Monza in September is a place where the noise arrives before the view does, and it was against that backdrop that ACI blueteam chose to unveil its newest project. The company, which belongs to the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) Group, officially presented Capolavoro, a brand devoted to luxury incoming travel. Its purpose is to show Italy to international visitors through highly personalised journeys that draw together motorsport, Italian lifestyle, culture, gastronomy, design and exclusive access.
The launch took place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza during the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, a setting that captures the thinking behind the project rather neatly. A passion for racing, the organisers argue, can serve as a way into a deeper, more exclusive and more authentic Italy. Those present included representatives of the ACI Group, the travel industry and the motorsport world, among them Carlo Bagnasco, President of ACI blueteam. Also on hand was Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula 1 World Champion, whose presence illustrated one of Capolavoro’s guiding principles: that access to extraordinary people, places and stories can be turned into travel experiences unlike any other.
The idea at the heart of it is a simple one. Italy, in the brand’s view, should not merely be visited but lived. Capolavoro will design tailor-made journeys for high-net-worth international clients, linking the country’s best-known destinations with places, people and experiences that sit outside the traditional tourist circuits. Motorsport is a central pillar, yet the concept reaches well beyond the track. Luxury cars and motorcycles, celebrated circuits and private collections will sit alongside Italian design and fashion, art, architecture, fine dining, wine, craftsmanship, yachting and regional heritage, all gathered into one carefully curated ecosystem.
Francesco Comotti, Project Manager of Capolavoro, was clear about what the brand does not intend to be. Speaking during the presentation, he said the ambition is not to produce yet another catalogue of luxury tours but an ‘Italian ecosystem of experiences’, one able to connect territories, businesses, hospitality, motorsport and international travellers. The initiative will draw on the extensive network of Automobile Clubs across Italy, whose deep local presence should help to identify authentic experiences and lesser-known destinations, and to give overseas guests privileged entry to the country’s cultural and entrepreneurial heritage. That approach rests on a redefinition of luxury itself. For Capolavoro it is no longer measured only by five-star hotels, private jets or exclusive restaurants. Increasingly, the real luxury is access: stepping into places normally closed to the public, meeting remarkable individuals, hearing stories that have rarely been told, and seeing Italy from an ‘insider’ perspective. The portfolio reflects this, ranging from private culinary encounters and visits to artisan ateliers to supercar driving, track access, private residences, cultural events and meetings with leading figures from the automotive and sporting worlds. The aim is to shape journeys in which top-tier service and a strong sense of place sit comfortably side by side.
The choice of the Italian Grand Prix for the debut was far from accidental. Capolavoro GP Hospitality is conceived as something more than conventional Formula 1 hospitality. The race becomes the door to a wider Italian experience, linking the excitement of the weekend with Milan, Italian fashion and design, Lake Como, gastronomy, automotive tradition and the cultural heritage of the north. The weekend is not simply an event to watch; it is the starting point of a bespoke journey curated before, during and after the race. Monza is the first chapter, and new international itineraries tied to the country’s major motorsport events are already in development, among them Imola and Misano. Another point of difference is the emphasis on the human element. For a traveller from abroad, meeting a World Champion is more than a photograph; it can be the beginning of a personal story and a memory that cannot be repeated. Hill embodies that approach, and Capolavoro is already working with Momentum Experiences, an international tour operator specialising in motorsport, on two exclusive itineraries for 2027 and 2028 with Hill as special guest. They will blend motorsport, Italian landscapes, culture, cuisine and lifestyle, and each will be built around the guests’ own passions and stories.
Behind all this stands ACI blueteam S.p.A., a company of the ACI Group that specialises in corporate travel, MICE, leisure travel and services for partner agencies. Founded in 1998, it ranks among the top five Italian Travel Management Companies by volume, and its business model is designed to meet the mobility needs of corporate and private clients alike, combining technological innovation with human expertise. ACI’s own relationship with mobility and the automobile stretches back more than a century, but its distinctive strength lies in a nationwide network and a detailed knowledge of the territory. Capolavoro aims to turn that network into an international platform that shows lesser-known Italian excellence to affluent travellers.
Carlo Bagnasco presented the project as an evolution of the company’s role in the travel sector. ‘Capolavoro is much more than a new commercial initiative,’ he said. ‘It is our vision to share Italy through what it does best: inspiring emotion, surprising guests, and creating lasting memories. We want to turn our deep knowledge of the country and our local connections into extraordinary experiences for international travellers. The Automobile Club network provides an unmatched opportunity to discover and highlight an Italy that doesn’t always fit into standard itineraries: its people, craft traditions, scenic roads, landscapes, and stories.’ He also read the launch as a sign of a profound shift in the luxury travel market. ‘Luxury travellers are increasingly seeking authentic, highly personalised, and hard-to-replicate experiences,’ he observed. ‘They aren’t just looking for a destination; they want emotion, stories, and exclusive access. Capolavoro allows ACI blueteam to combine our global travel expertise with the incredible heritage of the Automobile Club d’Italia, our connection to motorsport, and our local expertise. Our ambition is to build a platform that connects destinations, partners, experiences, and global travellers, with Italy at its heart.’
To reach that goal, Capolavoro will work with international tour operators, luxury travel advisors, specialised partners and global networks, engaging high-net-worth travellers in key markets around the world. The experience portfolio will rely on partnerships with luxury and boutique hotels, restaurants, wineries, artisans, designers, private estates, luxury mobility providers, private aviation and helicopter services, racetracks and automotive companies. Technology will support the whole network, allowing the brand to create itineraries that grow more tailored as each traveller’s interests and expectations come into focus. The intention is to build a new model of Italian incoming travel: not a collection of standardised packages, but a curated ecosystem in which every journey is designed around the individual.
It all comes back to a single line in the brand’s philosophy. The goal is not to have travellers say ‘I’ve been to Italy.’ It is to have them say ‘I’ve lived Italy.’
Discover more @ www.capolavoroitaly.com
Article edited by Massimo Basile
Editor & Founder