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

Nature, relax and good food in Tuscany

Odina is a medieval hamlet, that has recently been restored and is situated in the very heart of the Tuscan countryside off the beaten track. At Odina there are no televisions, nor telephones in the bedrooms. But, on the other hand there are thick forests of oak, chestnut and pine, where mushrooms and wild herbs grow.


The whole area is a heaven for wildlife, hawks can often be seen circling overhead, deer graze on the wooded forest slopes, hare dart along country tracks, you might even be lucky enough to spot a wild boar by night as it strays from its hiding place amongst the trees. Squirrels too make their home in the lush green woods. Odina is an ideal choice for those seeking simple pleasures amidst the peace and tranquillity of this area.

New hotels in Italy listed today on Italia Lodging

- Torre del Borgo, Gropparello Bed and Breakfast
- Grand Hotel Michelacci, Gabicce Mare Hotel
- Podere Casellina, Reggello Country inn
- Podere I Gobbi, Montopoli Val D'Arno Villa - Apartment
- Villa La Vigna, Subbiano Villa - Apartment
- Il Nido, Castel del Piano Villa - Apartment  

Caravaggio Rome Tickets

If you want to buy in advance tickets for the Caravaggio exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, CLICK HERE

and then click on the "buy the ticket on-line"

Here a few useful information:

Full price € 10,00
Reduced price € 7,50
Groups € 7,50 and Schools € 4,00 each student Monday to Friday (holidays excluded)
Groups € 10,00 Saturday, Sunday and holiday
Groups and schools must booked in advance (charge)

Opening hours

Caravaggio
20 February - 13 June 2010

Monday to Thursday 9:30am to 8:00pm
Friday 9:30am to 10:30pm
Saturday 9:00am to 10:30pm
Sunday 9:00am to 8:00pm
Admission is allowed until one hour before closing time.


Admission and Guided Tours

Caravaggio
20 February - 13 June 2010

Full price € 10,00
Reduced price € 7,50
Groups € 7,50 and Schools € 4,00 each student Monday to Friday (holidays excluded)
Groups € 10,00 Saturday, Sunday and holiday
Groups and schools must booked in advance (charge)

How to reach us

On the bus
16-170-36-360-37-38-40-60-61-62-64-70-H

On the underground
metro A (get off at Piazza della Repubblica)
metro B (get off at Cavour)

From the train station (Stazione Termini)
From Piazza dei Cinquecento (in front of station)
take bus 40 (towards Piazza Pia/Castel S. Angelo)
2 stops and get off at Nazionale/Quirinale;
walk 100 meters to the Scuderie del Quirinale

Italia Lodging - Hotels in Rome

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Bed and Breakfast in Italy

A new website for those who are looking for bed and breakfast in Italy. A quality website aimed to offer a good photo selection, nice grafics, easy surfing and a direct contact with the innkeeper. This website offers olso a nice selection of small hotels in Italy, farm guest houses and independent apartments.

Visit Bed And Breakfast Italy .COM clicking here
http://www.bed-and-breakfast-italy.com/

Italy luxury hotels

Dear Guest,

it is with great pleasure that we welcome you through the pages of “Luxury Accommodation in Italy”, the finest selection of luxury hotels in Italy, historical estates, country manors and, in some rare but excellent cases, bed and breakfast accommodation you can choose among to plan your deluxe stay in our peninsula.

Browsing through this website you will be delighted by the sight of the very best Italy has to offer you: a historic manor in Veneto, a castle in Chianti, a charming hotel in the Dolomites or in Sicily, a breathtaking suite in Rome or Sorrento. All of them have been selected with utmost care according to strict criteria: quality, beauty, class, comfort, impeccable service. In a word: luxury.

Managing the Italia Lodging website we have been dealing with many different kinds of accommodation over the years, and quality has always been the main keyword in the selection of lodgings to be listed. As the overall level of hotels and country inns grew higher and higher, we soon realised that some of them were somewhat special and tended to stand out both aesthetically and qualitatively: beyond high standards, they had “personality”. They were not simply farm houses or standard hotels, so we thought they deserved particular attention and should be promoted separately in a website that could exalt all their charm and style.

“Luxury Accommodation in Italy” was devised following the exalting idea of creating a “luxury only” network, a garland of incomparable pearls all over Italy which are so different form each other yet all so fascinating, so gorgeous, so luxurious. Just a few selected places, all bookable on-line, for the most demanding clients who plan to spend an exclusive stay in Italy filling their eyes with beauty and wrapping themselves in a soft blanket of comfort, treat and class.

Take your time, have a look. Choosing your destination is not going to be an easy task.

http://www.luxury-accommodation-italy.com/

Taormina Hotel between beathtaking views and aristocratic hospitality

Family owned Villa Schuler was converted from a Sicilian villa into a hotel in 1905. In recent years the hotel has been extensively refurbished emphasizing its original elegance, charm and atmosphere. Superbly situated high above the Ionian Sea, its unique position offers stupendous views of snow-capped Mount Etna and the Bay of Naxos. Centrally located next to the delightful Botanical Gardens and just 2 minutes from Taormina's famous traffic free "Corso Umberto". The ancient Greek-Roman theatre and the cable car to the beaches are just a 10 minutes' walk away.

The hotel is surrounded by its own extensive, subtropical, shady terraced gardens, where the fragrance of jasmine and bougainvillea flowers blend into a heaven for guests seeking comfortable, romantic surroundings.


21 spacious rooms, 5 Junior Suites and 1 Garden Villa Suite, all with individually controlled A/C, full bathroom, hairdryer, orthopaedic beds, telephone, Wi-Fi, satellite TV, radio, alarm clock, electronic safe, sound-proofed doors and double-glazing, most of them with sea view, furnished balcony, terrace or loggia. Junior Suites on our elevated ground floor or on the top (3rd) floor, all with veranda/sitting area and terrace.

>> Hotel Villa Schuler Website


Enjoy your charming hotel in Taormina, Sicily, with Italia Lodging, Charming small hotels in Italy

Exclusive Hotel in Venice

For over a century, this intimate, charming Venice hotel has been quietly extending its very special brand of hospitality to guests from around the world. Recently renovated to the highest standards of luxury and comfort, it is now confidently poised to take its place alongside Venice's top properties. On the waterfront, literally only seconds away from Saint Mark's Square and the heart of the city, it enjoys one of Venice's most privileged locations and commands a truly unforgettable view of Saint Mark's Basin and the Island of San Giorgio.

Warm and inviting, each guest room has been elegantly appointed with sumptuous fabrics, fine paintings, exquisite Murano glass and all the amenities and comforts a discerning traveller expects. Wooden beams, boiseries, flower-decked terraces with intriguing views add to the enjoyment. The hotel's stunning 14 junior suites and one suite boast a breathtaking lagoon view and all but those on the first floor have panoramic balconies and terraces. It is important to note that the very same high, exacting level of quality and comfort prevails in every room.

The Venice Hotel Savoia & Jolanda is located in the historical centre of Venice, a few minutes away from St. Mark Square, in a splendid position along Riva degli Schiavoni, in front of the Venice lagoon, from there it enjoys the unforgettable view of Saint Mark's Basin and the St. George Island. Its position allows one to reach easily the Mercerie and Via XXII Marzo with some of the world's finest shopping and to visit the Venice palaces, museums and the art galleries, lesser-known Venice like the more fascinating and secluded as the Sestiere Castello.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WEBSITE

Italia Lodging - Charming small hotels in Italy

Italia Lodging wish you a happy new year

The staff of Italia Lodging - Charming Accommodation in Italy, wish you all a happy new year 2007.

Italy tourist Areas - Newly added

In order to make easier to our visitors the way they find accommodation in Italy on our website, we have listed a couple of new tourist areas.

Grouping destinations part of the same geographical region, we may help visitors to locate the accommodation which better suites with the specific needs for each one.

Here you have the newly addad areas:

Italian Alps
http://www.italialodging.com/accommodation_italian_alps.htm
The scenic Italian Alps comprise lush valleys and pine forests set against the backdrop of jagged white peaks stretching through the clouds. The Alps are loved by everyone: by sports enthusiasts who wait for the winter months in order to get out onto the downhill slopes or to slide around the upland plains on the cross-country ski circuits; by the mountaineers who go up in summer to almost inaccessible paths that take them to within an inch of infinity; by nature-lovers who can explore the parks. The Italian mountains are for everyone - a marvelous place in all the seasons of the year. Six Italian Regions overlooking the Alps: Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino - Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Don't miss the Dolomites: Le Corbusier called the Dolomites "the most beautiful architecture in the world."
Regions forming this area:
Valle d'Aosta - Piedmont - Lombardy - Trentino Alto Adige - Veneto - Friuli Venezia Giulia


Dolomites
http://www.italialodging.com/accommodation_dolomites.htm
Dolomites. A magic that has been repeating itself for millions of years. When day gives way to evening's first shadows, it casts an enchanting spell. Pink rock faces, like the colour of the legend. Like King Laurin's rose. Vast and varied woods and forests are to be found in the Dolomites. An immense plant kingdom. There are 10 Natural Parks that protect the Dolomites' natural heritage. A multitude of museums within the Dolomites recount the history of this land and its people. An immense patrimony that is to be discovered and respected
Regions forming this area:
Trentino Alto Adige - Veneto

Lake Garda
http://www.italialodging.com/accommodation_lake_garda.htm
Lake Garda - the entrance to the south, the first tasting of the Italian way of life behind the Alps. The Lake lies beautifully embedded between high mountains, olive groves and vineyards. The region around the Lake is Alpine and Mediterranean at the same time and stupefies by its variety of countryside, vegetation and culture. The places around Lake Garda captivate their visitors with their southern atmosphere, they invite to go for a stroll, to go shopping or to simply enjoy doing nothing at all. At the same time, this region, full of contrasts, is one of the biggest activity playgrounds in Europe. Here you can find climbing rocks immediately next to surfing spots, mountainbike trails which end on a beach and from the top of a 2000m mountain you can watch the sailing boats on the Lake
Regions forming this area:
Trentino Alto Adige - Veneto - Lombardy

Salento
http://www.italialodging.com/accommodation_salento.htm
Salento (Salentu in dialect) is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot". It encompasses the administrative areas of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto provinces. The peninsula is also known as Terra d'Otranto, and in ancient times was called variously Messapia, Calabria, and Salentina. Salento is a peaceful land full of history and traditions whose strong points are its natural and architectural beauties, its hospitality, its magic atmosphere, its several wonders to discover, its warm sun, its blue sky, its crystal sea and its dreamlike coast
Regions forming this area:
Apulia


Enjoy surfing Italia Lodging - Charming accommodation in Italy

Siena independent apartment

Newly added accommodation in Siena

A peace and relax oasis with a marvellous view on Siena

Holiday House “Fontebenedetta” is located in Siena, in a very strategic area for those who want to have the city at hand’s reach while enjoying some relaxing and peaceful moments in an enchanting park. “Fontebenedetta” was built in the XIX Century nearby an ancient source of natural water from which it probably derives its name. The house is located on the top of a hill overlooking Siena and Basilica dell’Osservanza.

The property is about five hectares large and its park extends over the side of the hill east of Siena.

Fontebenedetta is composed of six self-catering apartments with breathtaking views on Siena and Tuscany landscapes. The apartments, located in the villa and in the adjoining rural buildings, are furnished according to the traditional style of the ancient country houses and are equipped with satellite TV and independent heating for winter stays.

The small holm oak wood, nicely cool also during summer and equipped with table and chairs, is the perfect place to have a pleasant moment in complete relax enjoying the sounds and perfumes of nature. A really enchanting place where, with a little luck, you will have the chance to meet wild animals such as squirrels, hares, pheasants, turtles, swallows, hoopoes, finches…

The garden is equipped with tables and chairs at guests’ disposal for open air meals.

The swimming pool, placed on a natural terrace, overlooks valleys, vineyards and centuries-old cypresses: open all day long, it is complete with high board, ladder and open air shower. A solarium area with beach chairs and beds surrounds the swimming pool.

The private parking, which is protected by two electronic gates, is just a few minutes away from the apartments.

The busses to the city centre stop just a few metres away from Fontebenedetta. The train station can be easily reached on foot.

Fontebenedetta is an enchanting accommodation to enjoy a relaxing stay the Siena countryside immersed in nature and just a few minutes away from the centre of this fabulous art city.

Website: http://www.italialodging.com/est/fontebenedetta/

Italia Lodging - Italy charming hotels

Bormio: charming hotels

Newly added accommodation

In Bormio, warmth and tradition directly in front of the ski pistes

In Bormio, Valtellina, Italian Alps: tradition and warmth, combined with 3 generations of passion for hospitality: this is Hotel La Genzianella. A house decorated with warm wood and precious materials, directly in front of the ski pistes and a short walk from the town centre. The World ski cup Stelvio piste and the ski lifts are right in front of the Genzianella (about 50M ), and Bormio’s historic centre is only 3 minutes away.

Wood and loving touches create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, one that invites you to take on the day with calm and tranquillity. A non smoking hotel that always allows you to breath fresh air!

All the 40 rooms have been refurbished in the past two years. Classic: tastefully decorated, each of these bedrooms has parquet, telephone, TV, bathroom, safe, hairdryer and balcony. Panorama: from the sunny front balcony of these rooms you have a fabulous view of the Stelvio ski slope.
Individually decorated and with wooden floor they are equipped with telephone, TV, safe and hairdryer. Charme: unique, special and cosy, they offer a relaxing hydro massage shower or tub. All with sat-tv, safe, hairdryer and mini bar. Family Room: Made up of two connected bed rooms and one bathroom, these bed rooms have been especially designed for families. Junior Suite: Full of traditional flair, beautiful décor, these bedrooms offer a comfortable living room and a romantic atmosphere. Equipped of all comforts, including a hydro massage tub/shower, can host up to four persons.

Spoil yourself with our cuisine… The menu consists of an hors d’oeuvres, vegetable and salad buffet, a choice from four first courses, a choice from four second courses, a selection of local cheeses and last but not least ,one of the many tempting sweets, all prepared by the chef who is always seeking out traditional and modern flavours.

For breakfast …. the smell of French toast, the sizzle of bacon, the wonderful coffee aroma,
the local farmer’s fresh butter that in the summer has a delicate mountain herb scent... are enough to perk up almost any morning grouch after an early rising! Simply the perfect introduction to conquer the Alta Valtellina’s highest peaks!

Relax after a mountain expedition in the Stelvio National Park. Feel regenerated after a day’s skiing on Valtellina’s slopes. The day hasn’t finished yet……. A session in the finish sauna, a powerful shower like a waterfall and a peaceful moment in the relax room will bring you back to life before dinner!

It will be a pleasure to host you in our hotel and to let you enjoy Bormio, Valtellina both for winter sports and for summer holidays. Looking forward to meeting you soon!

Web site: http://www.italialodging.com/est/hotellagenzianella/

Italia Lodging - Charming accommodation in Italy