Cookie Policy
Version 2.0 — in force since 01 August 2026
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies and similar technologies are, which ones are used on the website hotairballoon.travel (the "Website") and on the other websites owned by Culturae Heritage Services srls (the "Controller"), and how the User can manage their preferences, pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Directive 2002/58/EC (ePrivacy) as transposed into Italian law.
Manage your preferences: the "Manage cookie preferences" control is available in the footer of every page of the Website.
1. What Are Cookies and Similar Technologies
Cookies are small text files that websites store on the User's device (computer, smartphone, tablet). Alongside cookies, equivalent technologies may be used to store or read information on the User's device — in particular local storage, a browser storage area that, unlike cookies, is not transmitted to the server with each request.
Under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive, the rules on consent apply to any storage of, or access to, information on the User's device, regardless of the technology used. This Policy therefore covers both cookies and local storage.
2. Categories Used on This Website
2.1 Strictly necessary — Essential for the Website to function and to remember the User's own privacy choices. They do not require consent.
2.2 Preferences — Store personalisation choices made by the User. No technology in this category is currently active on the Website.
2.3 Statistics — Measure how the Website is used (pages visited, session duration, navigation paths), through Google Analytics 4. They require the User's consent.
2.4 Marketing — Used for personalised advertising, remarketing, and conversion measurement. No technology in this category is currently active on the Website. The category remains visible in the consent tool so that, should such tools be introduced in the future, they cannot be activated without an explicit choice by the User.
3. Consent
The Website uses a first-party consent management tool, compatible with Google Consent Mode v2, which:
- displays an informational banner on first access and allows the User to accept, reject, or select individual categories;
- prevents the activation of any non-essential technology before consent is obtained;
- allows the User to change or withdraw consent at any time, with the same ease with which it was given (Art. 7(3) GDPR), through the "Manage cookie preferences" control in the footer;
- records and retains proof of the choice expressed by the User (see Section 3.4 of the Privacy Policy for the content of that record).
Duration of consent: a choice remains valid for 6 months, after which the User is asked again. The User may change their choice before that term at any time.
4. How to Manage Cookies
4.1 Through the Website
The User can change their preferences at any time using the "Manage cookie preferences" control in the footer of every page.
4.2 Through the browser
The User can delete or block cookies from their browser settings. Note that blocking strictly necessary technologies may compromise the Website's functionality, including the storage of the User's own privacy choices. Guides for the main browsers:
5. Technologies Used
| Category | Name | Type | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | atlas_consent | Local storage | First party | Stores the privacy choices expressed by the User, so the banner is not shown again at every visit. | 6 months |
| Strictly necessary | atlas_consent_id | Cookie | First party | Randomly generated identifier that links successive choices by the same visitor (proof of consent). Does not identify the person. | 6 months |
| Strictly necessary | __cf_bm | Cookie | Cloudflare | Distinguishes human traffic from automated traffic, to protect the Website from abuse. Set only where bot protection is enabled. | 30 minutes |
| Strictly necessary | atlas_newsletter_dismissed_<position> | Local storage | First party | Records that the User closed the newsletter form in a given position, so it is not shown again at every page view. Written only if the User closes it. | 30 days |
| Strictly necessary | atlas_newsletter_subscribed | Local storage | First party | Records that a subscription has already been completed from this browser, so the form is no longer proposed. Contains a date, not the email address. | Until the User clears browser storage |
| Statistics (consent required) | _ga | Cookie | Google Analytics 4 | Distinguishes visitors for aggregate traffic measurement. | 24 months |
| Statistics (consent required) | _ga_<ID> | Cookie | Google Analytics 4 | Maintains session state for the specific Analytics property. | 24 months |
The Website does not use advertising, remarketing, profiling, session-recording, or heatmap technologies. No cookie belonging to a social network is set.
The Controller keeps this table aligned with the technologies actually in use. Any addition is published here before the corresponding tool is activated.
6. Provider Details
6.1 Cloudflare
Cloudflare provides content delivery, DNS, and protection against attacks and abuse. Where bot protection is enabled, it sets a short-lived technical cookie that requires no consent, as it is strictly necessary to the security of the service.
6.2 Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager is a tag management system used to load the measurement tools described below. It does not itself set cookies. Non-essential tags are loaded exclusively in accordance with the choices expressed by the User.
6.3 Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics allows the Controller to analyse how the Website is used, in aggregate form. Analytics and its cookies are activated exclusively after consent is obtained. In the absence of consent, no Analytics cookie is set.
7. Transfers Outside the EEA
The use of Google and Cloudflare services may involve transfers of data to countries outside the European Economic Area. The Controller relies on Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46 GDPR) and, where available, on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, together with supplementary measures where necessary. For further details, see Section 7 of the Privacy Policy.
8. Changes to This Cookie Policy
Each version of this Policy carries a version number and an entry-into-force date, shown at the top of this page. Where a change introduces a new category or a new non-essential technology, consent is requested again before that technology is activated.
9. Contacts
For information about cookies or to exercise your privacy rights: [email protected]