Our story

1984  The founder of Vacanze col Cuore is Loek van de Loo, a Dutch entrepreneur who has been active for more than 40 years in the world of outdoor tourism in Italy and the rest of Europe. His entrepreneurial career began in 1984 when Loek founded a tour operator called 'Vacanceselect' (then Intergarda), specialized in the promotion of tourism on Lake Garda for the Dutch market. Based on the strength of the direct sales channel, Loek founds Camping Village Weekend on Lake Garda. A vacation resort that over the years has become one of the most innovative Glamping resorts in Italy. The tour operator Vacanceselect is a pioneer in direct sales and grows exponentially during the years of Internet growth, benefiting not only from product knowledge but also from its position as an innovator in E-commerce (the first bookable travel website in Europe).

  1987  In 1987 Camping Village Weekend SRL in San Felice del Benaco, in the province of Brescia, was founded, represented by Loek. Over the years he has gone through all the development phases of the philosophy of camping and tourism on Lake Garda. Thanks to continuous investments, innovations and customer requests, this campsite has developed to its current size with more pools, entertainment for children, a restaurant with a large terrace overlooking the Gulf of Salò, a supermarket and more. Camping Village Weekend covers an area of 4.5 hectares and can accommodate 920 people. 

  2006  The word Glamping did not exist a few years ago, in fact it is recognized as the official foundation of Loek van de Loo in 2006. Since then, numerous accommodations around the world are developing this philosophy from camping resorts. From a safari in Africa to many accommodations in Europe.

  Glamping Glamping is the future of camping. (Loek Van de Loo) Glamping is a neologism born from the union of the words GLAMOUR and CAMPING. It describes a style of camping, based on the facilities and services borrowed from high-level resorts. A combination that is difficult to find within traditional campsites. Glamping has become popular with tourists looking for luxury, usually combined with hotel facilities, in the middle of nature. When you experience Glamping there are no tents to set up, no sleeping bags to roll out, and no long trips to the toilets. No matter what type of accommodation you stay in, whether it's tents, mobile homes or other facilities, you have the opportunity to live outdoors in contact with nature without sacrificing luxury. 

  2012  In 2012 Camping Village Orlando in Chianti was established. This campsite is located in the Tuscan hills, within the natural park of Cavriglia and looks like a location in strong growth driven by the many investments made. Besides developing the services: 2 swimming pools, a lagoon with slide, restaurant, market, animation and organization of excursions, we wanted to strongly emphasize GLAMPING. Camping Orlando in Chianti has an area of 10 hectares and can accommodate 1000 people.


2018  In 2018 the van de Loo family decided to sell the Vacanceselect touroperator to the Vacalians group and invest in the development of their Glamping resorts and Glamping Boutiques in Italy.  2018 marks the start of the new organization, which brought a rebranding of the existing facilities and the addition of 3 new resorts to the group. The name chosen for this new group of campsites is "Vacanze col Cuore'' vacations with the heart, to indicate the passion and love that the entire van de Loo family and its staff bring to making guests experience unique outdoor experiences.


2020  In 2020, Loek van de Loo was inducted into the ADAC's hall of fame for the important contribution and fair competition he has made to European outdoor tourism.