Sandra‘s Closet

Nestled along the untouched coastline of Sicily, Verdura Resort is raising the bar for luxury sports travel in 2026. With a newly expanded racket program that reads more like a Grand Slam lineup than a hotel activity schedule, the Rocco Forte property is positioning itself as one of Europe’s premier destinations for tennis and padel enthusiasts, without sacrificing an ounce of its signature elegance.

At the heart of the offering are six red clay championship courts, two padel courts and a dedicated pickleball court, all set against the kind of dramatic Sicilian scenery that makes even a warm-up feel cinematic. A new partnership with LUX Tennis brings additional coaching expertise to the resort, expanding the program to cover all ages and levels, from complimentary introductory sessions to private coaching and group clinics.

The real headline, however, is the Academies with the Stars series. Former World No. 1 Martina Hingis kicks things off with a masterclass from April 27 to 30, followed by a session with beloved Italian duo Fabio Fognini and Flavia Pennetta from July 21 to 24, a combination that promises as much personality as it does technique. Gilles Muller rounds out the tennis calendar from August 27 to September 2, while padel takes center stage on August 18 and 19 with masterclasses led by Teo Zapata and Iñigo Joffre.

New for 2026 is the Sport & Lifestyle Hub, where a dedicated concierge team curates bespoke itineraries combining sport, wellness and outdoor adventure. Think Jeep tours, cycling routes and quad excursions into the Sicilian hinterland.

For those who believe that a perfect holiday should leave you both energized and utterly restored, Verdura Resort in 2026 may well be the answer.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Verdura Resort
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TRAME: A JOURNEY INTO PUGLIA’S ARTISANAL SOUL
Masseria Torre Maizza, Season 2026

Puglia has always seduced the discerning traveller with its bone-white trulli, silver-olive light, and a pace of life that feels almost defiant in its ease. This season, Masseria Torre Maizza offers something rarer still: a way in.

Rocco Forte’s sun-bleached retreat opens its 2026 season with Trame, Italian for threads, and also, fittingly, for plots. Curated exclusively for hotel guests in partnership with a local specialist, the programme is less itinerary, more immersion: a slow unravelling of Puglia’s artisanal soul, told through textile, light, and the hands that shape them.

THE ART OF TEXTILES
At Fondazione Le Costantine in Casamassella, traditional embroidery and four-shaft wooden loom weaving have been kept alive for generations. Guests explore an original tool archive, a remarkable textile library, and walk through surrounding nature,  the very flora that has inspired the patterns for centuries.

In Francavilla Fontana, Bottega Dalmut represents the finest expression of Italian bespoke: hand-finished garments and shoes crafted from noble fabrics and leathers. A private style consultation unfolds inside a 19th-century palazzo; fittings follow in the comfort of your own suite.

Further into the Valle d’Itria, a master of Tombolo lace, historically woven into every Puglian bride’s trousseau, opens his atelier for an intimate bobbin lace workshop. Meditative, rhythmic, and quietly moving.

THE ART OF LIGHT
No experience of Puglia is complete without its luminarie: the elaborate hand-crafted light installations that have illuminated southern Italian festivals for centuries. A master craftsman opens his studio for an intimate introduction to the tradition, every element made by hand, traditional motifs reinterpreted with contemporary sensibility, resulting in light sculptures that are as much architecture as they are art.

Trame is not a tour programme. It is an argument for a different kind of travel, one measured not in landmarks visited, but in things genuinely understood. Each experience can be personalised through the Masseria’s concierge. Because the most beautiful journeys, much like the finest cloth, are always made to measure.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.