Tony Loeb

🏡 The Bulgari Roma has been named the best hotel in the world by Virtuoso. This luxury travel advisor network awarded the hotel, which boasts 100 rooms, mostly suites, and views of Ara Pacis and the Mausoleum of Augustus. Located in a 1930s rationalist-style building by architect Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo, the hotel features a monumental Spa reminiscent of ancient Roman baths. On the rooftop, guests can admire Rome's monumental center. The Tourism Minister of Italy, Daniela Santanchè, and Rome's Councillor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion, Alessandro Onorato, expressed pride in the recognition. Onorato highlighted Rome's luxury revolution, noting that by 2025 Rome will have 30% more luxury hotel beds than Milan and that in 2023, Rome's tourism grew by 45.2% over 2022, leading European cities.

🏖 Lloret de Mar in Spain tops the City DNA Report with a tourist-to-resident ratio of 128%, followed by Croatia's Obatija with 126%. Venice, the highest-ranking large city, has a significantly lower ratio of 36%. In the top ten, there are three Spanish cities, two Portuguese (Porto and Lisbon), and two Croatian (including Split). Austria's Salzburg is seventh, Belgium's Bruges ninth, and Santiago de Compostela, known for religious tourism, closes the top ten. Other Italian cities like Verona (21st), Rome (22nd), Padova (33rd), Bologna (60th), Vicenza, Genoa, and Turin are within the first 117 places.

🏖️ Elisabetta Faggiana and Salvo Losito launched the app "Unexpected Italy" aiming to combat overtourism by suggesting less visited yet captivating itineraries and locations. Data from corriere.it shows 70% of tourists see only 1% of Italy, causing overcrowding in certain areas. Introduced in early August, the app allows users to create customized paths featuring places, shops, and accommodations curated by the founders and experts. Currently features four destinations—Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa, Rome, and Venice—with plans to expand nationwide.