The Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort by R Collection Hotels has been accepted into Virtuoso's exclusive portfolio of luxury travel partners which includes 2,300 preferred suppliers in 100 countries.

Virtuoso is the world’s largest luxury network

Having the property join Virtuoso will provide new sales and marketing opportunities for the network's luxury travel consultants and their highly desirable clientele. Virtuoso agencies worldwide sell an average of $35 billion a year, making the network the largest player in the luxury travel industry.

Through Virtuoso hotels connect with leading leisure agencies

“Virtuoso's selection process is incredibly selective, so becoming a preferred partner is a real honour,- said Riccardo Bortolotti, the hotel’s general manager. -The reputation of Virtuoso's affiliated agencies for their exceptional dedication to clients fits perfectly with our personalized approach to service. Now that we are part of this renowned network, we look forward to offering Virtuoso consultants and their clients special services, values and experiences that will exceed their expectations." The Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort's entry into Virtuoso allows it to establish direct relationships with the world's leading leisure travel agencies in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. 

A Michelin-star restaurant and the Erre Spa

Owned and managed by R Collection Hotels, an extraordinary portfolio of family-run luxury hotels, the Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort is a five-star property on the Portofino coastline. Built in 1908, the hotel was renovated in 2023 and has 80 elegant rooms and suites, most with panoramic sea views. Guests can indulge in a wide range of dining experiences, from the Michelin-star Le Cupole restaurant to a casual bistro and a gourmet pizzeria by the pool. The multi-award-winning Erre Spa (the largest hotel spa in Liguria) offers state-of-the-art wellness treatments and relaxation with sea views. Ideally located within walking distance of Rapallo and close to destinations such as Portofino and the Cinque Terre, the hotel is a luxurious gateway to the Italian Riviera. For information: rcollectionhotels.co.uk/en/grand-hotel-bristol.

Calabria’s three airports are strategic hubs for Southern Italy, with over 2 million transit passengers in the first six months of this year.

Almost at the four million passenger mark

This is a 29.3% rise over the same period in 2024, and the aim is to cross the four million mark by December. “This result, the best ever for the Calabrian airport system over a six-month period, is the result of a strategy that has focused on a significant expansion of international routes, on the optimization of domestic traffic and on investments in Crotone, Reggio Calabria and Lamezia Terme airports,” reported a note from the regional airport management company SACAL.

New flights drive the excellent performance


In the first six months of 2025, travellers passing through Crotone totalled 155,823 (+34%), Lamezia Terme 1,371,434 (+15.1%) and Reggio Calabria 476,227 (+113.9%) for an overall total of 2,003,484 travellers (29.3%). With 444,813 passengers handled (+19.5% compared to June 2024), June marks the best result for the Calabrian airport system. Driving this performance were new flights together with the expansion of international routes.

Growth from many European destinations

Lamezia Terme is confirmed as a point of reference for international traffic, with an important growth in routes from France, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania. Reggio Calabria marks the highest growth, with an increase of 113.9% in the six-month period, thanks to the expansion of domestic routes and a consolidation of international traffic, while Crotone continues its growth path with good numbers, the reopening of international connectivity and a renewed interest from tour operators.

“We record an excellent 98% punctuality on all flights”

“2025 is a decisive year for Calabria’s airports,- commented Marco Franchini, SACAL's administrator. - The data confirms that we are close to exceeding four million passengers and recording an excellent 98% punctuality on all flights. These results are the result of a well-defined strategy, built on four pillars: strengthening connectivity, targeted investments, quality of services and enhancing the skills of SACAL’s personnel. Our commitment continues with determination: we want to make the Calabrian airport system increasingly competitive, sustainable and fully integrated in the economic and social development of a region that is experiencing a positive and dynamic phase of change.”

The FS Italian state railway’s Trenti Turistici Italiani tourist trains to the Côte d'Azur, and art, food and wine journeys.

From the Côte d'Azur to the Maritime Alps

This summer, in addition to the Riviera Express Rome-Marseille, this season’s best-seller also sees a historic train on the Ferrovia delle Meraviglie railway between Ventimiglia and Tenda: two trains that interpret and sum up the travel philosophy of this FS Group. The Espresso Riviera is an international train linking Rome and Marseille in July and August: an iconic journey designed for tourists who wish to travel in comfort in sleeper or couchette coaches and with a dedicated in-car catering service. Trains operate from Italy to France every Friday and in the opposite direction on Saturdays.

A vintage train on the Ligurian Riviera

Another popular service is the Railway of Wonders, a collaboration with CARF (French Riviera Agglomeration Community) on board a vintage train from the Ligurian Riviera to the Val de Roya resorts. The historic train, with 1930s Centoporte carriages and pulled by a diesel locomotive in period livery, will also run on 3, 10, 17 and 31 August before making its last journey on 6 September.

From Rome, a journey through food and wine heritage

From October to December, it will be possible to travel to Arezzo every Sunday, passing through Assisi, to discover Umbria and Tuscany and with the possibility of visiting Terni, Spello, Spoleto, Assisi or Perugia in a day, travelling on board the comfortable lounge cars or enjoying tasting experiences on board the restaurant car. From October to November, on the occasion of the 95th Alba White Truffle Fair, it will be possible to leave from the capital and reach the fragrant heart of Piedmont aboard a night train with sleeper coaches and restaurant service.

Milanese design takes centre stage at the Four Seasons Hotel Milano with 118 restyled rooms and suites designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon.

Sober, elegantly luxurious rooms and suites 

The 118 rooms and suites have been completely redesigned by the designer - known the world over for his exclusive interior architecture projects and renowned for his impeccable craftsmanship and attention to detail. The approach is sober and elegant. In its new interpretation of hospitality, the Four Seasons Milan now offers a vision of luxury in which every detail finds its place, every material its function in an essential elegance that leaves room for substance.

A blend of local heritage and contemporary style

Pierre-Yves Rochon favours a balance between heritage and contemporaneity, paying homage to Milan's history and instilling a sense of refined discretion, where each space is designed with precision, in a fluid and natural continuity. The interiors of the rooms and suites are a contemporary interpretation of local heritage and the technology is designed to blend with the architecture, without ever overriding the experience. This translates as discreet domotics and furnishings with studied proportions.

Heritage ceiling art and  studio-style layouts

The special suites envelop guests in the atmosphere of a typical Milanese apartment, thanks to design and spaciousness. The Fresco Suite, with a preserved ceiling fresco painted by Giocondo Albertolli (1742-1839), is a suite-studio that invites you to live in a work of art.  In the Renaissance Suite the living room overlooks the garden and it has an open studio-style layout, an original Renaissance stucco ceiling, a large four-poster bed and flooded with sunlight. 

Design elements from Italian brands

The hotel has a further five suites that are ideal for business trips or family holidays, with separate living and sleeping areas, or on a spacious single area, and then there are different room types for truly personalized stays. Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon's work also blends in with the common areas, where the famous designer Patricia Urquiola has given the hotel its current metropolitan and cosmopolitan character by introducing design elements from Cassina, Aggiolight Custom Lamps, Flos,  and iconic pieces from the collections of Italian brands such as Cassina, Poliform, Moroso, Poltrona Frau and Stepevi. The Spa, in the cellar of the former convent, is now a temple of wellness and a pioneer of treatments from the most famous beauty brands.

What’s new at Starhotels after the record 2024 operational and financial year.  

2024 was a highly successful year 

Starhotels closed the 2024 financial year with a total turnover of €314.8 million, up 2.8% over 2023; an EBITDA of €102.7 million, or 32.6% of turnover; and a net profit of €34.3 million, or 10.9% of turnover, up 9% over 2023. On a like-for-like basis, without taking into account the restructuring that reduced the availability of some facilities, turnover would have been €312.5 million and EBITDA would have been €104.5 million, with increases of 6.2% and 4.3% respectively compared to 2023. 

“This is the best result in our history”

“2024 confirms the solidity of our business model and our ability to generate growth even in complex scenarios,- said Elisabetta Fabri, president and CEO of Starhotels. -The best result in our history, while maintaining excellent margins. This performance propels us towards an ambitious expansion phase, with the objective of driving the evolution of high level and quality Italian hospitality." The group is therefore accelerating its expansion plans: a ten-year loan of €350 million was recently finalized, reducing the previous five-year loan of €460 million. The deal allows Starhotels to become more financially efficient and allocate the funds to improving its property portfolio, acquiring new hotels and signing new lease and management contracts.

A new Starhotels Collezione 4-star in Forte dei Marmi

Among the most significant operations in recent times, Starhotels has acquired the ownership and management of the Hermitage Hotel & Resort, a 4-star hotel with 59 rooms in Forte dei Marmi, marking its debut in the resort segment and strengthening its presence in Tuscany. The resort will become part of the Group's portfolio from the end of the 2025 season and will reopen to the public under the Starhotels Collezione brand from 2026 following a redevelopment phase aimed at maintaining and enhancing the hotel's identity and distinctive historical features, and aligning it with the Group's standards of excellence.

A new hotel in Venice and residential units in Florence

The summer of 2025 will see two openings the Hotel Gabrielli in Venice, a historic hotel in Riva degli Schiavoni, which will reopen as a 5-star hotel with 66 rooms and suites after an exceptional conservative restoration, and the Teatro Luxury Apartments in Florence. This will be one of the city's largest real estate recovery and development projects, and will consist of a new residential complex of 156-high-end units.  

Discover the beaches to experience in Apulia by following the winds on the PuntoMare app.

Real-time sea and bathing forecasts for 20 beaches in Apulia

PuntoMare is an exclusive guide to 20 top beaches in Puglia to experience - with the right wind! The app is the brainchild of a group of young Apulians who decided to create a tool that would simplify the experience and enhance seaside holidays for visitors.   Using a proprietary algorithm the app, which is free and is in Italian and English, offers precise indications on the state of the sea for bathing, making it possible to choose the perfect place on any given day to enjoy the sea in total safety.

app punto mare puglia

Italy to get 20 million visitors to seaside towns this summer

Italy is preparing to experience a record-breaking summer. According to data from the Florence-based Tourism Research Centre, from June to August 2025, 20.7 million visitors are expected in seaside towns up and down Italy, which means some 110 million overnights, a clear sign that the sea remains the undisputed king of the Italian summer.

And the Apulia region is preparing to welcome more than 8.5 million visitors, confirming its position as one of the most desirable destinations of the season.

AI suggests the perfect beach based on the wind

But every paradise has its unknowns: waves that are too high, annoying wind, jellyfish, or the beach of dreams already crowded at 9 a.m. and this is where PuntoMare comes in, using artificial intelligence to suggest the perfect beach in real time based on the wind of the day. It has selected the 20 best beaches on the Apulian coast, from north to south, Adriatic and Ionian, according to the type of wind. Because the secret to finding calm, clear waters is often all there is to it: follow the right wind. In addition to detailed bathing forecasts, PuntoMare allows users to discover and book unique experiences, quality restaurants and well-equipped lidos in just a few clicks, making their beach holiday a unique experience.

Three beaches in the province of Lecce top the list

Topping PuntoMare’s list are five beaches in the province of Lecce.  The Zinzulusa beach in the little town of Castro located on the south-eastern Adriatic in Castro a small town, just over an hour’s drive from the international Brinsidi-Salento airport, is a rocky covs famous for the cave of the same name. It faces south-east with northern and western winds, making the water clear and the sea calm. Also in Castro the La Sorgente beach is on the south-eastern Adriatic coast and is small natural platform with deep waters and transparent water. From the third to the fifth place we find beaches in Ugento, on the southern Ionian coat in the province of Lecce. First, the Torre San Giovanni beach in Ugento which is sandy with turquoise sea and shallow waters  and, facing south-west, it gets cool north-easterly winds.  In fourth position Torre Mozza’s beach is a long stretch of golden sand with very calm waters that are ideal for families, and in fifth place Lido Marini, is a well-equipped lido with fine sand and transparent seas. The list goes on with beaches in Polignano a Mare, Ginosa, Ostuni, Otranto, Porto Cesareo and Monopoli.  For information: www.punto-mare.it 

Summer evening openings with music and performances in scenic candlelit settings in Piedmont’s La Veneria royal palace will run until 30 August. 

Every Friday and Saturday until 30 August

Summer evenings are back at La Veneria, the former Savoy dynasty royal hunting lodge which is located some ten kilometres from the centre of Turin, wit evening openings that allow the public to enjoy music, live shows and light installations up to 30 August, every Friday and Saturday (and Thursday 14 August) from 6.30 p.m. until 23.00. And the atmosphere is made even more emotional thanks to the light of more than 5,000 candles and decorative lights. 

Live music performances and art installations 

Visitors can also enjoy the Baroque architecture of the Palace and the ongoing exhibitions until late in the evening. In the Sala di Diana, the baroque heart of the Palace, there is the “Frames” film installation by Davide Ferrario, while the Citroniera Juvarriana hosts the exhibition-event  “Solid Light,” which exhibits three-dimensional luminous volumes that use projections of light and non-toxic smoke, with which visitors are invited to interact. You can also enjoy an aperitif while listening to the most varied musical genres, from swing to flamenco, light music to tango, afro to jazz and from traditional folk music to oriental and Latin American…all live!

Sound and light shows in the Court of Honour  

In the illuminated gardens, as well as having the chance to sip an aperitif at sunset and attend the shows organized in collaboration with the Fondazione Piemonte dal Vivo, visitors can enjoy the music of relaxing DJ sets also in front of the Cascina Medici del Vascello where the light installation “Assembly” by Marinella Senatore, one of the most renowned contemporary Italian artists at an international level, is inspired by the traditional illuminations used in popular celebrations in Southern Italy, and consisting of a sculpture of coloured lights.  Evenings end in the Court of Honour, with a show of light and sound at the Fountain of the Deer with over a hundred jets spouting water to heights of over 12 metres. For information: www.lavenaria.it