Italy Travel Guide
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There Will Be No Shortage of Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Casa MANNI
This very well may be Rachel Ray's idea of hotel heaven.
We’ve been hooked on MANNI White Truffle Extra Virgin Olive Oil since we sat in on a demo at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen a few years ago. Then, Chef Ryan Hardy of Montagna at The Little Nell gave us two bottles to take home – one Per Mia Figlia (for my child) and one Per Me (for me) and it’s like liquid gold crack for foodies.
Now, the EVOO expert Armando Manni has extended his presence in the luxury lifestyle market with the opening of Casa MANNI Roma, an exclusive penthouse for two in a 17th-century palazzo in Via di Pietra, the heart of old Rome. And yes, MANNI is all caps.
Tags: Hotel Renovations / Milan Hotels / Dorchester Collection / → All Tags
Principe Di Savoia Ready To Unveil Renovations in September
Remember our fears about the Hotel Principe Di Savoia fixing what ain't broke by renovating their iconic Winter Garden bar? Well, we're not 100% sure yet but the renovations at the hotel are pretty much done and from what we can figure out, it's still an impressive place.
Ready to debut in September, the $50 million worth of renos include nine new suites, a new Imperial Suite and an impressive new lobby (pictured); and a refurbishment of the bar. The refurb of the Winter Garden has been planned by architect Thierry Despont, who also worked on the Dorchester in London and the Getty Center in LA, so we're feeling we're in good hands – but we'll have to wait until the proper unveiling to be sure.
Obviously spending $50 million on the place won't be leading the Principe Di Savoia to lower their prices any time soon. Basic non-cancellation web rates are starting at €413 ($590) a night for a double, and they go upwards steeply from there.
Tags: Hotel Rooftops / Hotel Restaurants / Florence Hotels / Italy Hotels / → All Tags
The Westin Excelsior in Florence Unveils New Rooftop Terrace With Killer Views
The Westin Excelsior, Florence used to attract a who's-who of the film industry to its Roof Garden, the top-floor terrace, with such VIPs like Franco Zeffirelli, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Orson Welles, Leonard Bernstein, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. But it's been a while since some of those folks have stopped by. (Yes, we know a few of them are no longer alive.)
But the hotel is now looking to reclaim its glamorous glory by reopening the rooftop terrace with the (awkward) new moniker SE.STO on Arno in late September.
After a $4 million renovation, the rooftop is reopening as a bar, restaurant and lounge. A curved, upholstered wall marks the entrance to the bar and the restaurant, and a glass-enclosed wine cellar separates the two areas. Outside there are two large terraces; the one adjacent to the restaurant is bordered by a shallow infinity pool that gives the illusion that the water is emptying into the Arno River. The rooftop is supposedly the only in Florence with 360-degree views of the city.
Indeed, the killer view is the major selling point, as the oversized windows overlook the city, the Arno and the surrounding hills.
Tags: Hotel Deals / Hotel Packages / Venice Hotels / Italy Hotels / → All Tags
Fairy-Tale Destination, Fairy-Tale Deal for Italian Getaway
It's no one-cent weekend, but this travel package, which includes stays in both Tuscany and Venice, is one of the most reasonable, all-inclusive deals we've seen in a while. We concede that the base price of $799 (airfare included) is slightly unbelievable—and, if you get into the nitty-gritty fine print, it truly is, depending on where you're flying from and when you travel. Yet it's still a solid deal, and there are ways to stay within a bargain basement range if you're willing to be a little flexible (and isn't that the caveat of similar deals, anyway?).
Tags: Hotel News / Venice Hotels / Intercontinental Hotels / → All Tags
Booking Error Results in Venice Getaway Deal for One Cent
There's nothing we love more than a good booking mistake—when it falls in our favor, of course. Lucky travelers and locals who caught Italy's Crowne Plaza Quarto D'Altino's major, accidental price cut scored a weekend at the four-star resort for a mere one cent. Rooms at the hotel normally run for up to $214 per night, and its location is an accessible 20-minute train ride away from Venice.
Tags: Hotel Theft / Hotel Crime / Sardinia Hotels / Iti Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Safe Crime Wave Targets Italian Resorts, Saudi Princess
Watch you put in your hotel room safe in Italy this summer as a wave of high-profile robberies have taken place, with one becoming a diplomatic incident.
This weekend, an unidentified Saudi princess—perhaps the same who defaulted on all those shopping bills in London—had 15.6 million dollars worth of jewelry stolen from her hotel room safe. They actually took the whole safe, as it was only affixed to the wall with silicon, and they managed to do it in a period of ten minutes while everyone was at dinner.
Although the hotel has been identified as the Colonna Hotel in Porto Cervo, one of the many Iti Resorts on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda, we'd continue to be careful as this seems to be not only an inside job (they used a master key), but also a crime wave.
Tags: Hotel Deals / Florence Hotels / Foodie Hotels / → All Tags
Hunt Your Own Truffles At Monsignor Della Casa
You don't even really need a good reason to take a vacation in Tuscany but for those with a taste for the luxury and gourmet side of life, the Monsignor Della Casa Country Resort near Florence has got a Gourmet Truffle Break deal to tempt you. The Monsignor Della Casa looks like just the right kind of quaint countryside resort for a Tuscan break and it is part of a 16th century estate that belonged to an Italian "good manners expert" of the day, so this place has some pedigree.
The truffle package includes two nights' accommodation and a buffet breakfast, plus a truffle hunting expedition into the park of Villa La Casa, followed by a truffle dinner. We're not sure what you get for dinner if you fail in your truffle hunt, but hopefully they've got some in reserve.
Deals start at around $300 per night for a double room and go up to around $400 for a suite – with a minimum stay of two nights. If truffles aren't quite your thing they also offer a three-night deal with wine tasting in the Chianti Rufina area, with prices a little higher than the truffle deal.
Tags: Killer View / Snapshot / Venice Hotels / → All Tags
A View That Makes Braving Piazza San Marco's Pigeons Totally Worth It
Can we please just take a hot minute to "oooh" and "ahhh" at this view from The Hotel Danieli in Venice? Seriously.
This is actually a shot taken from the terrace of the hotel's restaurant (where the photographer, DerekLakin, took tea, if you're interested) — and doesn't this sort of make that dangerous trek through the very, very nearby Piazza San Marco worth it? And when we say "dangerous," we mean "risky due to falling pigeon poo everywhere."
This hotel is part of the Starwood Luxury Collection and is "made up of three beautiful Venetian palazzi dating back to the 14th, 19th, and 20th Centuries, featuring hand-made Murano glass chandeliers, precious rugs, hand-carved marble columns, and many original antique pieces." The whole place got a big ol' renovation in '08, and the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel (where this shot was taken, we assume) was once "the viewpoint from which Venetian noblemen would once watch the arrival of merchant ships from the Orient with their wares."
Rooms here will cost you, though: they start around 510 Euros — or $710.
[Photo: Derek Lakin]
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Craig David and Donna Summer Bring 'Hot Stuff' To Cala di Volpe
Be still, our beating hearts. You know how Craig David’s been off the scene for what seems like eons? Well he’s coming back in style — by hitting Sardinia to sing his little heart out this summer.
Not just him, either; the posh Hotel Cala di Volpe on the Costa Smeralda is also throwing a concert with Donna Summer on July 25 (Craig’s is on August 13, by the way).
It sounds like a pretty fly setting: around the biggest outdoor seawater pool in Europe, overlooking the sea itself. Starwood, who own the hotel, is calling the summer series “a soundtrack exuding dynamic energy and cool”. Sounds like hot stuff ; we’re telling ourselves we were born to do it (sorry).
Rates here start around 315 EUR (440ish USD) — but they can get pricey; we've seen the same standard room up around 1,110 EUR.
[Photo: Haute Living]
Tags: Design Hotels / Naples Hotels / Art Hotels / → All Tags
Romeo Hotel Gets Extra Arty With Clemente Exhibition
The Romeo Hotel has already gotten a mention from us for getting boutique hotels into Napoli, but it's more than just a boutique – it's really an impressive art hotel as well. They feature modern artists but not with the standard exhibition; instead, the Romeo has been commissioning artists to create a piece of art inspired by the city of Napoli.
At the moment, Francesco Clemente is the artist-of-the-moment, and as well as catching his specially-commissioned piece in the hotel, you can also see his larger solo exhibition at the MADre Museum. And to celebrate all that, the Romeo Hotel has created a Clemente Package which includes museum tickets and the exhibition catalogue, Sea View room accommodation with breakfast, a couple of discount vouchers for restaurants and spa treatment and a limited edition postcard collection of Clemente's artworks. This deal starts at €299 ($420) but to coincide with the MADre exhibition, it's only valid until October this year.
The great thing about this hotel is that if you're lost, you can wander the streets saying "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo Hotel?" Or maybe not, but it's the kind of Friday pun we couldn't resist. Fortunately the hotel – and especially its art - sounds a lot better than our jokes.
Tags: Fashion Hotels / Venice Hotels / Italy Hotels / Hotel Video Tours / Westin Hotels / → All Tags
Chanel Commandeers the Westins of Venice for a Fashion Show
Yesterday in Venice, on the sands of the beach at the Lido Westin Excelsior Hotel to be more exact, Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld debuted his Cruise collection for the French fashion house.
For something so elaborate as a location-specific runway show, Chanel flies in the most important magazine editors, stylist and international press, and puts them up in the best hotel rooms in the city as part of the whole spectacle. Although they took over the Excelsior's beach for the actual show, we learned from Grazia's blog that the guests were instead bedding down back on San Marco, in the Westin Europa & Regina.
Tags: Parma Hotels / Italy Hotels / Europe Hotels / Hotel Deals / → All Tags
More Italian Bang For Your Buck in Parma
The dismal state of the dollar required drastic budget cuts on a recent trip to Italy, so despite the adage “All roads lead to Rome” (been there, done it, love it), we took a detour, and instead, headed to Parma.
Parma may lack the glitz (and crowds) of the Italian capital, but it still oozes with all the charm that makes Italy one of the world’s most romantic destinations – cathedrals, art galleries, castles, culture, shopping, and killer wine and cuisine.
Since Parma is a fairly affordable destination, it opens up more opportunities for accommodations, than let’s say Rome, Florence or Venice.
Big decision: stay at a swanky five star for five nights or stretch the not-so-almighty buck for a solid one-week stay? The thought of an extended vaca won out, and online, rooms hovered right around a budget-friendly $100 per night rate at Hotel Maria Luigia (booked plenty in advance). The hotel touted four star status, and sì, it delivered.
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