An agricultural heritage that has shaped the history of these lands—among vineyards, olive groves, orchards, and farm stays that tell the story of the identity of the regions surrounding Italy’s great lakes.
More than four million Italians have chosen lakes as their holiday destination this year. It’s a figure that doesn’t surprise me. Today lakes symbolise a sustainable tourism capable of melding nature, relaxation, good food and authentic hospitality.
From Garda to Maggiore, Como and Trasimeno, all the way to Bolsena and the many other lakes all over Italy, slower-paced holidays, a world away from box-ticking tourism, are gaining in popularity. And I am absolutely certain that it is precisely food, together with farm hospitality, which is the driving force behind this. It is a living agriculture rooted in landscapes made up of vines, olive groves and orchards which speaks of local history and identity.
It is farm holiday accommodation, the agriturismi, which are the star players in this. These are not simply a roof over holidaymakers’ heads but genuine experiences: zero miles cuisine, workshops for adults and children, nature trails, tastings and grape and olive harvests. These are holidays which leave their mark on people and they are unlikely to forget.
Farms are also the best bulwark against over development and the pollution which is threatening our ecosystems. Farming defends landscapes, looks after them, safeguards them and it is increasingly the young who are doing this, bringing innovation, creativity and vision.
Good examples of this are some recent Green Oscar winners – the Coldiretti award for young people whose contribution to farming innovation stands out – such as the Monte Due Torri di Genzano wine estate which ages its wines at the bottom of Lake Nemi and the sparkling wine which ‘rests’ under Levico frozen lake. These are stories of farming capable of surprising us and also of generating green value and development capability.
As president of Campagna Amica e Terranostra, I strongly believe that food and farm hospitality are the keys to a different, more responsible, more human-scale tourism. And the splendid authentic, agricultural Italian lakes are the ideal location for this
Dominga Cotarella, president of Campagna Amica e Terranostra
