Agri-tourism, a wholesome experience

Why not enjoy a plunge into the heart-stopping beauty of the Tuscan countryside at summer’s end and spend a couple of days more to recharge your batteries in one of the farmhouse hotels of the province of Florence?

There are almost 600 located pretty much all over, from the gentle hills of Chianti to the Apennine slopes of upper Mugello, or again in the lush countrysides of Valdarno, Valdisieve and Valdelsa; family houses in the country as well as villas and castles, all built mainly using local materials – pietra serena, terracotta, bricks, travertine marble – and all nestling in a green that’s even greener this summer’s end.
Tuscany boasts one of the earliest laws on agri-tourism; it has vast experience in this particular kind of activity that combines farming with providing hospitality to tourists. Agri-tourism means the simplicity of country life, enjoying the goodness of farm produce but it can also mean living in style, devoting time to sport or learning handcrafts or just enjoying creature comforts, all of which enhance its appeal to those who seek something more than peace and relaxation.
Above all, staying in an agri-tourism for a few days gives the guest an opportunity for getting to know everything about the surrounding territory – discovering that wonderful little restaurant with its divine food which for reasons unknown isn’t in any guidebook, visiting museums or monuments where there are none of the usual queues as testimony to their worth but which are still of historic and artistic importance. You might stroll round some local market, or listen to a concert in some church, or savour your evening meal in the happy clatter of some local food festival, enjoying the natural warmth of the local people and the goodness of their produce. And assuredly Florence will look different – perhaps you’ll agree that the enchanting artistic landscape created by past masters must have drawn some inspiration from the beauty of the natural countryside that surrounds the city.

In a word, there is no shortage of choice, and for help in your choice why not look up the Dormire section of our site where you can browse through places and types of service on offer. Or, you can contact the specialist associations in the province of Florence (Agriturist, Terranostra, Turismo Verde) for more tailor-made suggestions.