E' ora di tornare

Sono passato molti anni, e siamo arrivati alla conclusione che è tempo di tornare.
E' tempo di tornare alla semplice promozione del territorio, delle nostre strutture e del nostro sito.

Abbiamo lanciato ItaliaLodging nel Febbraio del 2000, e timidamente, passo dopo passo, con le nostre forze, abbiamo fatto crescere il nostro progetto. Tra il 2005 ed il 2008 abbiamo inserito moltissime strutture e siamo diventati uno dei portali indipendenti per piccoli alloggi in Italia più visibili sulle ricerche organiche sui motori di ricerca.

Dopo il 2008 abbiamo visto la proliferazione dei portali a prenotazione istantanea, le così dette OTA che ci hanno intimorito, e ci siamo fatti convincere del fatto che il nostro fosse un prodotto fuori dai tempi, anacronistico e "vecchio". E sicuramente non in grado di competere con i grandi attori del mercato mondiale che ci avrebbero schiacciato e reso "non necessari".

Promuovere la qualità, parlare di radicamento sul territorio, di valorizzazione della vera ospitalità da contrapporre al turismo visto come "mordi e fuggi", era diventato un modello "anti-economico" in un mondo dove la rapidità e l'immediatezza diventavano la condizione essenziale per la vendita su internet.

Oggi, dopo molti anni di esperienza diretta di gestione di una struttura ricettiva, di rapporto con le OTA, e dopo l'esperienza del lock down dovuto al COVID-19, abbiamo capito che tornare ad un modello di sito "calmo", in cui i valori umani abbiano la giusta centralità, non solo ha senso, ma è addirittura essenziale.

Non sappiamo se ItaliaLodging sia il sito che meglio incarna questi "valori", ma sicuramente è un sito che ha questi valori alla sua base: promozione della piccola ospitalità di qualità in Italia volta al turista "calmo", che si prende il suo tempo per scegliere quello che è giusto per lui. Un turista che vuole interagire con il proprio viaggio e che fa della scoperta e della curiosità l'essenza del proprio spostarsi.
Forse i turisti così sono ancora pochi, e non fanno massa critica per rendere il nostro "ritorno di fiamma" economicamente valido, e forse noi non siamo abbastanza bravi a rintracciare molti di quei viaggiatori. Ma sicuramente pensiamo di dover ri-iniziare tenendo salde queste basi e questa prospettiva.

Casa Martini: a refined and charming guest house in Rome

A small refined guest house in Rome offering bed and breakfast service a few hundred meters from the Vatican City and St. peter’s Square.  A family atmosphere, a place to call “home” while you experience the beauties of Rome.  All mod cons to spend a relaxing holiday: rooms with en-suite private bathrooms, air conditioning, heating system, super-comfortable beds, mini bar, smart-TV, parquet flooring. This is Casa Martini.

At the 4^th floor of a 19^th century buildings, the property has been completely renovated in July 2012.

The innkeepers are more than happy to provide each guest with all the info needed to enjoy Rome even in its hidden corners.

Breakfast is rich and served in the room. The kitchen is a common area guests can use 24 hours to make their cup of tea or coffee.

Trastevere: the flag of the Roman authenticity

Trastevere is the most characteristic and “Roman” neighbourhood of Rome (13^th rione of the city): historical churches and alleys, between the Gianicolo hill and the Tiber. It is the place to eat and to drink: the concentration of restaurants, typical “Trattorias” and “Pizzerias” is just amazing. The atmosphere is charming and relaxing, even if might be a little bit crowded on the week-ends. In the very heart of the neighbourhood the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, a real treasure, with its nice and alive Piazza. If you want to have an authentic knowledge of Rome you cannot miss this neighbourhood, its controlled mess, its colours and its noise.

The name is Latin: Trans Tiberim, meaning "beyond the Tiber", since it was right on the other side of the original settlement of the ancient Rome

A hidden treasure in Rome right behind the Pantheon

Right behind the Pantheon, missed by the most of distracted tourists, a small tresure is hold in Rome in a small square called Piazza della Minerva. Cosidered the Bernini's most original invention, a small elephant (“Elefantino”) serves as the support of an Egyptian obelisk right in front of the only Gotic church in Rome called Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, a church that, with its electric blue vaulting, keeps other treasures like the Michelangelo's Cristo Risorto (Christ Bearing the Cross).

At the base of the elephant statue, which is definitely too small in relation to the size of the obelisk which is supporting, a latin inscription says: “Robustae mentis esse solidam sapientiam sustinere”, saying to everybody that the elephant is the symbol of the “strong mind”, which is the only condition to bear a “great wisdom”.

Enjoy this secret corner of Rome.

Borghese Gallery in Rome – Remember to book in advance

Maybe not everybody knows that a visit to the Borghese Gallery, the nicest museum in Rome, has to be booked in advance. In the peak periods better to call at least a week ahead.

The Borghese Gallery collection dates back to Cardinal Scipione Borghese love for sculptures and Paintings: absolute masterpieces are kept there. Considered by many the nicest museum in Rome, Galleria Borghese is definitely a must to be visited while in the Eternal City. Despite other museums in Rome, the Borghese Gallery visit have to be booked in advance.

Visits at the Museum are allowed only to a restricted number of visitors per time, so be sure to have booked your museum visit in advance, by calling the reservation telephone number. It is enough to provide them the day of your visit and the preferred hour: they give you a reservation number and you pay the ticket once you are there. Very easy. To book your visit call the tel. num. +39 06 32810.

Bed and breakfast in Rome - QuodLibet

A Latin word meaning "whatever pleases", 4 rooms themed with the names of the 4 seasons, a XIX century building, a very good location 600 metres from The Vatican and St. Peter's square and just two blocks from the undergroud line "A", walking ditance to all the major tourist sites of the city, ample and airy rooms all equipped with en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning, satellite TV, free WI-FI internet connection, mini-bars ... and much more. These are some of the ingredients of QuodLibet, a bed and breakfast in Rome with a great attention to details.

Every guest is provided with all the information needed to enjoy the city, its tourist sites as well as all its food and wine pleasures.

If you are looking for a clean, charming, perfectly and conveniently located bed and breakfast in Rome, meeting people who care about the success of their guests’ stay in Rome, then Quodlibet is the perfect place.

Website:

http://www.quodlibetroma.com

Hotels for winter holidays in Italy

The Italian Alps are a major tourist destination since 1800: ski lovers, trekkers, climbers, mountaineering. Wonderful scenarios with some of the nicest peaks and valleys in the world. This is mixed with fable-like small villages which are a wonderful frame for your stay in the Alps


During the Winter the Alps are the paradise for ski lovers: thousands of kilometres of ski slopes: both the beginner and ace find what they look for. Nordic and Alpine Skiing: just everything to enjoy this sport.

Travideal presents in this pages many destinations in the Italian Alps which are a perfect base for a winter holiday: you can choose your ski vacation in Val Di Fassa selecting hotels in Canazei, Moena or Campitello di Fassa, choose a charming chalet style apartment in Val Gardena in famous destinations as Selva di Val Gardena, or stay in a wellness hotel in Cavalese, in the heart of Val di Fiemme. But this is just to mentions a few.

Many of the hotels listed in the pages of Travideal offers direct access to ski slopes, as it is in Madonna di Campiglio, or they are easily connected in minutes with ski buses.

Both if you are choosing the Dolomites, Aosta Valley or the Alps of Lombardy or Veneto, you will enjoy your skiing holiday because of the beauty of the setting which will surround you: the magnificence of the Alps.

Surce: > Travideal > Skiing holiday on the Italian Alps

Hotels in Italy for Underwater Diving Lovers

The peculiar shape of Italy, (a peninsula completely dipped in the Mediterranean sea) , with 7500 kilometres of coasts, offers to the scuba diving lovers (and in general to the underwater divers) the possibility to choose from an incredibly high number of destinations perfect for the practice of this sport.


The sea which surrounds Italy is definitely interesting: free-diving, snorkelling, scuba diving. Just a lot to see for lovers of underwater diving.

Travideal suggests many hotels in Italy which are good accommodation to practice underwater diving in Italy: hotels in Calabria, Sardinia, Sicily and many other regions including Liguria, Tuscany and Latium.

Moreover in the pages of Travideal, underwater diving lovers will be able to find many scuba diving professional centres with highly specialized staff who will be able to guide you to the nicest depths in the Mediterranean Sea along the coasts of Italy. For example on the Aeolian Islands, where it is still possible the discovery of Roman and Greek relicts, you will be able to contact the Diving Center “La Gorgonia”, based in Lipari Island and managed by Giuseppe Vadalà, or Apogon Diving Center, based on the Filicudi Island.

In Sardinia, destination preferred by many Scuba Divers and underwater diving lovers, we list, among the others, Orosei Diving Center and Blue Service Alghero.

Practising Underwater Diving in Italy it is the best way to discover the “deep” beauties of the Mediterranean Sea and its wonders made by marvellous depths and (unique in the world) hundreds of Relicts from all the ages: from Ancient Greece to World War 2.

See: Travideal > Underwater Diving in Italy