L'farmhouse it is a form of tourism in which the tourist approaches the world of agriculture and livestock. Visiting a farm or ranch, for educational or recreational purposes, is the key part of this experience. Farmers' markets, wine tourism and trips to the cultivated fields are all examples of farm holidays. Travelers taking this type of vacation often want to see how food is grown and prepared or how animals are raised.
It is practiced, with different norms and denominations, in different countries of the world, especially in Europe and in United States.
To know
The agritourism aims to bring urban residents closer to the life of the inhabitants of rural areas.
In an increasingly mechanized world, many people have lost touch with the methods by which their food is produced or the region from which it originated. The farm offers the possibility of reuniting with the land, providing a "practical experience" of local life. Farm activities include fruit picking, wine tasting, bee care, cow milking and other educational activities.
The farmhouse immerses visitors in the heritage of a particular culture. Take the time to stop at a farm or ranch, you will most likely discover people with a deep understanding of the history and traditions of their region. A traveler ad Agros to Cyprus who helps villagers pick roses in May, will learn about the history of the rose water producing area. Horseback riding at a boys' ranch in Montana offers a glimpse into the life of the "Old West" cowboys United States. A visit to a food museum such as the Musee de la Boulangerie Rural in Luberon can teach you the history of rural bakery in the French region of La Provence.
For the most iconic agritourism areas, safeguarding the integrity of their products is nothing more than a source of national pride. In theEuropean Union, the Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) take care of the integrity of a wide variety of foods, such as Champagne wine in France, Asiago cheese in Italy and Melton Mowbray meat pies in England.
Like theecotourism, the agritourism focuses on low-impact travel that gives wealth to local communities, both socially and economically. Recognizing the need to diversify their agricultural products, many farmers see agro-tourism as a viable option for the long-term sustainability of their farms. Agritourism can support an agricultural economy when local producers can no longer compete economically.
The farmhouse in Italy
Initially conceived as a very simple form of hospitality, organized by farmers by summarily setting up accommodation in company buildings made available by the rapid downsizing of those employed in agriculture, the farm has gradually evolved by offering comforts and services adequate to the needs of modern tourism, albeit consistent with the connection to the agricultural activity required by law. The offer of educational services is also increasing with the spread of the so-called educational farms that welcome students to make known the different aspects of agricultural activity and the preparation of many foods (wine, oil, honey, cheeses, cured meats, etc.).
The farm offer is constantly growing. At first concentrated in small farms in the hilly and mountainous areas, today it also affects large companies, also in the plains, giving valuable support to agricultural incomes and contributing to the conservation of the landscape through the recovery of abandoned rural buildings, to the consolidation of employment in agriculture. , and the enhancement of the typical products of the area. The agritourism has also given impetus to the development of other forms of rural tourism (small charming hotels, bed and breakfasts, holiday homes) which attract customers equally interested in the agricultural world, but whose activity is independent from the actual work in the fields.
The demand for agritourism has also changed considerably in recent years: before it interested a small circle of enthusiasts of traditions and food and wine specialties, today it involves large popular groups motivated by contact with nature, good food, tranquility, generally low prices. The companies, initially mainly seasonal, are currently mostly active throughout the year, hosting for weekends as well as for longer periods during the summer holidays. Foreign guests are growing, estimated at 27% of the total.
In Italy, the exercise of the agritourism activity, by the agricultural enterprises, is allowed only in compliance with specific rules that regulate the connection with the agricultural activity and the denomination "agritourism" is reserved to the farms that operate according to these norms. According to the Civil Code, agritourism is considered agricultural activity. The term "agritourism" was coined in the mid-sixties.
According to Law 96/2006, for agritourism activities we mean the reception and hospitality activities carried out by agricultural entrepreneurs, also in the form of joint-stock companies or partnerships, or associated with each other, through the use of their own company in a connection relationship. with land cultivation, forestry and animal breeding activities.
The agricultural entrepreneur and his family members, as well as temporary, permanent and partial employees, who are considered agricultural workers, can be involved in carrying out the agritourism activity. The use of external subjects is allowed exclusively for the performance of complementary activities and services.
The agritourism activities include:
- to give hospitality in lodgings or in open spaces destined to stop campers;
- administer meals and drinks consisting mainly of own products and products of farms in the area, including alcoholic and spirits products, with preference for typical products characterized by the DOP, IGP, IGT, DOC and DOCG brands or included in the 'national list of traditional agri-food products.
- organize tastings of farm products, including wine pouring.
- organize recreational, cultural, educational, sporting activities, as well as excursions (trekking, mountain biking, equestrian tourism), even outside the land assets in the company's availability, also by means of agreements with local authorities, aimed at enhancing of the territory and of the rural heritage.
The agritourism activity can be carried out exclusively in pre-existing rural buildings on farms and no longer useful for the management of the fund.According to the most recent ISTAT statistics (2010), in Italy there are 19,973 farms, of which 16,504 offer accommodation with 206,145 places bed, 9,914 catering, 11,421 recreational, cultural and educational activities. The region with the most significant offer is Tuscany (4,074 companies) followed by Trentino-Alto Adige (3,339) and Lombardy (1,327).
See also
- Cycling tourism
- Ecotourism
- Wine tourism
- Equitourism
- Wild farm
