Foundation of Florencetown
Luca Perfetto and Urbano Brini, college friends and travel enthusiasts, start their own travel company, Florencetown, focused on designing high-end experiences in Florence and Tuscany for foreign travelers. In 2012, Patrizio Motevecchi joined them as an investor partner.
Foundation of Italy eXPerience
Saverio Castilletti, after decades spent working in Marketing, founds with Chiara and Franco Paioletti ItalyXP, an innovative marketplace that brings together tourism experiences provided by local tour operators all over Italy.
We meet each other
In the hustle and bustle of one of the many travel trade fairs around Europe, ItalyXP and Florencetown ran into each other. That is the beginning of years of successful partnership.
Network of tourism companies
Florencetown becomes a member of ItalyXP.com Preferred Network, create by ItalyXP together with other enterprises of experiential travel in Italy.
Arno Travel becomes part of Florencetown
Florencetown welcomes the acquisition of Arno Travel – Florentine on site travel planner since 1969 -as the luxury division of the company, specialized in tailor-made travel design and events.
Things are going great
Italyxp, Florencetown and Arno businesses are constantly growing in their own field. That is a golden year for experiential tourism and their partnership is strengthened after many more travel trade fairs, emails and business visits.
The unprecedented disruption
Covid-19 pandemics freezes the entire world and hits hard the travel and tourism industry, like never before. It is among the most damaged global industries.
Turning problems into opportunities
In the midst of the apparently never-ending pandemic crises, Saverio is keen to visualize opportunities lying underneath difficulties and involves Luca and Urbano in the idea of joining forces to build together their own way to revival to the next normal of tourism. The greatest opportunity is about to arise.
Together we can make a bigger difference – To Italy Group foundation
From the shared core beliefs and visions of ItalyXP, Florencetown and Arno and their leaders the project of the first experiential travel group in Italy was born and received a significant round of investment from Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP venture sgr) and a private equity firm. This project has now a name: To Italy Group – the Italian Experience.