What is an Agriturismo?
An agriturismo is first and foremost a fully-functioning commercial farm that also provides hospitality services for nature tourists, using its own buildings and products. The primary requisite is that it offers hospitality on the farm itself in renovated rural buildings readapted to carry out those activities.
In Italy, agritourism establishments started appearing in the eighties thanks to a desire to promote agriculture and integrate it more closely with tourism, artisan and local culture, and today it is a phenomenon that is expanding rapidly.
Not only in Tuscany
The agriturismo is now common throughout the Italian peninsula in each region. It exists in many different forms adapting hospitality to local architecture, uses and customs.
Rural Tourism
While an Agriturismo means hospitality within a commercial farm; rural tourism includes a more general style of country vacation and “ecological” tourism, which is the eco-compatible alternative to mass tourism.
Rural tourism includes agriturismo and bed&breakfast establishmentsas well as homes, room rentals, country hotels, country homes and all possible types of overnight structures outside urban centres and nearer to a rural lifestyle.
All said, hospitality in the country is an ancient tradition: just think of medieval travellers and the inns along the roads walked by religious pilgrims, or vacations in villas that gave rise to splendid architectural works that are common throughout the Italian countryside. Rural tourism has its own specific tradition and this is another reason why more and more people are getting interested in it.
Why it is successful
Why are more and more people, both in Italy and abroad, interested in passing a few days in contact with nature?
The main reasons are:
- A desire to "unwind" and rediscover a healthy and relaxing lifestyle;
- The high quality reception;
- The rich array of traditional food and wine products, which are frequently produced and sold on the farms;
- The possibility to adapt the vacation to fit all tastes making it great for: sports enthusiasts, families with children, lovers of fine food and fans of psychological-physical well-being, folks looking for something different and people who love local art and history;
- The ability of tourist operators to multiply and diversify the offer, who are able to providing cultural, recreational and entertainment services aimed at rediscovering the characteristic values of the rural Italian world.
