TTG Edition October 12th, 2022

Trenitalia.

t e l y

o

Urbino,

Urbino’s

Ducal Palace

MILAN everyone loves t

Not just foreign visitors, be Italians too are increasingly sing rail travel for their hol and after two and a half pandemic years they are doing it more th ever Italy has an extensive ra work, and the high speed train its spearhead says Pietro Dia tini, Trenitalia’s high speed ness director

How has the market chang the last two years and what the future hold?

«In the post pandemic era has changed a lot The leisure ment is prevalent within our t clientele and has prompted us to design an increasingly competitive a n d s u s t a i n a b l e f o r m o f t r a v e l compared to private and other mo des of transport Things have evol ved taking on board the demand, and they will continue to evolve into the next tourist season Our tailor made travel solutions will fa vour north south travel, with more c o n n e c t i o n s , m o r e s p e e d , a n d more stops in destinations with strong tourist vocations In recent years, jumping on the bandwagon of this evolution we extended the Frecciarossa connections beyond the Turin Salerno high speed axis, a n d a d d e d m o r e t r a i n s o n t h e Adriatic and Rome Venice lines And this is also true for Calabria, for example with the Frecciarossa night trains we are doing out ut most to offer solutions that will en courage people to travel for tou rism even outside the traditional season »

What are the results of the intro duction of high speed on the Pa ris Milan line?

«Both the Italian and French mar kets have shown a lot of interest right from its launch and, to our great satisfaction, the load factor has often topped 90% The Frec ciarossa travel experience with all the features that are so popular in Italy, has really surprised interna tional customers who were not fa miliar with our levels of service we achieved excellent sales results through our direct channels, but also thanks to our travel agent and railway company partners »

How is the concept of intermoda lity evolving to reach those tourist locations that are not so efficiently served by traditional connections?

«In recent years we have worked a lot in this direction: with Freccia link buses, we are extending the comfort and quality of the high speed Frecce to wonderful tourist spots like Matera, Perugia, Assisi and also with seasonal services to M a d o n n a d i C a m p i g l i o , C o r t i n a d’Ampezzo, Val gardena, Val di Fassa, Sorrento and Pompei For the coming season we are adding increasingly competitive solutions

Trenitalia for tourists

ourage people to choose a and leave their cars at o add to the customer ex e we are working with im partners, and we have sy nergies with ports and airports In e are boosting the di arossa connections bet ence, Naples and the micino hub This means ditional ways to get to ernational airport with a trains, and to conti multiple destinations are the integrated con th the shipping compa nd Alilauro to ports on in the gulf of Naples olian Islands And some solutions include the bus services from Naples Centrale station to the Molo Beverello jetty »

BY MARIELLA CATTANEO

A positive summer 2022. With a boom of foreign tourists beyond pre-pandemic levels

The summer season that has just ended was clearly a positive one: «More than 80 million passengers travelled on our trains,» says Pie tro Diamantini «On the high speed Frecce network around 7% of tickets were sold through sum mer promotions In addition, the free kids offer led to numbers up to six times higher than in 2019 Other offers for leisure traffic were also on the rise: you&me, groups and insieme doubled sales in August compared to 2019 » There are also «strong signs of re covery» from «international tou rism: summer bookings exceeded by 30% the levels of 2019, the year with the best results ever This is an important market seg ment and we are keeping a wat chful eye on it »

Rome and Florence

The most popular art cities in the summer of 2022, with arrivals and departures in line with

Which foreign markets are you concentrating on?

«well, our distribution channels abroad are performing very well this year so we estimate that 2022 may even surpass 2019 europe is still our main foreign market and it is growing very fast this year, even compared to pre pandemic levels

The North American market, which remains an important reference point for us, is also recovering fast, and we are starting to get positive signals from South America and Asia, especially South korea and Japan Collaboration with our in ternational partners for the reco very and development of these markets is strategic »

What is happening with regard to the international trade?

«we are offering them all our pro duct and service innovations From now to the end of the year we will have a series of meetings to further develop business with our interna tional network, and we are in the process of launching interesting in novations aimed at further growth, like new aggregators and gDS plat forms we are present at the main international trade events, also at tracting interest from operators in new markets we can proudly say that the Frecciarossa service model is now known and appreciated in many countries around the world »

globally, what is the value of the agency distribution channel?

«Travel agencies are a privileged interface for Trenitalia They know the customers’ needs inside out and they come up with the best so lutions The distribution channel is fundamental for our global outre ach, with the dual aim of increasing sales and consolidating our brand's distribution network we also be lieve it is important to keep an eye on how to simplify the purchasing processes, and to offer a customer experience that lives up to expec tations, while also taking fully into account the needs of a young and constantly evolving market »

has

A summer with the wind in its sails

for the SNAV shipping group

MILAN The 2022 season cer tainly put the winds in the sails of SNAV, the private shipping group headed by Neapolitan s h i p o w n e r G i a n l u i g i A p o n t e

There are many new fea tures for 2023 Some of these will be for tra vel agents, for whom we have a really interesting programme of incentives and commission schemes

Langella

«The summer that is drawing to a close has been one of great recovery after two years condi tioned by the pandemic and the increase in fuel prices due to t h e c o n f l i c t i n U k r a i n e W e have come close to 2019 levels, comments Giuseppe Langella, m a n a g i n g d i r e c t o r o f S N A V Spa Our ships have so far re corded excellent load factors, particularly on the routes to I s c h i a C a s a m i c c i o l a a n d P r o cida as regards the Gulf of Na ples, where the connections to Capri have also confirmed their traditional success »

A flourishing partnership with the Croatian Tourist Board

Positive results also for the Aeolian and Pontine Islands, and for sales on crossings to and from Croatia

On the Adriatic line SNAV is reaping the benefits of its sales campaign based on many pro motional fares

Then there is the flourishing

partnership with the Croatian Tourist Board which promotes the area through media and ra dio campaigns on the Italian market

«The desire to travel again has continued to grow»

The sales targets for the SNAV lines range from the holidayma ker and the daily excursionist to the tourist holidaying in a cam per for several days or weeks

«In any case, adds Langella,

the desire to travel again has continued to grow, as has the request for all kinds of services SNAV has responded to these in the best possible way, even doubling the number of cros sings where necessary in cer tain periods, such as to Croatia for example »

Incentives and commission schemes for travel agents

A m o n g t h e c o m p a n y ’ s strengths are the formulas pro

viding guarantees to passen g e r

which allows cancellations for u

personal problems at zero cost up to 48 hours prior to depar ture

«There are many new features for 2023 concludes SNAV’s CEO Some of these will be for travel agents, for whom we have a really interesting pro gramme of incentives and com mission schemes For us the trade is a privileged channel »

Fleet and connections

The SNAV fleet consists of hydrofoils, catamarans, fast ships and Ro Ro drive on ferries

Seasonal connections Ancona Split by ferry from May to October

Naples Aeo lian Islands by fast ferry from May to September Naples Ven tone/Ponza by fast ship from June to September

All year daily high speed connections in the Bay of Na ples

Naples Capri Naples Ischia Casamicciola Naples Pro cida Castellammare Capri Sorrento Ca pri

Roberto Cioppi, councillor for tourism of the Municipality of Urbino

g strongly on the motivations at attract international visi s «This summer flights into logna and Ancona from Eu pean destinations picked up omentum, with a good mix of itors from many markets, in ding a return of the Ameri ns, also through other major lian airports We are now ncentrating on lengthening e season beyond the summer onths.»

ocial media has elped boost arrivals

llaborations with the region’s ee UNESCO sites (The Ducal ace in Urbino, Urbino and n Marino Ed ), with Italian b a s s i e s a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l ambers of commerce, as well funding from the Italian mini y for tourism, have all contri ted to our promotional ef ts on foreign markets «We ve favoured digital and social

media channels to promote our art, culture, outdoor activities and our great foods and wines

One new, and highly apprecia ted phenomenon, is the gro wing number of restaurants run by talented young chefs »

Outdoor tourism is a big draw

And the digital gamble has paid off, with overbooking in some areas this summer, and growing interest in what the region has

U R B I N O in Italy’s heart of organic farming, is a cradle of art and culture

to offer beyond its splendid art and architecture Outdoor tou rism, from trekking and biking to horse riding and visits to farms and wineries, is attracting m o r e v i s i t o r s a n d m a n y a r e choosing farmstays and disco vering the smaller towns and in land areas «We are also wor king with neighbouring munici palities like Fano and Pesaro which will be Italy’s cultural ca pital in 2024 to create itinera r i e s t h a t b r i n g t o g e t h e r t h e great cities in our region »

Idee per Viaggiare.

This is a magical year for the Roman operator

BY MASSIMILIANO SARTI

MILAN A magical year, even bet ter than 2019 And not dampened even by the high fuel prices The only doubt that remains is the so called rebound effect: how much of the volumes recorded this year can be replicated in 2023?

Idee per Viaggiare is getting read to close its 2021 2022 financial year at +50% compared to the 2019 pre Covid year «Suffice it to say that before the pandemic, says CEO Danilo Curzi, we were getting a maximum of 400 re quests per day Well, this summer that figure practically doubled »

« T h i s s u m m e r e v e r y thing went swimmingly»

But all that glitters is not necessa rily gold and it is important to keep one's feet firmly on the ground «I almost find it difficult to talk

This growth in program ming has also had a positive im pact on the staff, with as many as 12 new team mem bers joining us in recent months Danilo Curzi

a b o u t

this year, Curzi conti nues, because everything went swimmingly Of course the high demand was also due to the travel slowdown of the last two years and will, quite honestly, be difficult to replicate in 2023 » But which destinations have driven the per formance of the Roman operator to these levels? «The United Sta tes played a massive role, as did the Emirates, says Curzi Thai land and Indonesia also did record numbers Then South America also performed very well, in particular Peru and Mexico which recorded an unexpectedly high number of departures »

South America has always been the specialization of the Marcel letti brand which IpV acquired at the end of 2021

«With this operation confirms the CEO we have opened up areas that were not previously in our catalogues This growth in pro gramming has also had a positive impact on the staff, with as many as 12 new team members joining us in recent months »

T h e t o u r o p e r a t o r ’ s e x c l u s i v e tours for small groups and desi gned to offer ad hoc experiences, h a v e a l s o r e c o r d e d e x c e l l e n t growth Japan, on the other hand, is still missing With only a partial reopening to tourism the results have been very limited «This summer’s positive trend, Curzi emphasizes, is the result of the planning and training we did d

months as well as to the digitaliza tion of many business processes

One example is our new CRM, which is now 100% operational »

«For the New Year we have blocked fares, also with ITA»

«In this extremely positive context, even the cost increases did not particularly affect the results And to avoid any possible future price increases, for the New Year we have already planned guaranteed departures with blocked packages including flights

With Ita for example we have si gned an agreement for direct eco nomy and business class flights to Male from mid December to the end of March These leave no room for increases »

«South America was in demand but Japan is still not fully opened»

Italy Car Rent opens in Turin and Milan.

NEW PORTAL LAUNCHED

MILANO Italy Car Rent has opened in Turin and Milan and h a s l a u n c h e d a n e w p o r t a l These are ambitious projects f o r t h e c a r r e n t a l c o m p a n y which opened a new base in Turin and, following the recent openings in Bergamo and Bolo gna, is now covering all of Italy

4The italian locations of Italy Car Rent Bergamo Bologna Milan Turin

Soon the new opening in Rome

Also opening in Rome’s Termini Station

«We are growing and investing in new locations,» says sales di rector Andrea Lo Faso «After our offices in Italy’s most im portant airports, we are now opening in railway stations The first is Milan’s Centrale station a n d s o o n w e w i l l o p e n i n Rome’s main Termini station This way we can guarantee a better coverage of the country, from the islands to the North, with over 5,000 sustainable ve hicles, advantageous insurance

After our office in Italy’s most important airports, we are now opening in railways stations

Andrea Lo Faso

solutions and digitalized boo kings »

All operations online on the new portal «In November we will launch the new portal where agencies can register, taking advantage of dedicated rates with com missions.

This way all operations will be online including check in, which will eliminate counter queues

And the customer can sign the contract on his device and re ceive all the necessary docu mentation »

«The European market accounts for 50% of our average rental»

In terms of performance the company’s balance is more than positive both in terms of volu mes and rates

«In the summer the leisure de mand was very strong, particu larly on the islands and in Pu glia, and we had a lot of foreign customers You could say we are back to normal.

The European market, which accounts for 50% of the ave rage 7 day daily rental, has gi ven us great satisfaction, as have families and small groups

I a m c o n v i n c e d t h a t p r i c e s , which are slightly higher at the m o m e n t , w i l l b e c o m e m o r e competitive again

Forecasts also bode well for 2023, thanks also to an ali gnment between supply and demand »

Complete coverage for all stages of the rental

Italy Car Rent is focusing on Italy Car Zero which offers the driver and passengers complete cove rage, such as cancelled rental deposits during all stages of the rental It also includes the Super Ka sko Plus insu rance in colla boration with brokers and agencies

F e l u c c a s

Sword fishing is done without using technology

So they built narrower and more agile boats to be able to chase the luntri

Down the years swordfish fishing boats have evolved into today’s fe luccas, but as in past centuries, these feluccas do not use any te chnology The fish is spotted with the human eye by the du ‘ntitteri, w h i c h i s h o w t h e p e r s o n w h o stands from start to finish on what is called the antenna, is called in dialect

The fish is then harpooned or lan zato from the long deck with a long and very heavy harpoon The fe lucca normally leaves the harbour at 06.00 and returns at 18.00 18 30

This is a sustainable form of fishing

U ntinneri is the name of the fisher man who commands the felucca.

The moment he spots the fish he chases it, warning those on deck of the fish’s movements and commu nicating its position

The moment those on deck see the swordfish, he is the one who deci des how and when the lanzato har pooning will began This type of fishing is recognized as sustainable, as it is the ancient me

Swordfish fishing originated in the Strait of Messina when the ancient Greeks arrived and saw these large fish that could be caught with spears

wordfish

in the S t rait of Messina

BY SALVATORE MAMMOLA

MESSINA It was an unforget table experience to board one of the fifteen feluccas in the Strait of Messina Eleven of these craft are in Messina, two in Bagnara and two in Scilla I was on the felucca with the only woman who practices this type of fishing.

Swordfish fishing originated in the Strait of Messina when the ancient Greeks arrived and saw these large fish that swam for so long on the surface that

they could be caught with spe ars, which is why those on the bridge today are called lanza turi

The fishermen of the area, se eing this type of fishing, built large boats similar to those of the Greeks, but not knowing how to sail they left them an chored on the spot, and there were three of them per post But as they could not chase the swordfish it was very difficult to catch them.

thod and does not make any use of modern technology

It is hoped to have tuna fishing recognized by UNESCO

The two marinas in Messina and in Scilla work in synergy, dividing the fishing areas equally.

From May to June the fish are mo

stly in the Calabrian Sea, and in July and August in the Messina Sea

The fishing areas, which are called posts, are divided equally between all the feluccas and are drawn and respected by both marinas

This type of fishing is a unique tra ditional artisan activity and efforts are being made to have it recogni zed by UNESCO..

A lanzaturi, on the deck with his Harpoon

Du 'ntitteri, on the antenna looking around to spot the fish

2023.

ROME Ready to launch on 1 Ja nuary, the 2023 Year of Return Tourism Discovering the origins, the 5 year project developed and l a u n c h e d b y R e t e D e s t i n a z i o n e Sud, is aimed at intercepting the d e s i r e o f I t a l i a n s l i v i n g a b r o a d whose wish it is to return home

A strong network of private and public players

Rete Destinazione Sud, established in 2014, is a network of tour opera to r s , tr a v e l a g e n ci e s , h o s pi ta l i ty operators, consultancy, IT, F&B, transport and other southern Italian businesses, and the members also include a growing number of muni cipal, provincial and regional pla yers The aim is to respond to the desire of the many Italians living abroad, as well as the descendants of Italian emigrants, who wish to return to Italy, either as return visi tors or to relocate

Municipalities in Italy and around the world

Launch of the Year of Return Tourism

The network’s members consist of some 700 municipalities, including some of the most beautiful towns in Italy. It also includes urban areas in countries as far flung as Argen tina and Chile and others where there is a strong presence of people with Italian roots

Currently the organizers are imple menting a pilot scheme that will see the opening of a series of territorial hubs set up as dedicated, integra ted and interconnected informa tion points

«We are a candidate for an EU pilot project»

«In close collaboration with local players these information hubs will be able to provide detailed infor mation and valuable contacts for the realization of each individual

operation, providing practical assi stance for anyone who wishes to return to Italy,» explains the net w o r k ’ s p r e s i d e n t , M i c h e l a n g e l o Lurgi «Given its broad scope,

which is extendable to other reali ties in Europe, we have been listed among the candidates to become an EU pilot project »

Six Italian regions have joined the network

The next important appointment for the organizers is the presenta tion of the proprietary platform 2023 Year of Return Tourism at the TTG travel trade exhibition in Ri mini

«We are present in the regional pa vilions to illustrate the destinations involved in our 5 year project The regions that are collaborating with us are Calabria, Molise, Abruzzo, Marche, Campania and Lazio, and we count on having more join us by the beginning of next year »

Given its broad scope, which is extendable to other realities in Europe, we have been listed among the candidates to become an EU pilot project

Michelangelo Lurgi

Rete Destinazione Sud

Established in 2014 is a net work of tour operators, tra vel agencies, hospitality ope rators, consul tancy, IT, F&B, transport and other southern Italian busines ses, and the members also include a gro wing number of municipal, pro vincial and re gional players

Verdesicilia

A summer but mostly last-minute

We work with the Italian market, but 92% of our clients are international, from the Spanish, Portu guese, English and French speaking markets

Ivan Sabella

PALERMO Verdesicilia, the Sicilian tour operator had a summer on the upswing although most of the boo king were last minute, says sales and marketing manager Ivan Sabella

Tailor made travel for international markets

«The last minute bookings did, of course, cause some operational diffi culties We work with the Italian

market, but 92% of our clients are in ternational, from the Spanish, Portu guese, English and French speaking markets We specialize in tailor made products, although we also provide services throughout Italy for individuals, groups, regular tours and also incentives »

«Energy costs will impact on growth»

Asked if he thinks the higher cost of energy will impact on the growth of tourism Sabella replied: «The prices of flights and hotel rooms as well as of other forms of transport like buses and ships, will without any doubt be an obstacle to growth »

The Verdesicilia Group includes the Autoservizi Giordano bus company, and Fly and Visit Tours which specia lizes in incentive and congress travel.

Fabulous food and wine in the Canavese.

And fabulous discounted tours

TURIN Everyone knows that in P i e d m o n t w e d r i n k a n d e a t well but very often tourists are fo cused on the Langhe while there are other parts of the region that can be an extraordinary discovery for gourmet tourists and lovers of good wines The Canavese is one of them, one of Italy’s true hidden treasures in Piedmont, an hour’s drive from Milan, Aosta and the hi storic centre of Turin It is a green region with extraordinary landsca pes, protected areas and parks (in cluding the 100 year old Gran Pa radiso National Park, the first in Italy and which this year celebrates its centenary), lakes and charming small towns and villages

Wine itineraries and experiences

The Canavese has 3 DOCG wines, all made from the Erbaluce grape They are the classic method spar kling wine, the still white wine and the Passito Then there is the Neb biolo di Carema DOC, a truly heroic wine thanks it is long ageing, that is produced exclusively on the stone terraces of this small mountain mu nicipality The Canavese Valleys Tour Operators Consortium has studied ten itineraries featuring its vineyards They are perfect for trekking and walking and also in some cases, for mountain bikes, as well as being a wonderful way to discover the beauty of the vineyard landscapes and, of course, to taste the extraordinary wines produced by local wineries

Discounted one day walking tours

In addition, as part of the Voucher

The Canavese is one of them, one of Italy’s true hidden treasures in Piedmont, an hour’s drive from Milan, Aosta and the historic centre of Turin

How to book

To book any of the discounted experiences and packages: https://www turi smoincanavese.c om/servizi turi stici/ Info on +390124360749 info@turismoin canavese it

V a c a n z e R e g i o n e P i e m o n t e d i scount vouchers the Consortium is offering one day experiences at a 50% discount. These go from tours accompanied by sommeliers, such as the visit to the Serra Winery (the largest moraine in Europe) walking through vineyards and chestnut groves and with tastings of eight wines paired with local products

Or the Star Lakes tour that takes in Ivrea’s five lakes with tastings of nine wines accompanied by finger food from a Michelin star restau rant (which also has a green star for sustainability) and a visit to the “breathing mountain” in the Bal metti di Borgofranco cellars that are dug into the rockface and enjoy a special microclimate

Michelin starred dining and boat trips

Also accompanied by sommeliers is the Caluso Colours and Flavours tour, walking through the vineyards with tastings and dinner in a starred restaurant, and Pergoland with a vi sit to the terraced stone vineyards of Carema and the Nebbiolo Pro ducers’ Cellar followed by lunch with a tasting of ten wines There is also a walking tour along the Via Francigena to visit organic produ cers and with participants also lear ning about the traditional method of tying vine shoots with willow, and there will be tastings of unique wines

Then there are multi day packages discounted by 50% such as The Er baluce Panoramas, which also in cludes an electric boat tour on Lake Candia with a picnic of locally pro duced delicacies

DOCG and DOC Wines

l Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG Still Sparkling Passito

The territory

l It is a green re gion with extraor dinary landscapes, protected areas and parks (inclu ding the 100 year old Gran Paradiso National Park

l Carema DOC made by Nebbiolo vines

l Canavese DOC Canavese White Canavese Rose Canavese Red Canavese Barbera

Ava lon T our

ROME Avalon Tour speciali zes in tailor made tours for in d i v i d u a l s a n d s m a l l g r o u p s

Each one is customized to the client’s desires, needs and aspi rations, creating his or her own very personal journey A jour ney that is a one off, unique ex perience every time

Bespoke personal itineraries

TAIlor mAde In The mArche And cenTrAl ITAly

I spend a lot of time in each destination, looking for local services and contacting suppliers: trains, guides, restaurants, associations etc.

Silvia Innamorati

places and times that make it a j o u r n e y o f p e r s o n a l e n r i chment «I spend a lot of time in each destination, looking for lo cal services and contacting sup pliers (trains, guides, restau rants, associations etc.). For each of the itineraries I create I listen to their suggestions and advice in order to provide each of our clients with a truly be spoke experience »

Italian tours with private drivers and guides

The year in which Avalon started it’s adventure

«I opened in 2009, says owner Silvia Innamorati, after ten ye ars in which I moved from the classic brokerage agency selling pre packaged travel from va rious tour operators, to the creation of bespoke holidays. These begin with the custo mer’s individual requests, based on which we create a specific, p e r s o n a l i t i n e r a r y w i t h e l e ments of discovery outside the s t a n d a r d p r e p a c k a g e d c i r cuits »

The role of local suppliers

The name of the agency was in spired by the Camelot legend to give the idea of a journey, and of the discovery of unknown

«Avalon’s most popular tours are interactive»

The Marche region, which is the area in which Avalon mainly o p e r a t e s a n d f o r w h i c h w e have many tours, is a region with an abundance of historic villages, art cities and beautiful landscapes, and it is also an im p o r t a n t m a n u f a c t u r i n g a r e a Avalon’s most popular tours are interactive, and they go from time travels with historical figu res and mysteries to be solved, to cookery courses and wine tours My personal storytelling of the region, delving into the past and the present, gives my clients a true and in depth ex perience of life in the Marche

Avalon Tour also has tailor made itineraries to other parts of Italy and Europe with private dri vers and guides Most of them have cultural and historical themes For more informa tion: https://www av alontour com/

Italia

Italia Highlights prepares to ce lebrate its first ten years in bu siness in 2023, it is launching the new season with a comple tely revamped website Thanks to the «concrete consolidation of the recovery,» the aim is «the development of an increasingly top end product that reaches out to new clients Our estima ted growth for 2023 is +20%,» says Luca Carnesecchi, owner and managing director of the Castagneto Carducci operator, who has 25 years of experience in inbound travel

Unique tours with charming hotels, villas and residences

The focus is on «Tuscany and the Italy of excellence. Every t h i n g i s s t r i c t l y t a i l o r m a d e , from customized tours for small groups to private events for groups of friends or corporate and incentive gatherings, also working with professional ar tists and musicians to inde pendent travelers looking for new experiences » The com mon denominator is «unique ness and exclusivity, whether it be the discovery of a winery, or a bike tour along the coast All complemented by charming ac commodation, from classic 4 and 5 star hotels to a selection of private villas with swimming pools, historic residences and boutique hotels in various Ita lian destinations such as Tu s c a n y , L o m b a r d y , P i e d m o n t and Lazio.»

yea tailor-m experi

Like the Relais dei Molini: a charming B&B owned by Italia Highlights with only seven ro

H i g h l i g h t s

o f t h e l e i s u r e p r o g r a m m e , which privileges wine tourism and outdoor activities as part of a compendium of varied expe riences and activities, are the tours of Italy by train «We are one of Trenitalia’s main tour operator partners, and our iti neraries are a voyage of disco very around the country. The excellence of the high speed trains matches our equally ex cellent experiences and tailor made services, from arrivals in stations to suitable accommo dation and transfers with mini vans

«Relais dei Molini in Bolgheri will get new suites and concierge services»

Terre di Urbino e Montefeltro

Celebrating the duke and the region’s unspoiled beauty

URBINO Urbino and its surroun ding unspoiled region, known as the Terre d'Urbino e del Montefel tro, are the northern part of the Marche region, consisting of histo rical towns and mountain villages that were part of the former Duchy of Urbino This year Italy is celebra ting the 600 years of the birth of Frederico di Montefeltro, the duke and ruler who built the city of Ur bino together with other fortified towns, magnificent castles, palaces and churches

Urbino was a Renaissance cultural capital

Federico di Montefeltro was one of the great figures of the Italian Re naissance who, in the 15th century, transformed Urbino into a cultural capital, calling great artists, archi tects, poets and philosophers to his court This year he is the perfect te stimonial for the many exciting tou rist itineraries planned as part of

There were many Italians of course, but also a re turn of foreign visitors, especially the Dutch, Au strians and Germans, but a l s o A m e r i c a n , F r e n c h and English tourists Amerigo Varotti

the celebrations for his birth

Many Italian and internatio nal visitors came to the area this summer attracted by the unique mix of history, art, nature and culinary delights of this charming region

«Foreign visitors were up 130% this summer» «Tourism went very well this year, says Amerigo Varotti, p r e s i d e n t o f C o n f t u r i s m o Terre di Urbino e del Monte feltro

There were many Italians of course, but also a r e t u r n o f f o r e i g n v i s i t o r s , e s p e c i a l l y t h e D u t c h , A u s t r i a n s a n d G e r m a n s , b u t also American, French and English tourists Taking into

account that the Marche re gion, Varotti continued, has a limited presence of in ternational arrivals compa red to the rest of Italy, this summer we registered 130% more foreign visitors, with Urbino itself standing out as a pole of attraction »

September is drawing a record number of visitors

«We will have a complete picture only by the end of the year, as the season is still not over September is dra wing higher than usual num bers, with many visitors now enjoying fairs and festivals, from those featuring the pri zed white truffle, to beer and

cheese events Many also come for outdoors activities, d i s c o v e r i n g t h e u n s p o i l e d beauty of the region »

A land of stunning landscapes

« B i k i n g a n d t r e k k i n g a n d a n o t h e r p o p u l a r n o v e l t y , gravel biking, are attracting sporting enthusiasts to the C e s a n e F o r e s t , t h e F u r l o Gorge and Mount Nerone, Mount Catria and Mount Pe trano mountain ranges Here you can still see landscapes as they were painted by Ra phael, Piero della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci Not many people realize that the landscape behind Leonardo’s w o r l d f a m o u s p o r t r a i t o f Mona Lisa is Montefeltro »

Trento

TRENTO Trento, a blend of Alpine elegance, history and le gends is right in the centre of the north eastern Trentino re gion It is a lively, cosmopolitan city that seamlessly blends an Alpine soul with Italian sophisti cation in a heady mix of Medie val monumentality and graceful Renaissance frescoes.

Neptune is a symbol of the city

The central Piazza del Duomo is dominated by the Palazzo Pre torio, and the 43 metre high Piazza Tower On the eastern side stands the Romanesque Gothic 12th century Cathedral of St Virgil, while in the centre we find the splendid late Baro que Neptune Fountain It may seem strange to find the god of the sea in a mountain city, but Trento’s ancient Roman name was Tridentum, for the three teeth or three city hills that are symbolized by the trident Nep tune holds in his hand

Fresscoed buildings and the Gothic Cycle of the Months

Another gem of Piazza Duomo is Casa Cazuffi, the most impor tant domus picta of Renais

TIPS

MUSE

Opening

Alpine elegance, history and legends

sance Trento, with depictions of characters and scenes from classical mythology on its fa çade The majestic Palazzo Bon signore, with its massive walls and crenellated towers, resi dence of the Prince Bishops who ruled the city up to the Napoleonic era, is one of the most important castle in the Trentino It houses art and ar chaeological collections, and in the Torre Aquila the walls are frescoed with the famous Go thic masterpiece, the Cycle of the Months

Delicate frescoes and the Devil’s Palace

Behind Piazza del Duomo, re storation on the main façade of Palazzo Niccoli has revealed beautiful Renaissance era fre scoes dedicated to the Ma donna, while on the corner with Via Diaz we find other delicate frescoes, this time on Palazzo Cazuffi Not far away behind a massive wooden gate stands t h e P a l a z z o F u g g e r G a l a s s o

better known as the Devil's Pa lace Legend, and Goethe who mentions it in his Italian Jour ney, would have it that the pa lace was built in a single night by the wealthy banker Georg Fugger who made a pact with the devil

Renzo Piano’s MUSE Museum

Trento’s modern face is best encapsulated in Renzo Piano’s MUSE, a six floor light filled s

mountains, sustainability and technology. On this extraordi nary exhibition tour you en c o

man, mammals, glaciers and Al pine forests in a succession of visual, interactive and sensorial experiences in one of Europe’s most evocative and fascinating museums

Experiential Tourism Festival

in

«The need to create positive word of mouth»

Experiential tourism re sponds to the need to redi stribute flows and deseaso nalize, sprea ding out to lesser known areas and creating multi seaso nal products

Nicola Ucci

«We focus on how the market is adapting positively to the n e w d e m a n d s o f t o u r i s m , » said Nicola Ucci, founder and organizer of the event «Today’s visitor feels like a protagonist and this helps to c r e a t e p o s i t i v e w o r d o f mouth Experiential tourism responds to the need to redi stribute flows and deseasona lize, spreading out to lesser k n o w n a r e a s a n d c r e a t i n g multi seasonal products.»

Northern American and European markets and Japan D u r i n g t h e t w o d a y e v e n t some 100 buyers met accredi ted sellers and exhibitors, par ticipating in workshops, mee t i n g s , n e t w o r k i n g e v e n t s , round tables and training ses

Buyers met accredited sellers and exhibitors, participating in wor kshops, meetings, networking events, round tables and training sessions

sions. Attracting a lot of at tention were open air tou rism, cycling and trekking or walking as ways to discover the natural beauty, traditional appeal and customs of Italian destinations

«Paradoxically if things are well organized it helps to bo ost both the supply and the demand The North American and North European markets, but also Japan are showing a lot of interest thanks to the appeal this type of market has on repeat visitors »

Bringing new professional players into the ring

«Experiential tourism is also i m p o r t a n t f o r d e s t i n a t i o n s that are normally off the bea ten track, allowing visitors to discover their environment, traditional foods and wines as w e l l a s t h e i r a r t i s t i c c r a f t s m a n s h i p I t a l s o a c t i v a t e s n e w e c o n o m i e s a n d b r i n g s new professional players into the ring,» added Ucci.