Tag Archives: agriturismo

My reasons for travelling to Italy – Series – Agriturismo

17 Sunday May 2015

Posted by in Agriturismo, My reasons for travelling to Italy

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Wherever we travel, we are mostly aware of the many types of accommodation on offer. The choice is varied including hotels, motels, B&Bs, guesthouses and monasteries.  Sometimes we chose to rent an apartment or house, particularly if we plan to stay in the one area for an extended period of time.

Another wonderful option for accommodation in Italy is to stay in an Agriturismo.  Also known as: farm-house accommodation, farm stays, farm holidays,  rural retreats

Agriturismo – a combination of the words for “agriculture” and “tourism” in Italian – is a style of vacationing in farm-house resorts codified into Italian law in 1985. These agritourismi allow the small farmer to augment the income from the farm, and for vacationers to sample the bounty of a rural life in Italy. Often they have their own vineyards so the wine you may enjoy with your meals is also locally produced.

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Agriturismo, farm-house holiday accommodations, can be found in many parts of Italy and are popular with those travelling by car. Agriturismo is a great lodging option for families or groups of friends traveling together and accommodations can range from rustic to luxurious. Most farm houses offer bed and breakfast and some have a swimming pool, restaurant, cooking classes, or other special ammenities.

Agriturismi (plural) are not usually in the centre of town but are found out in the countryside on their own parcels of land.  Each one that I have stayed in we needed a car to get to.

Agriturismi (plural) are also a popular place for Sunday lunch. They are a great little getaway for families and friends. It is a wonderful way to taste local foods which are prepared from home-grown produce on the farm or at least locally. Eating at an agriturismo is also a great way to meet up with people away from the busy restaurants and cafes in the cities or towns.

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Each time I have stayed in the village of Pievebovigliana we have enjoyed lunch and dinner at the fabulous agriturismo Roccamaia. The welcome we receive when we arrive is like we are coming home. The owner and his wife make the choices for our dishes which keep coming for hours. Each course is washed down with a locally produced delicious wine.  At this agriturismo, it is not unusual for the staff including the chef to join in for a song or two. A mid day meal at this or probably any agriturismo is usually a 4 or more hour gustation.  And, don’t be surprised if you are offered a small glass of homemade grappa or limoncello before you leave the establishment.  And the nicest surprise at the end of the meal is the bill, it is usually very good value.

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Our experience with staying at an Agriturismo has always been very enjoyable. The evening meal and breakfast is often a family type affair, other guests and sometimes the family of the owners have joined us.

I initially purchased a book from a tabacchi on Agriturismo. This book listed hundreds of agriturismi around Italy. You can also find them online, just google – Agriturismo.

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Beautiful Peaceful – Eremo di Calomini

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Eremo di Calomini, Lucca, Tuscany

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Just a short drive from the apartment in Bagni di Lucca is the peaceful Sanctuary of Eremo di Calomini

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It took us about 40 minutes to drive to the Sanctuary which included driving through the stunning area of Vergemoli

Veremoli is a municipality in the Province of Lucca in Tuscany, located about 80 kilometres northwest of Florence and about 25 kilometres northwest of Lucca

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Eremo di Calomini is located close to a rocky cliff and almost entirely dug into the rock, the shrine was built where it is said of the apparition of Our Lady to a girl Campolemisi around Mille. The sacred image, sketched in a wooden statue of willow, which still exists, and the object of devotion, is honored with the name of Madonna della Penna.

The hermits Calomini have taken good care for five centuries, until 1868, and now the case is entrusted to the Capuchin Fathers of Lucca.

On the day we were there, a service was on, however we managed to take a small look inside the church and take a few photos.

From the car park in front of Eremo the path continues (sign posted Agriturismo and Trattoria) up to an excellent restaurant which has a dramatic view across the valley and down to the trout farm beside the river below. One of the specialities of the restaurant is the fresh trout from this trout farm

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This gem of a restaurant offers wonderful Italian fare which was served in a gorgeous setting. We dined on the covered terrace and were served great wine and carefully prepared dishes. We didn’t want to leave.

The views are stunning and the food even better. The menu is small, but the antipasto is delicious and the fresh trout very good indeed. I had the oven baked trout with potatoes, and Liane had the fresh trout with pasta and mushrooms.

 

We watched the waiter fill our water caraffe from the spout in the wall just close by. What a great idea. Italian water is just so good.

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We were very content to sit and take in the amazing views from our table.

 

 

 

 

Lecce – The Road Trip

07 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Agriturismo, Lecce, The Road Trip

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As we continued our road trip down the Adriatic coast we visited the town of Lecce.

Church of Santa Croce

Lecce is in the heal of the boot and not far from the Adriatic Coast.  You could easily spend a day or 2 here wandering around this gorgeous town.

Piazza del Duomo

Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants, the capital of the province of Lecce,  and one of the most important cities of Puglia.

We parked the car and explored Lecce by foot. It is a beautiful and interesting city with many Baroque buildings. Lecce is commonly nicknamed “The Florence of the South” because of the rich baroque architectural monuments found in this city.

In terms of industry the “Lecce stone” is the city’s main export, because it is very soft and malleable, thus suitable for sculptures. Lecce stone is a kind of limestone. Lecce is also an important  agricultural centre, chiefly for its olive oil and wine production, as well as an industrial centre specialising in ceramic  production.

Church of San Giovanni Battista

The Roman Amphitheatre

We were so enthralled by this beautiful city that we lost track of time and when we returned to our car we had an expired parking meter ticket. After asking around and then going to the police station we found out the way to pay for this ticket, which was to pay at the local post office (unificio postale). So we lined up with the locals to pay our parking ticket which cost 25 euro.

After leaving Lecce, we drove to San Foca where we stayed the night in a wonderful agriturismo.

Agriturismo – The Road Trip

14 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Agriturismo, Italy on Budget, The Road Trip

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After my 4 weeks at school (scuola) my new friend from Brazil, Liane and I hired a car and we went traveling. We drove down the east coast of Italy as far as Otranto and then we headed west towards Naples (Napoli). Each night we stayed at an Agriturismo. I had purchased a book on Agriturismo from the tabacchi store however if you do not have a book, we found that there were always signs indicating the local agriturismo in each town and village we visited. Plus of course you can find them on the net.

Agriturismo is a combination of 2 words, agriculture and tourism. It is a style of accommodation staying in farm house resorts. This style of accommodation was introduced into Italy in 1985 by the Italian government to help the struggling farmers. These agritourismi allowed the small farmer to supplement their income from the farm, and for visitors to sample the enjoyment of a rural life in Italy.

A range of produce at one of the agriturismo

An agriturismo holiday/vacation is suitable for singles, couples or the whole family. Some of these places can be very romantic and luxurious. An Italian agriturismo will usually serve foods to guests prepared from their own or local produce. The agriturismo can be a rustic experience or can feature luxurious accommodation as well as including swimming pools. The evening meal and breakfast is often a family type affair, dining with other guests and or the family. The meals are superb and usually traditional local cuisine.

At one of the agriturismo the owner took us into the local village one evening for drinks and to meet the locals,

Il Giardino – Contursi Termi Agriturismo

at another we were shown around the property by the owner’s son.

View up to the village from the agriturismo in the evening

The food was always superb, traditional, home cooked meals.

The price for the accommodation including the meals was good value.  We stayed in these Agriturismo farms from east to west and then we travelled by ferry to Sardinia where we stayed for 4 nights, traveled around the entire island and once again stayed in Agriturismo.

View from an agriturismo on Sardegnia

We found that at each agriturismo they made us so welcome and in most cases treated us like family. The rooms were always very comfortable –  hotel type rooms with your own ensuite bathroom. The price for the room included

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