Blog

🏡 Belmond's Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Italy is undergoing a multi-year renovation led by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, with major updates each summer. In 2024, the hotel revealed refurbished rooms and a lobby. The 2023 focus was on the pool area, Splendido Grill restaurant, and La Baronessa suite. By 2025, the main building will be completely renovated, featuring new suites, junior suites, breakfast area, coffee bars, lounge bars, retail area, and a Dior Spa with four treatment cabins and a relaxation area on a panoramic terrace. Villa Beatrice, formerly known as Castello Odero and built by Attilio Odero, will open in July 2025, offering privacy with private sea access and services from Hotel Splendido. Located on Punta Caiega, the villa accommodates up to ten guests with four suites, an additional suite in "La Casetta," and includes amenities like a marble bathroom, a subtropical garden, private sea access, a pool with a solarium, butler service, a full kitchen, a gym, yoga or treatment area, and a large terrace for dining. Belmond acquired the villa in 2021, and restoration work includes original frescoes, ceilings by architect Gino Coppedè, and a mix of antique and contemporary regional art, designed in 1913.

🏠 Sonder, a multinational hospitality company, has launched 38 luxury suites and apartments in Milan's Corso Porta Romana, following the complete renovation of a building from the late 1960s, the former Hotel Lloyd. Angus Fiori Architects designed the project, maintaining existing alignments and complying with landscape constraints. The Unica wood/aluminum windows by BG Legno were chosen for their aesthetic and up to 46 db sound insulation, harmonizing with the historic surroundings and sustainable mobility services offered by Sonder Building.

🎤 Laura Pausini, Italian Grammy Award winner and one of the 25 most influential women of 2024 by People's Iberian edition, covers Freccia's November issue. The star concludes her world tour on December 31 in Messina. Turin's Egyptian Museum reopens Ellesiya's rock temple on November 20, free thanks to FS Italiane. A/R Andata e racconto literary contest winners, for authors aged 16+, include Flavia Forestieri, Jacopo Milani, and Carlo Junior Desgro. Interviews feature Robert Plant and his Frecciarossa journey, Malika Ayane's live series ending in Naples on December 3, and Alessandro Cattelan discussing upcoming projects including hosting Sanremo Giovani. Freccia magazine, available digitally on FS Italiane and in print on Trenitalia's Frecce trains, FRECCIALounge, and FRECCIA clubs.