Discover Airlines is expanding its operations in Italy with two new routes from Germany to Sardinia and Genoa.

In 2027 ten weekly flights to Italy

The Lufthansa Group’s leisure airline will operate flights for the first time from Munich to Alghero and from Frankfurt to Genoa. The two new routes are the only direct connections from the two German airports and will complement the airline’s existing Italian network, which includes flights from Frankfurt to Bari and Brindisi. At the same time, from next year, Discover Airlines will increase the frequency of its flights to Brindisi, bringing the airline’s service in Italy up to ten weekly flights spread across four destinations. All routes will be operated with Airbus A320 aircraft.

Already flying to Olbia and Cagliari

With Alghero, Discover Airlines is expanding the Lufthansa Group’s offering in Sardinia from Munich (in addition to Olbia and Cagliari) by adding a new route that will allow travellers to reach the north-western part of the island directly. Flights will commence in June 2027, with two weekly services, every Monday and Friday.

All flights can already be booked

From the end of March 2027, the airline will also connect Genoa with Frankfurt twice a week, every Saturday and Sunday. The Ligurian port city is considered an ideal starting point for exploring the Cinque Terre and Portofino. The route is also part of a strategic partnership with Costa Cruises, which will secure a fixed allocation of seats for cruise passengers. Flights can already be booked through all the airline’s distribution channels.

Test runs of the Frecciarossa have begun on the tracks between Austria and Germany.

Services are to begin in summer 2027

Developed in collaboration with Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB, commercial operations are scheduled to begin in summer 2027, with the first routes connecting Milan and Rome with Munich. The tests are taking place on the German rail network along the Berlin-Munich-Kufstein route. In Austria the Frecciarossa is operating between Kufstein and the Brenner Pass and on the Salzburg–Vienna route, both of which are key routes for the development of future cross-border services.

Rome to Munich will take six and a half hours

The initial service will consist of four connections on the Milan-Munich and Rome-Munich routes. The journey between Milan and Munich will take around six and a half hours, with stops in Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck. From Rome to Munich, the journey time is expected to be around eight and a half hours, with stops in Florence, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck. The opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel will reduce journey times by about an hour.

Extensions to Naples and Berlin

From December 2028, the full service will be expanded to ten connections between Italy and Germany, along the routes linking Milan, Rome and Munich, with extensions also to Naples and Berlin. The service will be operated by the Frecciarossa 1000, Trenitalia’s high-speed train which complies with European technical specifications for interoperability and is designed to run on the rail networks of various European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. After France and Spain the Frecciarossa is therefore set to arrive in Germany too, helping to make rail connections between the continent’s major cities more integrated. The new service will also be able to cater for demand to other European destinations, such as Frankfurt and Kraków.

“Moving towards the creation of a European high-speed rail network”

“The launch of trial services in Germany and Austria marks a step towards the realization of a project that confirms our aim to make the train the go-to mode of transport for European mobility. Thanks to our collaboration with Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB, we are moving towards the creation of a European high-speed rail network, providing passengers with a service that can bring territories, people and economies closer together. The Frecciarossa thus continues its path of international growth, taking the FS Group’s technological and industrial excellence abroad and contributing to the development of an increasingly integrated European rail network,” said Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO and Director-General of the FS Group.

Milan Malpensa now has 7 direct flights from the US with the addition of United’s new Washington route.

Three weekly flights from Washington Dulles

Now it is even easier to reach Milan from the United States, thanks to the recent announcement by United Airlines that it will launch a new seasonal service, operating three times weekly from Washington Dulles. The route will commence on 29 May 2027 and will make United the only airline to offer a direct connection between Milan and the Washington D.C. area.

“From Dulles passengers can reach over 110 destinations in the Americas”

 “The announcement of the new direct service between Milan Malpensa and Washington Dulles is a further step in strengthening the airport’s intercontinental connectivity, with the addition of a seventh destination served directly in the United States,” said Aldo Schmid, head of aviation business development at SEA Milan Airports. “United is returning to this route after more than 24 years, re-establishing the link with the US capital and one of the airline’s main hubs. From Dulles, passengers can reach over 110 destinations in the Americas, including almost 90 in the United States. We are therefore particularly pleased to continue our collaboration with United Airlines, a long-standing partner which, over the years, has contributed significantly to the development of connections between Milan and the United States, through its established service to New York (Newark) and the more recent link to Chicago.”

The Washington Dulles-Malpensa flights are on sale

“We are delighted to announce this significant expansion of our network of services to Italy for 2027 and to introduce the only direct service between Milan and the Washington D.C. area. With the new service from Milan, United will operate 24 weekly flights between Italy and Washington Dulles, more than any other airline,” said Walter Cianciusi, country sales manager Italy at United Airlines.

The new service from Washington Dulles to Malpensa is already on sale and will complement United’s existing schedule between the US and Italy which includes the year-round daily service from Milan Malpensa to Newark/New York, flights from Milan to Chicago O’Hare operating for most of the year, seasonal services from Rome to Denver and San Francisco, and from Naples, Venice, Palermo and Bari to Newark/New York. 

 

New Olbia and Catania flights from May 2027

From May 2027, new services from Olbia and Catania to Newark/New York will also be added. United will operate up to 16 direct flights a day from the United States to Italy connecting eight Italian destinations directly with the US, more than any other airline.

New villas are coming soon at the Rocco Forte Verdura Resort in Sicily. 

New branded residences for Sicily

Branded residences are coming to Sicily. The Rocco Forte Verdura Resort is bringing these highly successful branded residences to the region so beloved by UK visitors. A project for villas had already been launched in 2021, with construction completed in 2024, linked to the five-star hotel that has been open for many years on the island’s south-western coast, between the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and the town of Sciacca. 

On a hilltop with Mediterranean views

The buildings were constructed using traditional local materials - local stone, sand, wood and a palette of natural colours, including terracotta and ochre. Their location on a hilltop above the resort, guarantees views of the Mediterranean. The villas were previously available to rent but are now being offered for sale at prices starting from €3 million.

47 off-plan villas: two levcls and 7 bedrooms

This initial project is now being complemented by a new phase, designed for those seeking larger, customizable homes. There are in fact 47 off-plan villas available, built on two levels and offering up to seven bedrooms. The villas will be built near the golf courses and will have a starting price of €5.2 million. The project is the work of Aba Studio Albanese and Olga Polizzi, design director at Rocco Forte Hotels. Villa owners will have access to all the resort’s facilities, including ten restaurants, a private beach stretching for one and a half kilometres, a spa, tennis and basketball courts, riding stables and two 18-hole golf courses. Those wishing to generate rental income can join the Rocco Forte Rental Management programme, which allows them to let their villa during periods when it is unoccupied.

Simon Calder, the travel correspondent of The Telegraph, recently complied his list of "Natural Wonders in Europe you must see in your Lifetime" and of the 15 localities he chose, there is just  one Italian entry: the Dunas di Piscinas.  

Calder started by stating that “Not every beach in Sardinia has a reputation for glitz and glamour. Far from the billionaire yachts of Porto Cervo, the remote Dunas di Piscinas on the western Costa Verde shines with a different kind of precious metal. Iron residues from an abandoned mining industry have stained streams rust-red and other remnants can be found scattered across the sand.” 

And how right he is to put Dunas di Piscinas (as Sardinians call it) on everyone's bucket list. This beautiful stretch of Sardinia’s Costa Verde has vast golden dunes rising dramatically from the coastline, reaching heights of up to 100 metres, and continually reshaped by the wind. But what makes Piscinas really special is how it mixes nature and history. The Costa Verde was once an important mining region, and traces of that industrial past give it a particular character, with rust-coloured streams, old mining buildings and remains of abandoned machinery contrasting with the colours of the dunes and the sea. 

The area is also an important refuge for wildlife. The vast beaches provide nesting grounds for loggerhead turtles, and the forests are home to the Sardinian red deer which is found nowhere else in the world.  But perhaps most importantly, Piscinas offers something increasingly rare for nature-focused travellers: a true sense of remoteness. There are no rows of sun loungers or busy resort promenades. Instead, visitors will marvel at this living landscape with its huge skies, powerful winds, shifting sands and the sound of the Mediterranean. And for those who want to linger, the 5-star Hotel Le Dune Piscinas offers guided e-bike and quad tours to explore the windswept coast.

Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor

United Airlines will introduce new flights from Newark to Olbia and Catania in summer 2027.

Olbia and Catania to join the United Airlines’ network

There’s even more of Italy in United Airlines’ network for summer 2027: starting with direct flights to the islands, which will see the launch of two new destinations, Olbia and Catania, served from Newark. Alongside these two new additions will be the further introduction of a service from Washington to Milan Malpensa, marking a return to this route after many years. The flight to Olbia will commence on 27 May three times weekly, and the service to Catania (which will therefore join Palermo airport, already served by United) will take off from 28 May, operating four times weekly

Expanding the international network

This investment in Italy forms part of United’s wider plan to expand its international network, with the launch of services to 10 new cities by 2027 (eight of which are not served by other US carriers) and three new routes in Europe and Asia. The airline also unveiled the latest international aircraft in its fleet, the A321XLR “Born to Explore”, during an event held at Newark Liberty International Airport.

“We offer the most flights across the Atlantic”

“The creative and strategic way in which we have expanded our international network since the start of the pandemic has made all the difference, not only for our passengers and employees, but also as a means of differentiating United and building a customer-centric brand. We offer the most flights across the Atlantic and the Pacific, and Newark is the best Atlantic hub in the country. So far this year, it has been the most punctual airport in the New York City area. We will continue to build on this momentum as we welcome the new A321XLR into our fleet and continue to improve the travel experience for every customer who chooses United,” said the airline’s CEO, Scott Kirby.

The new “Born to Explore” Airbus A321Xlr

In addition to the 10 new cities, the airline is adding new flights from Los Angeles to Osaka; from Washington, D.C. to Milan; from Denver to Paris; and will resume service from San Francisco to Tel Aviv. The airline will serve more destinations in Japan, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France than any other US carrier. The addition of the “Born to Explore” Airbus A321Xlr to the fleet will support the airline’s international growth in the summer of 2027 with routes to new destinations such as  Ibiza, Luxembourg, Marseille, Toulouse and Valencia. 

Tickets are now on sale

The configuration of the new aircraft features 32 premium class seats, including 20 United Polaris suites and 12 United Premium Plus seats: 16 more premium class seats than the Boeing 757-200.The A321Xlr is expected to begin operating on selected domestic routes this coming September and will transition to international service on 1 December, with flights from  Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport to Amsterdam and Dublin. Tickets for the first international flights went on sale on Thursday 27 August.

Cyprus Airways is to launch of a new route tfrom Larnaca to Rome Fiumicino, commencing on 11 December. 

Expansion plans for Europe

The flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays throughout the year. The route further strengthens Cyprus Airways’ presence in Italy, where the airline already operates year-round flights to Milan Malpensa, supplemented by seasonal summer services to Venice. The Rome flight is part of the airline’s wider expansion plan in Europe, which also includes the launch of a new route to Munich and the addition of an extra weekly frequency to Heraklion.

“Building…a year-round network from Cyprus”

“The launch of Rome and Munich as new year-round destinations marks another important step in the ongoing expansion of our network. Both cities are extremely attractive for both leisure and business travel, and their addition offers our passengers even greater choice and flexibility throughout the year. Together with the additional service to Heraklion, these new routes strengthen our European connections and reinforce our commitment to building a sustainable, year-round network from Cyprus,” said Thanos Pascalis, CEO of Cyprus Airways.

European and Middle Eastern routes 

The Cypriot carrier’s network also includes year-round scheduled flights to Paris, Milan, Athens and Heraklion, as well as seasonal destinations such as Barcelona, Venice and the Greek islands, and other routes operated as charter flights. In the Middle East, the airline operates key year-round scheduled flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Dubai, offering convenient connections for leisure and business travellers throughout the year.