Aperture

🏡 ÖÖD Hotel, the first in Italy and Southern Europe, featuring mirror houses, is coming to Casola in Lunigiana, owned by Davide Longobardi of Spino Fiorito. The project, initiated in 2018 and resumed post-pandemic with a 2021 visit to Estonia, will open within weeks. Architect Paolo Scoglio designed a treehouse-like, reversible site without concrete use, including an outdoor deck, a 2.5-meter high ÖÖD house, and a 4.5-meter high mirror sauna, establishing a flagship point for ÖÖD in Italy.

🍝 “Twist & Chips” is an innovative project by four friends - Michele Ferruccio, Pietro Paolo Arnò, Nicola Sammartino, and Federico Giuliana - in Rome, featuring an itinerant food truck and a physical location at via dei Sabelli 47 with 20 indoor and 20 outdoor seats. The menu includes smash burger, pollo karaage, and vegan chickpea meatballs, catering to vegans and gluten intolerant individuals. Monthly social events and participation in TTS Food events, CrossFit Bull Games, and a rugby tournament in Ostia are planned.

🏗️ Winter 2025/2026 sees Star Clippers debut Grenada as a starting port for Caribbean cruises, including Eastern Costa Rica, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. Birgit Gfölner expects high demand, as five departures from Nice between September and October 2025 are quickly selling out. Early booking discount offers up to 20% off until April 30, 2025. Cruises from Grenada feature 10 and 11-night itineraries. Consecutive cruise bookings attract an additional 5% discount. Special promotions for 2025 Christmas cruises include a €600 onboard credit, no single supplement, and a third guest travels free sharing a double cabin.

🏥 Four Points by Sheraton, part of Marriott Bonvoy's portfolio, launches Four Points by Sheraton Dakar Diamniadio in Senegal, marking the brand's debut in the country. Located 20 minutes from Blaise Diagne International Airport in the new Sports City complex, the hotel is near Abdou Diouf International Conference Center, Ousmane Tanor Dieng ministerial sphere, UN headquarters for West Africa, and the future Olympic stadium for the 2026 Youth Summer Olympics. Sandra Schulze-Potgieter, VP at Marriott International, highlights the hotel's significance in business, sports, and tourism growth. The hotel features 173 rooms with modern amenities and free Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and 139 square meters of flexible meeting space.

🏎 Paolo Barletta, CEO of Arsenale, launched "La Dolce Vita Orient Express," a luxury train by Arsenale and Accor, debuting in Italy with the Orient Express brand, including the La Minerva hotel opening in Rome. Celebrated at Rome's Ostiense Station with partners Arsenale, Accor, Fondazione FS Italiane, and FS Treni Turistici Italiani, it signifies a Made in Italy "rail cruise" concept merging rail, cruise, and hotel sectors. Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express, highlights the train's 60s-70s era-inspired design. Italy surpassed France with over 458 million tourist stays in 2024. Luigi Cantamessa notes the reopening of 1,000+ km of railway as "green branches." The train's inaugural journey from Rome to Montalcino places the capital at the forefront of luxury tourism.

🍽️ Pietro Rocco Campilongo opened Gran Deroma in Rome's historic center at Largo del Nazareno 13, following the success of Deroma near the Trevi Fountain. This new restaurant spans 380 square meters, seats approximately 120 guests, employs a team of 70, and offers an all-day dining experience from 8 AM to midnight, seven days a week. Gran Deroma features sophisticated interior design and serves high-quality bakery items, select cold cuts and cheeses from across Italy, as well as a variety of meats grilled to perfection. The pizzeria section boasts a light dough that ferments for over 48 hours, crafted by pizzaiolo Alessio Casadei. The wine cellar at Gran Deroma boasts around 350 labels, with a focus on natural, organic, and experimental wines making up about 70% of the selection.

🏡 Preferred Hotels & Resorts expanded its Italian portfolio with 13 new properties in 14 months, including the Armani Hotel Milano joining the Legend Collection. The brand now boasts over 50 hotels in Italy. Among the new entries are the Grand Hotel Imperiale, Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Ara Maris, Boutique Hotel Stresa, Cala del Porto Punta Ala, Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort, and others such as Hotel Excelsior Spa & Lido, Castello Dal Pozzo Resort, Hotel Number Nine, The First Musica, Hotel Bellerive Lifestyle, and Savona 18 Suites.

🏖️ Emblems Collection, a brand of Accor, will open the Hotel Bellevue Cortina d’Ampezzo Emblems Collection in Italy by end of 2026, marking its first property in the country. The venture is in partnership with Prodea Investment and Invel Real Estate. Located on Corso Italia in the exclusive alpine destination of Cortina, the resort has roots dating back to the 19th century. Italian architecture studio pconp and Tihany Design are overseeing the contemporary alpine restyling and interior design, respectively. The hotel will feature 80 luxury rooms, including 27 suites with mountain views, and a 500-square-meter Spa with a focus on wellness. Aiming to redefine alpine hospitality, Emblems Collection is set to debut other European properties in 2025 and plans to expand to 60 worldwide by 2032. Accor currently operates 5,600 hotels across more than 110 countries.

🍕 L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele expands with two new locations in Rimini and Catania, Italy. Rimini's opening on April 3, at Via Mentana 4/6, offers 80 indoor and 25 outdoor seats. Catania's opening follows on April 4, 2025, at Via Manzoni 80, housed in a historic late 18th-century building of 380 sqm. Both venues feature traditional Neapolitan pizzas and local architectural design by Antonio Di Maro, highlighting the brand's commitment to authenticity and quality.

🏖️ Tunisia showcases strong sales for the Nicolaus Group in 2024, with exceptional results during the Easter weekend and April 25th holiday. Paola Coccarelli, the company's Chief Product Officer, highlights popular destinations Djerba, Mahdia, and Hammamet. Djerba Golf Resort & Spa and Nicolaus Club Helios Beach offer sports, gastronomy, and beach attractions. Authentic experiences await at Nicolaus Club El Fatimi & Acquapark Mahdia, while the newly renovated Nicolaus Club Nozha Beach Resort & Spa in Hammamet promises a dynamic vacation in 2023.