Discover

What Discover does

Discoverplaces.travel Srl (operating as Discover) is an Italian private limited company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Paliano, Frosinone, with a secondary office in Sydney, Australia. The company operates a bilingual (Italian/English) digital publishing platform focused on lesser-known Italian towns and localities, hosting a library of more than 20,000 articles and 30,000 images produced largely in-house. Its editorial scope targets travelers interested in off-the-beaten-path Italian destinations, as well as Italian-descendant communities abroad and domestic tourism micro-entrepreneurs.

The company's core product is the discoverplaces.travel website, supplemented by a Tourist Guides collection and structured programs such as the Town Ambassador Award (carried out under the patronage of Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/MAECI and ENIT), 'Turismo tra i Banchi' for schools, and 'Amico del Turista', a micro-training program for tourism operators. It is led by founder Claudia Bettiol, an engineer and futurist with a Ph.D. in sustainability, and operates with a small (1–10 employee) all-female team. No external funding rounds have been disclosed.

Revenue mechanics appear to combine development consultancy for small municipalities, promotional and newsletter services for tourism micro-businesses, sales of curated Tourist Guides, and institutional partnership income from regional bodies such as Lazio Innova, ANCI Lazio, and the University of Cassino. The go-to-market is niche and mission-driven: positioning Discover as a curator-advocate for small-town Italian tourism rather than a mass-market travel marketplace. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or platform integrations are disclosed.

Name

Discover

Legal name

Discoverplaces.travel Srl

Website

https://discoverplaces.travel

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Discover (Discoverplaces.travel Srl) is an Italian publishing platform founded in 2016 that produces bilingual editorial content on lesser-known Italian towns, serving travelers, small municipalities, tourism micro-entrepreneurs, and the Italian diaspora.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Publishing & Consulting

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Tour Operators (56152), Museums (71211)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tours, Activities & Experiences Booking Platforms (BPAMAIAJ), Culture, Heritage & Arts Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAK), Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps (MPACAKAB)

Keywords

• Travel publishing
• Tourism consulting
• Cultural heritage
• Destination marketing
• Travel content platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Paliano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Publishing: Publishes Tourist Guides to towns Italy collection. Generates revenue through content licensing and publication sales.
2. Professional Consulting: Territorial development consulting services including 'Pillole di Turismo' (Tourism Pills) and 'Pillole di Accoglienza' (Hospitality Tips) micro-training programs for tourism professionals.
3. Newsletter Subscription: Weekly newsletter published every Thursday with the best stories from Italian territories, distributed to subscribers.
4. Promotional Services: Product promotion services for small businesses and producers to enhance their visibility through the platform.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Discover operates a bilingual publishing platform that promotes small Italian towns through curated storytelling and tourist guides available on discoverplaces.travel. It sells professional development consulting, town ambassador community programs, micro-training for tourism operators, in-school educational initiatives, and recurring newsletter subscriptions. Additional revenue comes from one-time guide licensing and promotional services for municipalities and tourism businesses.

Product overview

Discoverplaces.travel is a bilingual (Italian/English) travel publishing platform and website that promotes small Italian towns and villages through editorial content, community storytelling, and territorial development services. The core offering consists of a digital platform hosting over 20,000 articles and 30,000 photographs organized into content categories (Culture, Sport, Activities, Taste, Festivals), complemented by ancillary programs including the Town Ambassador Award for diaspora engagement, the 'Turismo tra i Banchi' school program, and micro-training courses through the 'Amico del Turista' initiative. Additional services include professional territorial development consultancy and a weekly newsletter with a dedicated readership. The company also runs a storytelling campaign called 'The Future in Our Roots' to engage readers in sharing stories about Italian localities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tourist Guides to Towns Collection
• Town Ambassador Program
• Turismo tra i Bancho
• Amico del Turista (Friend of the Tourist)
• Development Consultancy Services
• Newsletter Subscription

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Lazio InnovacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional innovation agency supporting territorial development initiatives. Listed as credential on website footer.
• University of CassinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for research and development of territorial tourism initiatives. Collaboration on European Researchers' Night events.
• ANCI LaziocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation of Italian Municipalities Lazio. Partnership for 'Amico Comune' radio series featuring weekly interviews with mayors.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy (MAECI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing patronage for Town Ambassador Award. Hosted DiscoverPlaces at Farnesina for Tourism of Roots strategic table.
• Agenzia Nazionale Turismo (ENIT)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian National Tourism Board. Provides patronage for Town Ambassador Award program.
• Horse Museum FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation dedicated to horse heritage. Joint 'Wines & Horses' column and featured in projects section.
• Friend of Tourist (Amico del Turista)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMicro-training program for tourism workers and professionals to improve hospitality standards.
• Turismo tra i BanchiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSchool program developed for educational tourism and territorial awareness among students.
• Istituto OBOR ItaliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Italy-China culture and tourism year initiatives and online meetings.
• FuTouRoma 19>25minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partnership for future-oriented territorial initiatives.
• FISEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian equestrian federation; collaboration through Horse Museum Foundation initiatives.
• CPAFFCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChina People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; related to China-Italy tourism connections.
• Donna Vittori - Borgo AgricolominorGTM or Marketing PartnerWinery and restaurant featured in articles and events; President Maria Vittori involved with Horse Museum Foundation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• GetYourGuide: Global marketplace for tours, activities, and experiences including Italian destinations. Comparable in connecting international tourists to Italian experiences, but operates as a booking platform rather than editorial publisher.
• Tripadvisor: Global travel content and review platform with substantial Italy coverage including small towns. Comparable as a destination discovery and content platform, though operates at vastly larger scale with user-generated reviews rather than editorial storytelling.
• Lonely Planet (Italy content): Global travel publisher with extensive Italy guidebooks, articles, and online content covering destinations including smaller towns. Overlaps with DiscoverPlaces' editorial mission of curating content about Italian places, but at global scale.
• Italia.it: The official Italian government tourism portal operated by ENIT, promoting Italian destinations including lesser-known territories to international audiences. Comparable as a content discovery platform for Italian tourism but with vastly greater resources and official mandate.

Direct peers

• Secret Food Tours: Tour operator specializing in food and cultural walking tours in Italian and other cities, with editorial content supporting bookings. Comparable in its combination of storytelling about local culture, food, and heritage with curated tourism experiences.
• Walks of Italy: Italy-focused tour operator and content publisher offering guided experiences in Italian cities and towns. Comparable in its editorial coverage of Italian destinations paired with bookable tourism services.
• I Borghi più Belli d'Italia: The official association of Italy's most beautiful villages, curating editorial content, member villages, and tourism initiatives for small Italian towns. Highly comparable in its focus on territorial promotion of borghi and small municipalities.
• Italia Mia Magazine: Bilingual English-Italian cultural publication covering Italian lifestyle, travel, food, and heritage. Comparable in targeting international audiences (particularly Italian descendants) interested in Italian territorial and cultural discovery.
• Touring Club Italiano: Italy's oldest and largest tourism association, publishing travel content, maps, and guides about Italian territories including lesser-known borghi. Directly comparable mission of promoting Italian heritage and territorial discovery through editorial content.

Regional players

• The Local Italy: English-language news and lifestyle publication focused on Italy, covering culture, travel, and expat-relevant Italian topics. Comparable as a bilingual English-Italian content platform serving international audiences interested in Italian life and travel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/discoverplaces1
• Facebookfacebook.com/discoverplaces.travel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/discover-places-travel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Discover