Aperture

🏖️ Viva Miches by Wyndham in the Dominican Republic opens December 11, exclusive to Alpitour World's Brand Bravo in Italy. Initial investment of $80 million for 538 units, expanding to 750 total accommodations with a $130 million investment. Direct flights from Milan commence December 22. Attractions include Samaná Bay, whale watching from January to March, and natural parks. Marketing manager Alessandro Biasi reports strong pre-opening sales.

🏠 Aleph Rome Hotel introduces "Emperor's Retreat Experience," a tribute to Emperor Augustus and ancient Rome, offering a stay in the opulent Augusto Suite and hotel spa. Guests receive a welcome drink, "Domus Augustana," crafted by mixologist Lorenzo Politano using a Zero Waste, Build technique with ingredients favored by Augustus. A luxurious in-room breakfast and a 60-minute spa treatment, "The Body Sculpting," inspired by Roman beauty practices, complete the experience.

🦁 Opening soon in Rome's central Piazza Bologna nightlife area, the Angry Monkey Bar is set to be a gin hotspot with over 500 gin labels and more than 50 tonic varieties, enabling more than 20,000 custom Gin Tonic combinations. With a goal to become Italy's top gin bar, it also features a creative logo, refined interiors, and serves as a cocktail bar, whisky and rum joint, offering rare spirits, classic and signature cocktails, a cicchetteria with over 80 dishes, and a selection of wines and sparkling beverages.

🏡 Villa Radici, part of the Augustus Hotel & Resort's distributed resort project, will open in summer 2025, offering seven sophisticated and comfortable accommodations. The renovation by Discreet Architecture and De.Tales merges Forte dei Marmi's historic Liberty style with contemporary design. Giacomo Maschietto, CEO, after a successful season exceeding expectations, emphasizes the resort's commitment to luxury and the unique "villa living" experience.

🏡 Gruppo Una announced the opening of Maniace Boutique Hotel Ortigia, a new 4-star addition to their Una Esperienze collection, located in the ancient part of Syracuse. The hotel features 21 modern and brightly designed rooms and suites named after Sicilian cultural elements, such as "pupi" and "fichi d’India". Amenities include a breakfast room with views of a 4th century apse, a private historic garden, and an elegant outdoor terrace. Gruppo Una, with this launch, now operates 6 facilities in Sicily, affirming its growth and presence in the region.

🏨 Fondazione Fiera Milano tasks Savills to select a hospitality player to manage two hotel facilities in Rho, in the former office area of Fiera Milano S.p.A. Aiming to develop its real estate assets, the foundation plans to convert spaces into one Midscale full-services and one Economy limited-services hotel, totaling about 200 rooms plus amenities. Savills' specialized Team Hospitality & Leisure will identify the future operator. Dario Leone, Head of Hospitality & Leisure at Savills, anticipates strong interest from operators looking to expand or establish in Milan.

🍸 GREY GOOSE celebrates International Vodka Day with an exclusive drink list and the new GREY GOOSE Altius, a blend of soft winter wheat from Picardy and spring water from high-altitude French springs. The article highlights GREY GOOSE® Espresso Martini Cocktail, a sophisticated mix with coffee and a salt touch to enhance flavors, and GREY GOOSE® Appletini, a refreshingly fruity cocktail with a floral note. GREY GOOSE prides itself on 100% traceability from harvest to bottle, distilled and bottled in France using Picardie wheat and Gensac-la-Pallue spring water. Bacardi Limited's portfolio includes GREY GOOSE Vodka.

🍸 Nodo, a cocktail bar in Piazza delle Coppelle, Rome, founded by Raffaella Foglia, Gerardo Wolleb, and Ruggero Wolleb, opened in 2020 after being conceptualized in 2018. Bar manager Maurizio Musu, along with Leonardo Girini and Benedetta Fiorentini, crafted a new menu. Chef Samuele Pellegrini designed a kitchen menu highlighting high-quality local ingredients. The drink list "Welcome to the Sinners" features eight signature cocktails and about 200 wine labels. "Taylor made" cocktails allow personalized creations. Open Monday to Thursday until 1:00 am, Friday and Saturday until 2:00 am; closed on Sundays. Contact: Piazza delle Coppelle, 52 – Rome, Tel. 06 9437 6334, info@nodoroma.it.

🍕 PIZZIUM opened its 52nd Italian outlet on September 20, 2024, in Rome's Ostiense district, marking the sixth Rome restaurant since 2018. The new site boasts 5 rooms accommodating 80 customers and continues the expansion of offering high-quality Neapolitan pizza, highlighting DOP and IGP regional ingredients. Committed to community integration, PIZZIUM prioritizes local personnel hiring.

🍰 APEI (Ambasciatori Pasticceri dell’Eccellenza Italiana) held its third Technical Seminar at Cast Alimenti in Brescia, announcing a new TV show "SWEET HOME" to debut in November on Food Network and discovery+. The show will feature 29 APEI Ambassadors with episodes hosted by Irene Colombo and Maestro Iginio Massari. APEI welcomed five new members, reaching 63 ambassadors, and honored Master Pastry Chef Achille Zoia with a Gold Medal for his contributions to the pastry arts. New sponsor companies include Eurovo, Foodline Waterjet Corporation, and GOI Fruit.