Aperture

🍔 Smashie, new fast casual dining concept by Italian leader in casual dining Cigierre, launches expansion in Central Italy starting from Rome. The restaurant, opened in the bustling Romaest Shopping Center, occupies 130 sqm with an additional terrace and outdoor seating, totaling around 100 seats. The menu features smashburgers, hot dogs, fries, and milkshakes, including a free refill option. The opening created over 20 new jobs. Cigierre, founded in 1995 and now with over 370 locations, served over 30 million customers in 2024.

🍴 Le Tre Gazzelle opens a new chapter with "Tre Gazzelle Bistrot" in Milan's Via San Pietro all'Orto 7. The bistrot, led by Valentina Calacoci, features innovative chef Kassandra Galindo Rodriguez, known from the 13th edition of MasterChef Italia. Offering a "Filogenesi" tasting menu, available for dinner Tuesday to Saturday, the venue merges Milanese tradition with modern culinary creativity. Kassandra's sous chef Matthias Wiedenhofer and a dedicated team ensure an exceptional dining experience with both a la carte and day menus, maintaining the brand's reputation for quality and innovation. For more information, call +39 375 788 5152 or email tregazzellebistrot@yahoo.com.

📦 Maiora SpA SB expands its Cash & Carry sector with a new Altasfera store in Bari, Modugno area, marking its seventh outlet in Puglia. The opening strengthens Maiora’s lead in South-Central Italy with a 14th store offering over 15,000 products, including 500 branded items, and goods from 150 local suppliers, 70 from the Bari province. The Bari Altasfera spans approximately 4,000 sqm with a 150-car parking lot, featuring specialized departments and services like order preparation and home delivery. The store is run by a team of 36, with 18 recent hires. Tasting events for professionals are scheduled for April 16-18, 23-24, and May 2-3.

🌟 Hotel Sonnenhof, owned by the Winkler family in Falzes near Brunico, is set to reopen in June with a complete renovation and a new name: Solvie, meaning "the sunny way." The venue will feature a large sun-drenched garden, new rooms and suites, a new spa, infinity pools and baths, plus new restaurants and communal spaces. Solvie focuses on wellbeing and health, offering high-level culinary experiences without fixed dining times, extending breakfast to a 11:30 brunch, and providing restaurants open all day. Health and fitness are key, with facilities including an indoor yoga room, outdoor yoga platform, meditative room, gym, and cardio room. The spa features a "Skypool relax only" on the fifth-floor, a large infinity pool, a natural garden pond, an indoor pool with relax lounge and jacuzzi, as well as herbal and Finnish saunas, and an aromatic steam bath. Relaxation rooms are scattered throughout the garden and spa. Unique Solvie experiences include guided excursions, personalized bike tours, horseback riding lessons, golf, sport car tours, and skiing with a daily skibus to Plan de Corones every 15 minutes.

🏠 The historic Savoy in Florence, part of Rocco Forte Hotels, unveils its refurbished Irene restaurant and new Artemisia bar. The restaurant, inspired by Lady Forte, Sir Rocco's mother, promises authentic Italian cuisine and a love letter to Tuscany. Chef Fulvio Pierangelini curates a menu celebrating local flavors and seasonal ingredients, paired with a carefully selected range of regional wines. Artemisia bar, named after the revolutionary artist Artemisia Gentileschi, showcases a drink list by Maestro Salvatore Calabrese and Federico Pavan that reimagines the Florentine aperitif with truffle, Chianti, and leather touches.

🏨 Venice's iconic 5-star Hotel Gabrielli, part of Starhotels Group, reopens on July 9, 2025, following extensive renovations. Owned by the Perkhofer family since 1856, the 14th-century palace with one of Venice's largest private gardens joins Starhotels' Collezione and The Leading Hotels of the World. The restoration preserves the hotel's authentic spirit, as emphasized by CEO Elisabetta Fabri. Room count reduced from 105 to 66 for exclusivity, each uniquely designed, featuring a Presidential Suite with a private terrace overlooking the city.

🌍 Silversea revealed "The Cormorant at 55 South," the world's southernmost hotel with 150 rooms located in Puerto Williams, Chile, set to open in the Antarctic season of 2025/2026. Named after its latitude and the cormorant bird, it offers panoramic views of Patagonia and features locally crafted items. The hotel is positioned to facilitate travel to Antarctica, allowing guests to fly over the Drake Passage for a shorter trip. Silversea's six-day "Antarctica Fly Cruise" includes expert-guided excursions and educational sessions.

🖤 Lumente, a global luxury hospitality platform, is formed through a partnership between Kerten Hospitality and The One Atelier. It aims to blend fashion, sports, automotive, and art into immersive experiences tied to local culture. Lumente, which means "to illuminate" in Latin, will develop and manage properties in exclusive locations such as Miami, Dubai, Tokyo, and Melbourne, targeting iconic brands. The first Lumente-branded hotels are set to open in 2025, evolving the concept of luxury to include authenticity and cultural significance.

🏠 Hilton collaborating with Forimi Italia of Roscioli Group announces two new hotels in Italy: Canopy by Hilton Milan Duomo, located on Via Torino with 96 rooms, a restaurant, lobby bar, rooftop bar, pool, fitness, and wellness area, set to open in 2025. The Hilton Garden Inn Rome Colosseum, set to launch in summer 2026, will offer 181 rooms and cater to both leisure and business guests with a restaurant, lobby bar, and fitness space. Hilton currently has 109 hotels operating or in the pipeline across Italy.

🏠 The Room Mate Collection, led by Kike Sarasola, has launched the Mia Room Mate Collection hotel in Rome, following the renovation of the former Hotel Capo d’Africa. The 4-star superior hotel boasts 65 rooms, including 5 executive, 34 superior, 11 triple, and 15 deluxe. It features a city-view terrace for breakfast and snacks, and is just a five-minute walk from the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Interior designer Luis García Fraile has infused the rooms with Italian vintage charm, combining modern and classic touches. The hotel's Rooftop Restaurant & Bar offers quick meals and evening seafood dishes sourced from local fishermen. Services include a dog-friendly policy, a gym, restaurant, bar, and 24/7 concierge, along with four event and meeting spaces. Room Mate Collection has seven properties in Italy, including in Florence, Venice, Milan, and Rome.