sweeps down from the Matterhorn valley, and it is guaranteed to make visitors forget the heat and stress of the city. Back in 1955 the subject of environmental sustainability was not yet popular, but the village of Chamois did not succumb to the lure of building a road, choosing a cable car to connect the village with the valley below. The cable car was not only a fast and direct means of transport, it also avoided the construction of roads and consequently the emission of harmful gases and the disturbance from traffic noise.

Chamois’s small stone streets add to its charm

Although the opinions of travellers at the beginning of the century decreed the construction of a carriage road as a necessary success factor for the tourist future of the “splendid climatic resort,” as Sylvain Lucat wrote in 1908, the people of Chamois refused the building of a road which would necessarily have changed the surrounding landscape. In fact, the presence of the cable car blends in perfectly with the small stone streets and alleyways that run between the renovated houses, preserving the charm of the area.

From the cable car it is easy to spot chamois deer 

Since then much work hasbeen carried out to make the cable car safer and more comfortable. And a ride in this cable car is always a thrill, as you fly over the Valtournenche at a height of 250 metres above the ground, often admiring chamois deer as they graze placidly on grassy ledges or along the steep mule track from Buisson to Chamois. The Buisson-Chamois cable car is open every day of the year (except for short maintenance periods) from 7 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., with rides every 30 minutes, or every 15 minutes in the case of heavy traffic. During the summer, opening hours are extended on Saturdays and Sundays, as they are also during the August bank holiday period and in the case of events or shows. 

There are walking trails for all levels of hikers and climbers

From the village of Chamois, it is possible to go further up the mountain by chairlift and reach such beauty spots as Lake Lod, where there is a picnic area and refreshment points, making it a pleasant place to relax, while it is also a starting point for various hikes and excursions. Experiences walkers and climbers can make it up to Chamois on foot following the old mule track that still connects the town to the valley floor, or they can choose to leave from the municipality of La Magdeleine along a path that is suitable for all levels, and can also be enjoyed on mountain bikes.

Savona's bid to become Italian Capital of Culture 2027 officially began with the handing over of the expression of interest to the Ministry of Culture this week.

The theme is “The New Routes of Culture” 

This is much more than just a beginning, it is another stage in a journey that began over a year ago in Spring 2023 when the project took its first steps. Today, after 90 preliminary meetings, nine thematic appointments, 1,900 people involved, more than 8,000 minutes of discussion over 200 project proposals have been collected. The New Routes of Culture is the theme chosen for the candidacy and the title of the dossier.

Some 32 municipalities will be involved  

Savona's is a plural candidacy, embracing a vast and united territory, which shares with the regional capital the idea of putting culture at the centre of a human and urban regeneration project. The 32 municipalities involved are: Albenga, Albissola Marina, Albisola Superiore, Altare, Bardineto, Bergeggi, Borgio Verezzi, Cairo Montenotte, Calizzano, Carcare, Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena, Celle Ligure, Ceriale, Cosseria, Dego, Finale Ligure, Laigueglia, Millesimo, Mioglia, Noli, Osiglia, Piana Crixia, Pietra Ligure, Quiliano, Sassello, Spotorno, Stella, Tovo San Giacomo, Vado Ligure, Varazze, Vezzi Portio, Villanova d'Albenga.

The BTE Non-Hotel Tourism Exchange in Palermo from 8 to 14 November 2024 promises to be a remarkable B2B event featuring the Today and the Tomorrow of non-hotel tourism innovation and growth.

The event is sold out

Organized by Confesercenti Sicilia in Palermo in collaboration with ItaliAbsolutely, Sicily’s capital city, the 8^th edition of this well-established exchange will be an exceptional platform for Italy specialists and Sicilian travel companies. The BTE’s focus on the non-hotel sector, encompasses a wide range of accommodations beyond traditional hotels, including vacation rentals, B&Bs, guesthouses, and more.

8^th edition BTE Non-Hotel Tourism Exchange – Educational Tour 

Friday 8 November 2024      

Arrival of the participants at Palermo Airport. Transfer to the B2B Workshop for the first half-day B2B workshop. Check-in at the hotel.  Dinner.

Saturday 9 November 2024

Breakfast and transfer to the B2B workshop. Lunch on site. In the afternoon we will transfer to Palermo for a walking tour, visiting the city’s most important monuments with a local guide. From Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the ancient Cassaro, we will walk down to the Quattro Canti, the heart of the city. Palermo’s Arab-Norman Route with its monuments is the latest UNESCO heritage site in Sicily. Dinner and overnight in Palermo.

Sunday 10 November

Breakfast and transfer to the B2B Workshop. Lunch on site. Afternoon walk in Palermo with a local guide, taking in some of the city’s most interesting monuments on the Arab-Norman route which is Sicily’s latest UNESCO heritage site. Overnight in Palermo.

Monday 11 November 2024

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Bagheria where we will visit some of the city’s most famous Art Nouveau villas. Transfer to the Parco delle Madonie, a protected nature area, where we can admire the park’s unusual landscape and enjoy some typical local products. Dinner and overnight in the Parco delle Madonie area.

Tuesday 12 November

Breakfast and transfer to the little village of Gangi, and then on to Piazza Armeria to visit the wonderful Villa Romana del Casale with a local guide.  This luxurious residence in the heart of Sicily dates back to Roman days with precious mosaics that recall the uses and customs of those times. We then proceed to Caltagirone.  Dinner and overnight stay in the area.

Wednesday 13 November

Breakfast and then transfer to Caltagione, the Sicilian capital of pottery where we will visit a laboratory and create a ceramic piece before proceeding to Ferla, a little town in the province of Siracusa.  Ferla is one of the circuit of “The Most Beautiful Small Towns in Italy.”  In Siracusa we will visit Syraka, the largest city of the ancient world, founded in 734 or 733 BC. We will then visit Ortigia, a gem of Baroque art with its Temple of Athena which was transformed into a cathedral, and the archaeological area, including the famous Latomia del Paradiso (quarry of paradise) with Dionysius’ Ear, the Greek Roman Theatre, and the Amphitheatre (UNESCO heritage). Dinner and overnight stay in the Catania area.

Thursday 14 November

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Catania Airport.   

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The Crowne Plaza Rome - St. Peter's is an elegant 4-star superior hotel located in the tranquil area of Villa Doria Pamphilj, just a few minutes from the Vatican City. It offers a wellness center, swimming pools, tennis courts, and spacious gardens. Ideal for business stays and tourism, the hotel combines modern comforts with a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere.

Work has begun to renovate the former Hotel Mondial in Rome, acquired last autumn by the Omnia Group. 

Close to Rome’s Opera House

Once the work is completed at the end of the year the property will reopen under the name Aria Palace, in homage to opera, given its close proximity to the Rome Opera House. The hotel will feature contemporary-style rooms, a restaurant, lounge bar, and meeting rooms, with the added bonus of a wellness area with a gym, a garage for guests arriving by car, and a rooftop with a swimming pool. 

Aria Palace

Renovations also for the Hotel Imperiale and the Shangri La 

"The new Aria Palace will be a fine addition to our portfolio,- says Francesco Lazzarini, CEO of Omnia Hotels, - a project that has seen us engaged for months as has the redevelopment of the Hotel Imperiale in Via Veneto and the ongoing work on the Shangri La in the EUR district. This led to the reopening of the historic restaurant, redesigned outdoor areas, a new swimming pool and an additional 70 guest rooms. Since the beginning of our journey, carrying on the legacy of our parents together with my brother Riccardo, we have continued to invest in the city of Rome, recovering many abandoned buildings.” 

Bari is Volotea's new operating base, its eighth airport in Italy and the twenty-first in Europe. 

A 37% increase in seats on sale

This will allow the Spanish airline to operate more than 1,260 flights, with 224,000 seats on sale (+37% compared to 2023) for a total of 18 destinations, nine of which are exclusive. There are eight new routes: Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Toulouse, Bilbao, Comiso, Split, Malaga and Preveza / Lefkada.

Bari is the 21st base in Volotea’s network  

"We have been present in Bari since the start of our activities in 2012, and the opening here of the eighth Italian operating base, the twenty-first at network level, is a further confirmation of our synergic link with this territory, – said Valeria Rebasti, Volotea's international market director. -Thanks to this important investment not only will we support the local economy through an increase in tourist flows passing through the airport, but we will also offer more opportunities for the local communities to travel to other European countries.”

“An increase in flights, and in induced activities”

Antonio Maria Vasile, president of Aeroporti di Puglia, said that the opening of Volotea's base represents “a great asset for our territory. In fact, it is not only the airport that will benefit, but also and above all the entire economy of the community where the airport is located. With not only an increase in flights, but also an increase in induced activities, to the benefit of Puglia. The opening of a base always represents a fundamental step in the life of an airport. It will promote competition and adaptability to changing market conditions in favour of consumers, allowing a wider range of destinations to be offered to passengers, while Aeroporti di Puglia will be able to expand its network.”

Volotea flies to 18 cities from Bari

There are 18 destinations connected with the new Bari base: nine in Greece (Athens, Corfu, Heraklion/Creta, Mykonos, Preveza/Lefkada, Rhodes, Santorini, Skiathos and Zante), threee in Italy (Comiso, Florence and Olbia), two in France (Lyon and Toulouse), two in Spain (Bilbao and Malaga) and two in Croatia (Dubrovnik and Split).

The Roma Barberini is the sixth Roman hotel of the Numa hybrid hospitality group.

38 elegant modern rooms close to Via Veneto

With 38 rooms, a modern and elegant design, furnishings by brands such as Marset, Flos and Hay, and works of art from the Bisou gallery in Amsterdam, it is on Via Liguria, in the Ludovisi district just a few steps from Via Veneto. 

Art lovers are close to two great galleries

Providing guests with easy access to major tourist attractions, art lovers will enjoy the proximity of the Palazzo Barberini and the Galleria Borghese, where they can immerse themselves in the works of Caravaggio and Bernini.

Piazza Navona for trattorias and ice-cream parlors

Guests seeking relaxation will enjoy the park of Villa Ludovisi for a stroll or a pedalo ride on the lake. Near Piazza Navona there are also many trattorias and ice-cream parlors offering homemade Italian specialities. And to round off the day in a special way, a sunset visit to the Janiculum Hill to enjoy a breathtaking view of Rome is a must. One last stop on the way back is the Trastevere district, renowned for its characteristic streets and squares.

Sicani Villages proposes experiences of slow tourism that respect local communities. 

An exhibition of collective popular art

The Borghi Sicani network proposes an alternative to mass tourism in the heart of Sicily, the Mediterranean's largest island. Among the numerous initiatives, visitors should not miss the Archi d'Estate (Summer Arches) in San Biagio Platani, in the province of Agrigento, some 70 kilometres south of Palermo.  This summer edition of the Easter event dedicated to lovers of art, gastronomy and ancient traditions, will feature ephemeral architectural forms made of intertwined willows and reeds, legumes and cereals that become works of contemporary art and will be exhibited until mid-August. "This is one of the few examples of collective popular art in Sicily," explains Paola Busciglio, councillor for tourism of San Biagio Platani, the municipality also famous for its pistachio production.

A film festival that is a trip down memory lane

The Paradiso Film Fest, to be held from 2 to 4 August in Palazzo Adriano, is a real trip down memory lane, with the reconstruction of scenes that have gone down in history and new film narratives in the places where Giuseppe Tornatore's “Nuovo Cinema Paradiso” was filmed. "Our inland area, which continues to be a popular destination for many international film productions, shows tourists how it is possible to create a quality artistic project even inland," says Nicola Granà, mayor of Palazzo Adriano.

Music, peaches and wine

Music will also be the protagonist of the Sicilian summer, with the Cortili Jazz Festival in Sant'Angelo Muxaro,  some 20 kilometres south of Agrigento, in the courtyards and small squares, alleys and narrow streets of the village on 7 and 8 August. For those in search of authentic flavours, Bivona there will hold the Festival of the Peach, one of the most historical and delicious events in the area, on 10 and 11 August. Also not to be missed are the wine tastings with Luna Sicana or Luna Minoica, who are partners of the Sicani Villages network. 

Italy’s Alto Adige South Tyrol region can boast some 800 castles, and the fairytale Monguelfo Castle in the Alto Adige region is one well worth visiting. 

Close to the border with Austria

Many of these castles are museums, others are hotels and restaurants, with Schloss Welsperg, as Monguelfo’s castle is also known, a popular visitor attraction.  Complete with crenellated walls, a tower and an access bridge (there used to be a drawbridge) it stands on a spur of rock in the verdant Val Casies valley - Austria is just behind the mountains – close to the Val Pusteria, in the province of Bolzano.  In 1765 a fire destroyed a large part of the castle, including the palace and residential wing.  In the 1900s it passed into the hands of the Counts Thun-Hohenst who restored it and today it really looks like a fairytale castle. 

The Knights Hall is used for events and exhibitions

The little stone courtyard has a fountain with drinking water drawn directly from springs in the valley. The keep, which is the heart of the castle and its oldest part, is 40 metres high and as well as being a lookout tower, was also a dungeon where prisoners were locked up. During some recent restoration they found paintings, dating from around 1540, that had been hidden for centuries behind white plaster walls. On the upper floor the largest room is the Knights' Hall where concerts, exhibitions and plays are now organized, and there is a large garden with a medicinal herb garden where concerts are held in summer. 

A castle is a short walk from Monguelfo village

To get to the castle start from the tourist office in Monguelfo, walk through the village towards the bridge crossing the Rio di Casies. After a short climb through meadows and a forest, you reach the castle having first passed the ruins of Thurn Castle which was destroyed by fire. The tour lasts around two hours.
For information: www.val-pusteria.net.