The Italian job

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THE TREVI FOUNTAIN IN ROME: A must-see for all clients visiting the city.

Selling Italy couldn't be easier; the country is not only famous for its culture, fashion and shopping, but it's also a GCC traveller favourite.

Italy is one of Europe's most complex and alluring destinations; a modern, bustling nation, steeped in culture and carefully preserved traditions and boasting an artistic and architectural legacy that few can rival.

And if there's one thing a trip to Italy can offer in abundance, it is style. If you want to see beauty, be it art, sculpture, architecture or fashion, Italy can provide, while it offers some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on earth.

The Italian people themselves are energetic, passionate and are known for embracing life to the full and this is reflected in the number of festivals that are staged in Italy throughout the year celebrating anything from religion to a good harvest.

Cooking and eating good cuisine is enormously important - Italy is famous for its pasta and pizzas - and fashion and style is a national obsession.

Clients visiting Italy will notice that the collective evening stroll or ‘passeggiata' - a sociable affair celebrated by young and old alike in every town and village across the country - is a domestic ritual and one they might like to adopt during their sojourn to the country.

Italy's main cities boast art, history, architecture, gastronomy and enough boutique fashion stores to give shopaholics their annual fix, while the countryside offers lakes and mountains in the north of the country, vineyards and rolling green hills in the Tuscan region and the coastal areas promise beaches and quaint little seaside villages.

History buffs or just regular sightseers will be wowed by icons such as the Coliseum, Vatican and the Forum in Rome, the leaning tower in Pisa and the Piazza Del Duomo in Florence.

Italy is also home to two volcanoes - Vesuvius near Naples and the famous city of Pompeii and Mount Etna on Sicily, the large island that lies at the southern tip of the mainland. With such a diverse offering, it is easy to see why Italy has been such a success with Middle East travellers.

"I actually struggle to think of things Italy doesn't have," says Alpha Holidays product manager John Flower.

"Travel agents here [in the GCC] know all about Italy and they sell it well because it's been so popular. The scenery, the food, the culture and the shopping; it's all there."

Roaming Rome

The city of Rome lies between the hills and the sea. The Italians have a saying, ‘Rome, non basta una vita' meaning ‘Rome, one lifetime is not enough' and visiting clients will see what they mean.

Walk along any street and you will find a statue, a fountain, part of an ancient wall or a piazza. Rome is bursting with so much art and architecture that the entire city is like an open-air museum.

Rome is of course home to the Vatican, the home of the Pope and the capital of the Roman Catholic church, as well as the Forum, which was the centre of commercial and political life in ancient Rome.

The Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain are also hugely famous tourism hot spots in Rome and definite must-sees.

Accommodation options in Rome cater to every budget. High-end GCC clients looking for luxury can be steered towards the five-star deluxe Regina Hotel Baglioni, located near the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Via Condotti with its famous shops and cafes. The property has 143 rooms including 10 suites and junior suites, some of which contain large terraces and outdoor jacuzzi hot tubs.

Rome is surprisingly close to the sea and the hills so clients do not have to travel far to experience diverse scenery and attractions.

These include Palestrina, a pretty hilltown covering the ruins of a gigantic temple; Bagnaia with its beautiful Italian gardens at Villa Lante; and Sperlonga, a seaside town to the south of Rome.

Travel agents are advised to offer multi-destination packages to Italy that combine Rome and other key cities.

Swift train services operate from Rome to Umbria, Tuscany and Campania offering clients the chance to visit Florence, Naples, Orvieto, Spoleto and Siena, to name but a few. It is therefore a good idea to offer details of rail connections and prices when selling packages says Alpha Holidays general manager Fabian Fernandes.

"Rail tours are becoming more popular because it gives the client flexibility and allows them to do open-jaw bookings," he says."UAE clients don't have rail at home at the moment so they want to experience it with their families.

Fernandes acknowledges that most agents don't sell rail packages at present due to lack of awareness but believes once they recognise the demand for this product and the commission that they could earn, the situation will change.

"We are the only company to push rail packages to the UAE trade, but in the last year we've noticed it has become a really popular way to travel and I think that trend is going to continue," he says.

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