in italiano

What is an Agriturismo - Part 1

What is an Agriturismo Part 1

This month I would like to leave apart, for a moment, artists, witches, scholars, saints, long-nosed puppets and Tuscan mysteries, to tell you rather something about the Agriturismo, since I never did it earlier a bit more in depth. Of course, I don't think one newsletter only will have enough space, therefore I've thought of sharing this issue into two parts and make it easier for you to read.

I'm not going to talk you about the several regional and national laws concerned with the farm holidays, you will anyway be able to find these news at this address: [in Italian], but I'm rather interested in telling you about the benefits that farmhouses have had over the rural landscape, both in Tuscany and, more generally, in Italy; about the so-called practice of Agriturismo.

The Agriturismo is having a massive impact on the relationships with our foreign visitors, who once mainly got in touch with us in the museums of our towns, or while sitting in the deckchairs of one of the many crowded beaches. The Agriturismo is also offering to our regions the awareness of the potential of development connected to the restoring and the protection of the local cultural, environmental, wine and gastronomy - undoubtedly a lot!

There are thousands of farm houses in Italy, not to mention the many other different kinds of rural housing such as villas, historical houses, holiday houses, and bed and breakfasts. Therefore is is natural to ask where this variety comes from? From the bush....

It was between 1950 and 1970 that the countryside was largely abandoned for the more inhabited towns. The saying in Tuscany went that the "soil is low", which means that the farmer worked hard and only made barely enough to survive, and certainly not enought to keep abreast of the new needs born with the rapidly industrialising society.

My memories go back to the 80's, when I and other children - friends of mine - cycled in the sunny lanes of our country. Tuscany is famous for its postcard landscapes: waves of green hills and vineyards, woods and olive-terraced landscapes, up to the valley; images that I only appreciated later because then I was rather used to it. All I could see from the hills around my home, were thick and dark skeins out of which, like fingers towards the sky, olive trees sprouted.

It was not the same all over, generally speaking, this was the reality of that time, even if numerous areas already received the care due to the fame of their high quality wines and products, but this was the Italian and more particularly the Tuscan countryside. A landscape studded with ancient and precious villages, which were being abandoned. So if blackberry jam has become a rarity it is because blackberry bushes have gradually disappeared over the last 15 years, we must say that it was also thanks to the Agriturismo, defined by law since 1985.

As well as increasing income from rural establishments, the regulations have favored the return of people to the countryside, to the small villages, helping to rebuild life in those areas, aiding the protection and the restoration of ruined buildings to their original condition so that they could be rented to tourists, both foreign and Italian alike.

A part of this type of rural tourism is the provision of traditional cuisine, sometimes made from organic produce from the farms themselves. Sometimes the agriturismo's also make handmade products usually by traditional methods, in the countryside. All elements that make for a relaxing and natural holiday, and all elements that define an agriturismo.

In the restoration of the buildings it was not always possible to keep 100% faithful to the original materials and form of the structure, but the narrow gap was only due the more modern standards of comfort and safety; such as swimming pools, aerials and, sometimes, English-style lawns, all elements which were undoubtedly new to our rural environments.

Inspite of the TV aerials on the roofs, the commitment of the many people engaged in this sector, a sector which initially didn't seem to offer too many certainties prior to the avent of the agriturismo, have substantially contributed to the recovery and the diffusion of our own past traditions and rural lifestyle. All this now seems to a path connecting the past with the future. And it is thanks to you all, who give more and more attention to the true value of a tourism, in which it's possible to maintain the ideal of protecting and transmitting local heritage in all its shapes: from the proverbs of the countrymen to the great frescoed palaces.

Next month I will tell you about the impressions I have in Tuscany from my contact with the many "green tourists".

Montopoli Val d Arno 1507 Weekly Price: Min. € 170,00 Max. € 380,00 Number of Beds: 9

Terranuova Bracciolini 1624 Weekly Price: Min. € 2.500,00 Max. € 5.200,00 Number of Beds: 22

Greve in Chianti 2291 Weekly Price: Min. € 525,00 Max. € 1.650,00 Number of Beds: 25

Monsummano Terme 1143 Weekly Price: Min. € 380,00 Max. € 850,00 Number of Beds: 18