Sustainable Tourism in Italy: the 3 best - 2021

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN ITALY

Today I thought I would share my favourites, 3 representatives of sustainable tourism in Italy. I am an operator. That’s true, but that doesn’t stop me from also being a crazy lover of travel and discovery!

Be sure to read all the way to the end so you don’t miss a single one.

I have chosen not to mention my activities in this context for credibility and variety.

Today I am telling you about :

Category hotels and accommodation
Category tours and experiences
Catering restaurant.

HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION

Fra i sassi Residence

You may already know that my master’s thesis was on a project for an Albergo Diffuso in the territory of the Comunità Montana Valli del Lario e del Ceresio. This experience was beneficial for me, both in terms of getting to know my territory better (and I must admit that you never stop!) and understanding the difficulties and joys of planning.

Unfortunately, my proposal remained theoretical, but I came into contact with several other Albergo Diffuso hotels during the year of preparation for my thesis. A few years later, I was able to travel around Italy with a trained eye on what the Albergo Diffuso is (a particular category of hotel and hospitality) and sometime after graduating, I went to visit a beautiful village in Liguria called Apricale, home to one of the Albergo Diffuso hotels I had the pleasure of discovering during my thesis period.

I’m not mentioning it today because I still haven’t had confirmation from either the Albergo Diffuso or the village itself regarding accessibility.

So what did I do? I didn’t let myself be defeated by this. I found another Albergo Diffuso, called Fra I Sassi Residence. The site has the Ecolabel label, so I am sure that they are working to have a positive impact from an environmental point of view on the area. I also found the Village 4 All certified accessibility.

I have to admit that I searched in reverse, i.e. from the Village for all website, and then I found all the environmental sustainability features. Otherwise, it would have been much more complicated. It seems that Fra I Sassi has many interesting features and a focus not only on the environment but also on accessibility and being in a wonderful location in Matera.

TOURS & EXPERIENCES

Km-Zero-Tours-Slow-Travel-Tuscany

For the TOUR & EXPERIENCE category, I have been following the online presence of KM Zero Tours for years as Slow Lake Como has a similar approach. I discovered Arianna and Alessio’s activity a few years ago, thanks to Slow Lake Como’s presence on Instagram. Still, I started following them from my profile because they propose interesting activities that I would like to do if I visit the Chianti area (Tuscany). They are Travel Life partners, which means they follow a path towards certification by Travel Life; they have passed the first phase and are in the second. This training course allows them to study and implement improvements in their activities step by step. After the verification of the technicians, they obtain the status of partners.

To the question about accessible tourism, they answer, “unfortunately, we are not specifically equipped for people with disabilities, but we have structures we collaborate with here in Chianti that have a lift to access the rooms, and we can create private itineraries by selecting places and villages that are accessible to everyone without having to climb stairs. We’ve had people in wheelchairs and with reduced mobility on our tours, but unfortunately, we don’t yet have specially made means of transport and the ability to be able to create specialised itineraries around this.”

RESTAURANT

agriturismo-in-toscana-con-piscina__Le Ceregne

Giada and family’s Agriturismo Le Ceregne is in Valtiberina, in the municipality of Pieve Santo Stefano. It’s magnificent and in a great location. Unfortunately, I’ve never been there in person. It was recommended to me by my colleague and friend Alessia (whom I trust completely).

In addition to my trust in Alessia, the abundant information on the site and Giada’s willingness to answer all my questions enlightened me!

Today I am mentioning Le Ceregne only for the restaurant because Giada confirmed the restaurant is accessible.

Giada’s family has been running Le Ceregne since 1901 and has owned it since 1923. Giada’s vision of combining tradition and innovation includes photovoltaic solar panels and organic farming, Ipads and free-range chickens, irrigation with rainwater recycling and fresh vegetables from the garden, energy-saving and wild fruit picking, wifi and healthy food.

Le Ceregne won the 2013 Oscar Green, a competition promoted by Coldiretti to highlight the most innovative farms run by young people, and was recognised as one of Italy’s first zero-impact sustainable tourism businesses.

I read from the website the description of Le Ceregne’s kitchen: Tuscan cuisine combines the authenticity of ingredients and the tradition of recipes that have been handed down for generations in the farmhouse. The philosophy is to offer typical and traditional dishes of the Valtiberina Toscana, a borderland between Romagna and Umbria whose culinary traditions, crossing the imaginary border of the maps, characterize some of our dishes, such as passatelli, ravioli and potato tortelli of Romagna origin or sausages with fennel that come from Umbria.

Almost all the ingredients of our cuisine come from our organic farm: vegetables, oil, wine, fruit, chestnuts and meat from animals we raise for the exclusive use of the BIO farm and what we don’t produce comes from local farms that are members of the Campagna Amica circuit promoted by Coldiretti and with which we have always been associated as we stand up every day to protect and guarantee the high quality of local agricultural products and the Made in Italy agri-food industry.

In addition to typical dishes such as “Panzanella”, “minestra di pane”, “sugo finto”, “bruschetta”, “crostini neri” and “la pasta fatta in casa”, our cuisine is distinguished by dishes based on wild boar, porcini mushrooms and truffles gathered exclusively in our woods.

Furthermore, our BIO farmhouse, thanks to the culinary skills of Mamma Antonella, won first prize in 2001 at the peasant cooking competition held during the “I Cento Gusti dell’Appennino” event, with the dish “Cinghiale al Forno con Funghi Porcini” (baked wild boar with porcini mushrooms).

The restaurant’s various dishes include numerous vegetarian and vegan combinations inspired by traditional Tuscan cuisine, such as “pappa al Pomodoro” and “Zuppa di farro”.

I’m already hungry, but before I finish I’d like to share one last thing.

Chatting with Giada to confirm the information before writing this article, she confided in me that she is very sorry that she cannot accommodate people with disabilities.

She has had a project for a few years now to make hospitality accessible as well, but as the costs are very high, she cannot proceed without funding.

She tried once, and she took part in a European call for tenders linked to the Rural Development Plan to carry out the necessary works to guarantee accessibility to the swimming pool or, in general, to the different areas of the estate (Le Ceregne is located in a hilly area). Still, unfortunately, she didn’t win, and for this reason, she can only host people with few motor problems.

2024. I visited Le Ceregne and I have some updates.

Antonella is now retired and Giada has some truble finding a new cook. They are doing their best to serve dinner at least once a week.  🙂

Sustainable tourism in Italy - 2016

Sustainable tourism in Italy - View from Palazzo Borromeo, Isola Bella

Italy is characterized a lot of local beauties such as art and nature. But do tourists pursue both equally? Unfortunately, there’s a clear favorite: while art and architecture draw waves of tourists to historic centers, Italy’s natural treasures are still enjoyed by only a small number of travelers. So, I’m here to focus on Italian sustainable tourism’s presence: finding the parts and activities that really stand out. 

 

What does sustainable tourism mean? According to World Tourism Organization (WTO), it “satisfies tourists’ and host region’s demand and in the same time safeguards and improves future”. It’s a form of development to manage resources, to accommodate all social, economic and taste requirements and to keep cultural integrity, ecological processes, biological diversities and life basic conditions. So sustainable tourism decentralizes tourist flow throughout the year. Read more about the meaning of sustainable tourism for STouW and how to design sustainable tourism (click here).

Years ago, spending the summer on an Italy holiday meant being in a city filled with art crowded with tourists. Today, travelers have begun to look for a more bucolic Italian vacation.

Churches, museums and monuments are still Italy’s main attractions, but tourism agencies are beginning to tout the benefits of Italy’s extensive natural areas and rural locations. Sustainable tourism tempts visitors to explore new areas, it aims to spread tourism dollars in order to support more little local communities. In this way, tourists can get lost in an authentic Italian lifestyle. The agritourism image is becoming more mainstream and offers lodging in scattered hotels around nature reserves. These hostels provide money for rural and local development through hospitality, assistance and food service. So sustainable tourism is based on the relationship between tourists and host region. Through lakes,  volcanoes, wide valleys, pristine coastlines, vineyards and hillocks it fits so much to create low season tourism.

sustainable tourism in Italy

However, sustainable tourism  should be planned instead of just happening. Environmentalists focus on local environmental necessities such as travel activities and means of transport. The Italian districts can develop a sequence of development for candidate areas to integrate tourism sustainably. It would be essential a protocol in which is defined sustainable uses of biodiversity, forests, cultural identity, water resources, energy and landscape with also defines norms for structures and dwellings in the region.  The priorities for a district plan are:

  • touristic flow as negative impact for environmental and culture,
  • accessibility,
  • nature and culture preservation,
  • policies against depopulation.

These policies must be considered in a proposal of tourism suitable for cycling, walking, cultural itineraries and also horse trails, for example, for slow and experience’s tourism. In Europe as well as in Italy, there are many entrepreneurial activities that are working on organic production, wine and food tradition and ecotourism, but they aren’t sufficient to set up and spread sustainable tourism across the whole tourism industry.

Well, these strategies must strengthen the intrinsic, social and cultural value of local empowerment to promote local identities (Italy has so many!), to achieve consolidated results quickly and to plan activities in the historical cities as well as in seaports or in little mountain villages. With this in mind, it is most important to adapt to seasonal adjustments and activities in order to fight climate change.

Read more about the meaning of sustainable tourism for STouW and how to design sustainable tourism (click here).

Michela Serafino signature

#tourism territory development
#webmarketing of local processes

Reviewed by author @Keegan Burnes August 2017

Italian sustainable development: the Gargano project

Pink flamingos in Lago Salsa Oasi

Tourism is an opportunity of sustainable development for local economy such as farming and craftsmanship, for improvement for districts and landscapes, for ancient sites’ rehabilitation at the cost of state of neglect,  for ancient districts and mountain little lands and enhancement of traditions.

Sustainable_development_balance_elements

Italy is known as a big cultural country given that 4.500 cultural heritages among both private and public monuments, archaeological sites and museums, that are present 50 Unesco’s sites which 13 in South of Country. Nevertheless, level of fruition isn’t fitting suitable to local cultural heritage distribution. So, in 2011 the 30% of flow of tourism was careful only cultural sites both at north and south of Italy, but not surrounding landscapes. This shows, in my opinion, that tourism supply chain isn’t one of main livelihood sources and that local culture is in part important. The strengthening of Italian cultural heritage and local development is a priority: today MIBACT (Archaeological Cultural Heritage and Tourism Ministery) wants to power up plan of action that leverages on local, slow and experiential sustainable tourism.

In Puglia the green experience is signed by #TBnet project, that is an itinerary across nature: starting from Bosco Quarto down to valley between Monte Calvo and Monte Spigno, in which it’s possible to sweep trekking and horseback trails in the shadows of ancient trees. The area is surrounded by 24 hermitages among most important is Pulsano at Valle del Silenzio.

tourism for sustainable development - Italy - Puglia
Monte Calvo, Puglia

Moreover, the Gargano area has a series of a family-run farm holiday that integrate slow aspects. In addition, it’s possible to taste typical local flats such as wild  vegetables and spices  besides caciocavallo podolico, an authentic Gargano’s chees. Towards the Manfredonia Gulf, there’s the Salso Lake Oasi, affiliated with WWF, including grazing lands, rushes and meadows inundated with marshes.  It’s mainly characterized by 300 species of birds such as herons, storks, ducks and pink flamingos. For this reason, it’s classified by UE for Life Project as bird watching place to safeguard environment and avi-fauna. Sweeping by foot, horses or bicycles the seven natural paths it’s possible to see also hedgehogs and badgers.

Sustainable travelling means reductions of negative impacts on environment, to make fruitful our passage in a place developing local culture and economy. But it means also to discover an authentic travel establishing a deep connection with visited places and people that meet along our way.

 

Michela Serafino signature
#tourism territory development
#webmarketing of local processes

Reference:
http://www.viaggioanimamente.it/turismo-sostenibile-in-puglia/
http://www.formez.it/sites/default/files/ricerca-federculture-02.pdf

Bella Baita sustainable tourism in Italy - Piedmont 2015

chef at Bella Baita sustainable tourism

When online meetings goes on the ground..A weekend spent discovering Italy. What a surprise is Bella Baita, a precious gem in Val Chisone.
Our first email was more than 1 year ago, after a while I finally decided to organise a trip. If only I knew what Marla and Fabrizio are doing there, I would organised it much time before.

Lovely and yummy breakfast
Lovely and yummy breakfast at La Bella Baita

Marla ( from the US) and Fabrizio are running La Bella Baita Bed and Breakfast. They are both chefs and I can only let you image what it means. I had two of the most delicious dinners since the time I was going to my grandparents every Sunday for lunch. Simple (for them but not for me) and gorgeous meals, also Fabrizio told us exactly the name of the person who produced all we had for dinner, it was simply amazing to see what really is to shop locally at the markets with local growers, dairy farmers, beer and wine producers, and butchers. They also shop in local natural food store and only shop in the big grocery stores as a last resort.

Just a gorgeous polpettone!!
Just a gorgeous polpettone!!

They cook almost everything from scratch at home, including bread, because they believe just think home cooked food tastes the best and you know what you have put into it.
They have a family garden where they use bio-dynamic gardening methods (with the joy of the whole family), they don’t waste any food, they recycle the culinary refuse mainly with composting worms and some select food bits for Mama Egle’s chickens.

If everything said before is not enough to consider La Bella Baita a sustainable accommodation, here is a list of their good practices:
– Use of energy efficient light bulbs, and encourage guests to turn off lights when not in use.
– Recycle bins, they separate glass, metal, plastic and paper.
– The heat is completely from wood that they harvest and manage from their property that has sustained Fabrizio’s family for over 100 years.
– There is a natural spring on the property and the water that is piped into our pipes is collected from the mountain in a storage system that Fabrizio’s father organized and built with the other residents and maintains it even today.
Marla and Fabrizio are strongly committed to making the environmental footprint as light as possible and encourage their guests to do so as well.

Signs in Val Chisone sustainable tourism
Signs in Val Chisone

With the TEM (sustainable tourism mountains or in Italian Turismo Ecosostenibile Montano) La Baita is involved in many ways to the promotion of the area and the sustainability in general, this is the reason why they are happy to organise on request and in advance memorable home-style meals, shared with them & Cooking classes.
They are also involved in many projects and initiatives:
– The association and the Valley’s producers attends International fairs such as La Dolce Vita in London
– They organise promotional presentations of local dishes
– They have attend many international and national meetings, where we went to discuss about tourism and ecotourism, for example DestinazioneItalia 2020
– They made it possibile to add the Val Chisone to many International guides.
– Signaling pathways and trails in Val Chisone
– Present with the Province of Turin and other partners in the Strada Reale dei Vini Torinesi,
– Training sessions on tourism industry and diversability , European Ecolabel Certification and tourist reception
– Promotion of the association & sustainable tourism in the mountains

Bella Baita team (Marla and Fabrizio) with Mike, Ale and Sara
Bella Baita team (Marla and Fabrizio) with Mike, Ale and Sara

It is not so easy to find such inspiring people, I can’t wait to visit them again and next time I already decided to ask a Cooking together session with Marla.

If you are planning your time in Italy do not miss the chance to meet with them, see bellabaita.com to find out more about rooms and their beautiful location.

Enjoy your visit

Sara

Unconventional Hospitality - 2015

unconventional hospitality banner

In Italy we are discovering Unconventional Hotels a new interesting initiative born from the eclectic mind of Concetta D’emma, former Project Co-Founder of the first eco-friendly hotel chain in Italy.

Unconventional Hotel helps the industry to recognise, accept and respect people not only with different food necessities (e.g. vegetarian, vegan, celiac, sportive, with different religions, intolerant of lactose, etc ), but all the categories considered generally as diverse, in order to find specific solutions for these targets.

 

IT.A.CA. - Festival of Responsible Tourism in Italy 2014

Unlike your typical festival with stand and pavillions, IT.A.CA Festival of Responsible Tourism in Italy involved 10 days of events, activities and conferences, hosted by the region Emilia Romangna, related with responsible and sustainable tourism. Trekking, biking and hiking, tours, concerts, book presentations, tastings and special contests were all part of the festival which gave life to the program.

Held from 30 May to 8 June, the master location was Bologna but there were activities and events all over the region: from Ferrara to Rimini, passing through Parma. Between Bologna & la Piccola Cassia, the route between Bologna and Modena and up to the Apennines.

The were also conferences and seminars such as:

  •  How to Offer Sustainable Hospitality, an educational seminar on accommodation facilities;
  • Learning Sustainability by Travelling, a convention with prizes awarded for the contests. Racconta la tua città (Tell us about your city) and Adotta un turista (Adopt a Tourist);
  • A Responsible Trip, a seminar with contest announcement and presentation by the Carta Etica del Turismo Scolastico (Ethic Chart of scholastic tourism);
  • FU-TURISMO conference on responsible tourism and World Heritage sites with UNESCO and an award ceremony for the IT.A.CA is Bologna contest – Prize for Sustainable Tourism 2014.

Activities in Bologna organised by IT.A.CA. fair included:

  • From the Botanical Gardens, a journey through the streets of Bologna. This was a walk for travellers of all ages, in discovery of the ‘green’ citizen presented by Vivisostenibile and other association.
  • A performance about ethnic groups and the commodification of tourism: the Masai, Hadza and Datooga, with Davide Palumbo
  • Daily Life in Area C – Photographic exhibition from the Palestinian territories

Further information:
http://www.festivalitaca.net/2014/05/english-program-it-ca-2014/

Emotion on the move for a more #eco-tourism

Monte_Cornon_Val_di_Fiemme

Emotion on the move, Fiemme Valley is glad to propose an eco-friendly and car-free holiday, happy to confirm the importance of offering eco-tourism .

We are such stuff as dreams are made on. This is what William Shakespeare once declared. And perhaps this is the reason why Val di Fiemme, made on forests of balsamic spruces, is dreaming of a car-free tourism.

FiemmE-motion is the project of eco-sustainable traffic that this suntrap valley, in the Dolomites of Trentino, is thinking up.
Shuttles, electric bikes and push scooters, ordinary bikes, efficient buses, ski lifts, pedestrian connections, bike-sharing services and photovoltaic roofing to recharges the bikes. FiemmE-motion involves Val di Fiemme as a whole: Comunità Territoriale, Municipalities, Tourism Board, Hotels, enterprises, craftsmen and sellers.
This idea, already tested in summer 2012, can give the opportunity to the guests of Val di Fiemme to leave their car in the parking spaces of their hotel and move freely by catching the environmental-friendly means of transport and services.

From June to September 2013, the hotels involved donate the FIEMME-MOTION card, which make tourists travel for free on all buses of the local public transport company Trentino Trasporti, far and wide the dolomitic valleys of Fiemme, Fassa and Primiero, also enjoying a 30% discount when travelling in the boundaries of Trentino. The Card allows free access to urban shuttles, benefits for the bike-sharing service, free admittances to museums and workshops at the Geological Museum of the Dolomites, theme walking and guided hiking in the eco-sustainable places and guided trekking to the Sounding Forest, Mount Nero and Val Cadino. Moreover, you can live the experience of indoor and outdoor climbing walls with expert guides. Transfers are promoted by shuttle buses, trains on roads, special shuttles Fiemme and Fassa Bike Express along the cycle lane and even by horse-drawn carriages. And indeed, from all villages it is possible to start several guided rides (also for e-bikes).

FIEMME MOTION WINTER CARD

Therefore, this “recycling-lover” and clean valley of Trentino is paying more and more attention to the quality of life. Fiemme isn’t content with breathing the oxygen that more than 60 millions of trees produce (according to a study by the Tourism Board Val di Fiemme, in the valley there are 20 trees per each tourist). For this reason, when one talks about environmental respect, Fiemme boasts of several records. For example, more than one third of the inhabitants daily relies on thermal or electric energy originated by alternative sources, such as the two big district heating plants and Italy’s largest public photovoltaic plant on the ground. In summer 2013 Val di Fiemme – one of the first Italian resorts for the separate collection of rubbish – might receive its third special Prize as Best Recycling-Lover Italian Municipality, because the incomes are getting more and more stimulating. Winter sports are out in front in the promotion of eco-sustainability. In fact, the Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 embraced the project “Fiemme Vallevviva”, to spread the culture about the environmental and livability safeguard.

Looking ahead, Fiemme would like to be the first limited-traffic Alpine valley. To reflect upon the horizons that might open up for the inhabitants of the valley and upon which advantages they might obtain in behalf of their livability and lifestyle, the Valley presents the event “Fiemme senz’auto”, on Sunday 9th June 2013. The main road Statale 48 from Cavalese to Predazzo will have no polluting vehicles, but horse-drawn carriages, electric cars and bikes, concerts, games, entertainment activities, tasting, outdoor exhibitions and shows. The only rule will be the use of eco-friendly means of transport like your legs or your bike, roller-blade, push scooter,horse or any other non-polluting means.
This serious choice, in the name of “respecting nature”, finds its home in the majestic Dolomites – that Unesco has recently declared “Natural World Heritage Site” – and between two natural parks: Paneveggio Pale di San Martino and Monte Corno.

INFO:
Tourism Board Val di Fiemme,
 
tel. +39 0462 241111 – +39 0462 341419;
www.visitfiemme.it – info@visitfiemme.it;

A day at Cinque Terre National Park - Sustainable tourism in Italy

A day at Cinque Terre National Park

In June 2013, I visited the beautiful Cinque Terre National Park and the UNESCO world heritage site in Italy with my family.

Cinque Terre Park - Capellini wineyard - sustainable tourism

Our tour began in Volastra (a lovely locality of Corniglia), where we visited a winery, tasting their wine and observing the vineyards where, between enormous difficulties and great satisfaction, they grew up a delicious and delicious and local grape. They prefer not to use any different grapes, but the locals and I assure you their Cinque Terre DOP it is exquisite! This is a very stunning but also tough land, and it is necessary to work it and create the typical terraces not only because they are charming but also because this is the only way to prevent landslides and subsidence of the land.

It is essential to support and choose wineries that take care of the land where their grapes are and continue to produce naturally and traditionally as much as possible not to devastate the environment!

For all those reasons, if you like to taste the wine and take a guided tour, I suggest to visit them the Azienda Agricola Capellini Luciano – Cinque Terre  Capellini – Casata dei  Beghee.

After this stop, we started our walk on path number six. We decided only to go to Corniglia, a short walk (around 2 hours) between a stunning landscape and lush nature where it is possible to find a hostel, some shops selling local products and where it is possible to catch the train to Vernazza and Monterosso.

I preferred this part of my visit to Cinque Terre National Park. Vernazza is very famous and lovely, but I think Corniglia is precisely the place I could choose for a longer stay.

Le Ceregne Farm house Bio in Tuscany

Le ceregne farmhouse - Tuscany - sustainable tourism STouW

Dipped in the green of the Tiberina valley in Tuscany, with an exclusive view of Lake Montedoglio, Le Ceregne  Farmhouse Bio in Tuscany was born as one of the first realities in Italy of the eco holiday, with zero negative impact on the environment.

Le Ceregne Organic Farmhouse is a 60-hectare estate, cultivated according to the principles of organic farming: you can have, here, a real eco holiday. We grow fine quality olive trees, fruit trees (cherries, kaki, walnuts, hazelnuts, peaches, apricots and some rare varieties of apple and pear trees once local to the area), and a few types of grapes, such as the Sangiovese and the Canaiolo. We also produce natural local wine, Tuscan oil, homemade jam, cookies and typical ragu.

Within the estate, you can find not only chestnut wood but also sunflowers, wheat, barley and fodder, cultivated in rotation to avoid soil depletion, maintain soil quality and guarantee biodiversity. In the green farmhouse itself, we raise various kinds of poultry: hens, geese, ducks, turkeys and guinea-fouls.

We make everything we use, and guests can feel free to pick vegetables and seasonal fruit from the garden themselves and for children, it is a rite of passage to visit the pen, to feed the hens and pick up a few fresh eggs!

[toggle title=” Km zero products”]Our green philosophy is supported by buying natural local products (km zero) like cheeses and typical Tuscan salami, which make your experience genuine and local! Anything we don’t produce ourselves comes from agricultural companies registered to the Path of Tuscany Flavours in the Tiberina Valley, Tuscany. We were glad to join this organization to guarantee the ongoing quality of the products that we use. We respect and believe in eno-gastronomy values.[/toggle][toggle title=”Organic restaurant: Traditional Tuscan flavours, like Nonna, used to make”]Our Tuscan cuisine melts authentic ingredients with traditional recipes which have been handed down for generations. Our philosophy is to offer typical and traditional dishes of the Tiberina Valley, an area on the eastern border between Romagna and Umbria.

Le ceregne farmhouse - Tuscany - sustainable tourism- Vegan_dishOur food tradition is characterised by passatelli, ravioli and potatoes Tortelli from Romagna, fennel sausages from Umbria, as well as typical Tuscan dishes such as Panzanella, minestra di pane, sugo finto, bruschetta, crostini neri and handmade pasta. Our cuisine stands out for plates based on hunted food such as wild boar, alongside porcini mushrooms and truffles picked in the surrounding bush. This is traditional Tuscany on a plate!

Our organic farmhouse, thanks to the cooking skills of mum Antonella, is the winner of the farms cooking contest from the annual “100 flavours of Appennino” festival with her speciality, wild boar and mushroom. Le Ceregne is part of the “Path of Tuscany Flavours”. It offers, to those who love typical Italian products and tastings, several tours such as a tasting at the olive oil mills, or visits to nearby wine cellars. Our preference in the area is the Chianti wine cellars and tasting tours of typical local ripe products like cheese and salami.[/toggle][toggle title=”Eco-sustainable holiday”]If you’re looking for a sustainable holiday, where you can relax surrounded by the green of Tuscan hills, rest in the shadow of secular oaks, and regenerate your body and spirit, Le Ceregne is the right place for you!

Le ceregne farmhouse - Tuscany - sustainable tourism- OutdoorOur organic farmhouse offers nature’s silence and an exclusive panorama of Tuscany’s Tiberina Valley, as well as a healthy diet to look after your body: genuine cuisine made with traditional Tuscan and Italian food and local ingredients, guided wine tasting, well-being massages and outdoor sports activities. Here at Le Ceregne Organic Farmhouse, we share the Tuscan lifestyle and grow our future as well as our land by making fruit, season after season, without using pollutants or invasive agents.

We use solar panels for electric energy production, energy-saving heating, zero-carbon, ventilated roofs and natural insulations to avoid thermic waste, and we conserve water with water flow reducers.
We also use rainwater for irrigation. For our maintenance, we compost, recycle, and clean with natural products which have a low impact on the environment.[/toggle][toggle title=”Experiential Tours in Tuscany: join our Tuscan Tribe!”]As an example of sustainability in tourism, we’re offering experiential tours where guests learn farming, make pasta and bread, pick olives and grapes, mushrooms and truffle hunting, enjoy tailor-made green tours and craftmanship tours. We only employ locals and try to give a real sense of local lifestyle to tourists. Also, through storytelling and working with local memories so that they return home having had an amazing experience, without feeling like they have had to spend a fortune to do it![/toggle]

The Valtiberina in Tuscany: between medieval towns and artistic Renaissance, Le Ceregne organic farmhouse is in one of the most beautiful Tuscany areas. The valley, including towns such as Sansepolcro, Anghiari, Caprese Michelangelo and Pieve Santo Stefano, has given birth to famous worldwide artists, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, Piero Della Francesca, Luca Pacioli and Giovanni Papini. The hills and foliage around Arezzo have been the background of masterpieces like “La Resurrezione”, “La Madonna del Parto” and “La Battaglia di Anghiari”. The place has been narrated in significant literary works like “De Bello Civili” by Julius Caesar and “I Fioretti” by Saint Francis.

Le ceregne farmhouse - Tuscany - sustainable tourism- Tuscan's Hills
Tuscan’s Hills by http://www.luigiburroni.net/

This valley, on a strategic spot between Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Emilia Romagna, offers the possibility to reach a number of other locations with a short drive by car: Assisi, Gubbio, Urbino, Spello, Perugia, Lake Trasimeno, Arezzo, Cortona, Castiglion Fiorentino, Siena,Chianti, San Gimignano, and Florence.

Do you want to build a custom-themed holiday of your very own? From the Antique markets of Arezzo to olive picking, from medieval revival to cultural festivals, contact us to find a unique experience that is just for you, in the Tiberina Valley, Tuscany.

Would you like to find out more? here is their website www.leceregne.it

 

Sustainable Tourism World and Le Ceregne were partnering in a projects: a Photo contest: “What sustainability means for you? Tell us with a photo!”

 

Ecotourism in Lake Como Area. Lago di Piano Nature Reserve

Lago Piano reserve visiting Lake Piano - Italy

The Lago di Piano natural reserve is one of the protected areas of the Lombardia and is recognised as a Site of Communitarian Importance by the European Union.

The office are seated in the small town of Carlazzo, on the shores of the lake named Lago di Piano. 

It boasts a remarkably varied ecosystem , where different habitats coesixt closely. The Reserve presents, within its boundaries, a true and complete synthesis of the surrounding landscape. There are also many well-preserved evidences of man’s local history, for example the high-medieval rural hamlet of Castel S.Pietro.

Many arboreal and floral species can be found in the marsh with abundance of common and rare ones. The fauna counts over 130 different bird species and several mammals.

The charming park is set against the uncultivated slopes of Mt Calbiga. Towering over the lake, Mt Calbiga can be considered a true ‘green lung’ that due to its scarce human population, guarantees shelter and space to all species, animal and vegetal. 

Pian di Spagna Nature Reserve: a jewel North of Lake Como

Lake Como Pian di Spagna nature Reserve

During an afternoon last May (2013), I went to Pian di Spagna and Lake Mezzola Nature Reserve, a beautiful wetland between Lake Como and Lake Mezzola.

Pian di Spagna Nature Reserve was established with the resolution of the Regional Council no. 86 of 30/11/83. It was founded to ensure, in the spirit of the Ramsar Convention (IRAN, 1971), a suitable environment for the stopping and nesting of migratory birds. Furthermore, the aim of the reserve is the safeguard and maintain the action of the natural and landscape features of the wetland, to regulate the visit of the protected area with didactic-recreational purposes, to bring under control the local social and economic activities, and respect the environment conservation needs.

Here you can observe several different species of birds throughout the year. In addition, due to the position close to the Alps, many birds stop here to rest during their migrations.

Pian di Spagna and Lake Mezzola Nature Reserve is an exciting alternative to Lake Como: inside and around the reserve, you can birdwatch, take guided tours, walk, cycle, or take a boat tour.

July 2018 Updates: a few years ago, I discovered that renting an electric boat and going around the Pian di Spagna e Lago di Mezzola reserve is possible. It is also possible to rent a bike and follow the cycle path arriving in Morbegno.

Ca Felicita, a green accommodation example in Lake Como area

sustainable tourism - Lake Como - Residence Ca Felicita - the dream

Cà Felicita is considered an example of sustainable tourism on Lake Como. The owners choose to install 18 square feet of solar panels for hot water production using solar energy. Solar thermal collectors are used in vacuum technology and technically more efficient system for capturing solar energy for the entire year.
With the solar system is prevented to enter into some 160 kg of CO2 per sqm of solar installed. The collectors heat a tank of 2000 litres of water for domestic use as well feeding the heating radial floor of 5 apartments.

 

This technique, which dates back to the ancient Romans, as well as offering a high standard of residential comfort, allow the use of renewable sources of energy at low temperatures. Systems have been used last generation, innovation in materials, reliability and thermal management.
The low temperature prevents excessive thermal expansion and circulatory troubles in the lower limbs also favour a gradual and homogeneous distribution of heat.

No. 49 installed photovoltaic modules that allow Cà Felicita to:
– Produce electricity without emitting pollutants,
– Saving of fossil fuel, no noise,

The system is designed to visually “zero” being fully integrated. The system operates with a maximum yield of 96% which allows maximum exploitation of the solar generator power.

The building is fully insulated with heat-insulating materials.
The property offers a perfect acoustic and thermal insulation. This system offers maximum energy efficiency with significant cost savings.

sustainable tourism - Lake Como - Residence Ca Felicita - swimming lake viewCà Felicita used for interior and exterior paints that through the use of natural products and materials that meet the criteria of eco-sustainability to give our house a high ecological level.

It also works the system for collecting rainwater for irrigation and leach

ing of the garden. This saves the municipal water and also reduce the fixed cost structure.

CaFelicita is all about eco-environmental sustainability for a responsible lifestyle.