Travel in Italy

Starting in April 2024, the Italian city of Venice plans to better regulate the tourist industry, ease congestion, and make life a little easier for its residents.

Each morning for the past month, Brian has been waking to the deep peace of the Italian countryside and a view through the olive trees of a hilltop village in the distance.

Peru has announced plans to introduce a digital nomad visa. It will enable remote workers to stay in the country for 365 days, with the possibility to extend.

The year was 2005 and Antonio Catalán created the first AC Hotel in his home region of Navarra, Spain. His goal was to create something simple and modern that offered the essence of Spanish hospitality without the frills that guests didn’t always demand. This meant no bell staff, no minibars and fewer ensuite frills. The affordable price point made it a success, and it grew to dozens of hotels across Spain and Italy before catching the eye of Marriott.

Each year in the Alps, as the first snows of the season start to fall, mountain towns welcome winter visitors with a slew of smart new hotels. And this year is no different, with upscale brands including COMO Hotels and Resorts moving its beach-beautiful ethos to the Italian Alps in COMO Alpina Dolomites, and Grace Hotels giving St Moritz its first luxury opening in half a century in the Grace La Margna. With its boutique modern addition, the sleek Swiss hotel breathes new life into the former art nouveau hotel La Margna, following a trend for high-profile revamps seen across the Alps this season. Here’s a look at the six best new openings, many of which revitalise former hotel landmarks.

“He’s in here, in the kitchen every night and he’s smiling. He’s so happy to be doing this,” explains one of the managers of Café Carmellini. He is chef Andrew Carmellini, well known around New York the past 15 years for his respected but more casual restaurants Locanda Verde, Lafayette, The Dutch, Carne Mare and Bar Primi. This restaurant, which opened November 1st in the new Fifth Avenue Hotel, marks his return to fine dining with reinterpretations of French and Italian classics and as his most personal restaurant is the first one that bears his name. It’s been packed since opening night and looking around the Gilded Age style dining room with its oversized bronze and seeded glass chandeliers suspended from double height ceilings, plush blue banquettes and sculpted trees in the middle of the floor, the chef isn’t the only one smiling.

There’s no denying that the power of libations brings people together—and there’s simply nothing like toasting to the holiday season with Christmas drinks that are essentially crafted cocktails. This year is a perfect excuse to sip your way into one-of-a-kind Christmas traditions, celebrated around the globe.

The holiday season is about to begin and one very pleasant way to increase the holiday cheer of your celebrations is with a creative cocktail. Whether you are indulging in an American gin with an abundance of botanicals or a special bottle of pisco from Chile, an interesting and tasty beverage is a terrific way to welcome guests and spur conversation. Below are six fun cocktails to show off your bartending skills.

Recently opened just steps from St. Mark’s Square, this 43 room boutique hotel is an ideal spot to call home. Your luxurious welcome begins as soon as you leave the airport; a short stroll takes you to the hotel’s private dock where you will be whisked away in a sleek water taxi. The historic building was originally the former Stock Exchange and it has been lovingly restored by the French-Italian team of Lecoadic & Scotto.

You know who we’re talking about. Maybe they tote an impractical, tiny leather backpack with a fleur de lis stamped on it, name drop the restaurant on Borgo Pinti they frequented while studying abroad in Florence, or have a lot to say about the correct espresso-to-milk ratio of a cortado. There's no questioning it: The traveler who checks these boxes is dreaming of visiting Italy. Luckily, this friend is damn easy to shop for, considering the way Italian craftsmanship touches nearly every single cultural realm—food, wine, literature, film, and fashion included.

Compelling books on travel inspire readers to not only learn about destinations and cultures across the globe, but also, lock in that bucket list trip they’ve been dreaming about. As most travelers can attest, exploring a new locale keeps the brain sharp, curiosities peaked, and humanity intact. Much may be gleaned through reading the memoirs, poems, and true tales of adventurers; seeing beautiful photography; and following writers down the rabbit hole, through verdant valleys, and up and over mountain peaks.

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Best Western Rewards' latest promotion has launched two generous hotel deals that allow you to stack bonuses this winter. And while you may already have your holiday or winter stays booked, this hotel promotion is one that you should really consider and take advantage of. Keep reading to find out how you can earn up to 100,000 reward points, as well as a $100 gift card.

Of the key Alpine ski destinations, Italy offers the best value for money. Here, an espresso can cost €1.50 (£1.30) a shot, and a piste-side plate of pasta €10-15 (£9-13), items that are often 70-100% dearer in the A-list ski areas of France. And a peak-week, February half-term holiday in a three-star hotel can come in less than €1,745 (£1,500) per person half board, including flights and transfers. And that’s not taking some back-of-beyond resort as a point of comparison, either: all these prices are available in or around Canazei in Val di Fassa, part of the vast Dolomiti Superski area. On its doorstep, more than 300 miles of perfectly groomed pistes spin off the central Sella Ronda circuit; explore the area’s outer limits and that total hits 745 miles.

The line for croissants forms early outside Lannan Bakery in the Edinburgh neighborhood of Stockbridge, where the self-taught baker Darcie Maher has been whipping up intricate pastries since the end of July. The name Lannan comes from a Gaelic word meaning “house,” and Maher’s choice of baked goods is intentionally nostalgic. Staples include an apple-and-custard-filled croissant and a custard slice with pink sour cherry icing. “Growing up, we made a chocolate sponge with little crunchy flaked almonds for birthdays,” Maher says. “We’d pour ganache over the top and I thought it was the most amazing thing to see it drip down the side.” (The chocolate cake at Lannan is now made with buttermilk and rye.) Maher, who grew up in the Scottish Borders with an artist mother and a scientist father, appreciates the way baking fuses creativity and precision. It takes three days to produce all the laminated dough pastries in preparation for the bakery’s Thursday through Sunday open hours. After the pain Suisse or crème brûlée Danishes disappear, inevitably by around 9 a.m., out come the cakes (from fig leaf sponge to quince Bundt), jambon beurres and finally a few sliced-up Roman pizzas and oatmeal raisin cookies.

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Last night, at a dazzling ceremony attended by the who’s who of the Spanish culinary universe, the new Michelin stars for Spain were announced.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has inaugurated the Sir Bani Yas Island Visitor Centre. The centre will serve as a cultural resource for both local and international tourists to learn more about the historic landscape of Sir Bani Yas Island.

BIE Member States elect Saudi Arabia as host country of World Expo 2030! Congratulations Riyadh!

The Canary Islands welcomes approximately 450,000 LGBTQ+ tourists annually, representing 2.7% of the total tourists to the islands. This accounts for over 5.4% of the tourism revenue and generated a turnover of €960 million in 2022. 

In a high-profile showdown, Rome, Busan and Riyadh are the top contenders to become the host city of the 2030 World Expo, with the organizing body choosing the winner on Tuesday.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is set to represent Jamaica at the much anticipated 173rd General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris, France. The BIE is the Intergovernmental Organization overseeing and regulating international exhibitions lasting more than three weeks, including World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos, and the Triennale di Milano.