Boom in bookings at farmhouses: the Italian summer is in the countryside. Because I like it so much

The Coldiretti/Ixe' analysis on the occasion of the weekend which, with the end of schools, marks the beginning of the summer

ROME – Almost seven million Italians have chosen to go on holiday in June this year, also driven by the return of the heat, especially in the South. This is what emerges from the Coldiretti analysis/ Ixe’ on the occasion of the weekend which, with the end of schools, marks the beginning of the holiday season.

+20% OF BOOKINGS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: THE FARMHOUSES WIN

If the sea is confirmed as the most popular location, this year there has been a 20% increase in tourists choosing the countryside as a destination, according to Coldiretti. The lion’s share is made up of farmhouses which record a marked growth in bookings according to monitoring by Terranostra Campagna Amica. The almost 26 thousand Italian agritourism structures – continues Coldiretti – guarantee alongside the “traditional” accommodation services (offered by 21 thousand companies) and catering (13 thousand companies) also an increasingly rich offer of experiential activities (over 6 thousand companies offer tastings and 13 thousand recreational, sporting and cultural activities) ranging from wellness to sporting activities such as horse riding, archery, trekking or pilates. The cultural part is not missing, with visits to archaeological or nature trails, up to tastings and cooking courses. During this period, guests also have the opportunity to experience up close important moments in the seasonal cycles of many productions, such as the threshing of wheat or the harvesting of fruit.

GOOD FOOD AND ENOGASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES

Experiential tourism therefore wins, the tourism of “relationships” with the territory and its residents, the food and wine and sustainable tourism of agricultural companies. Traditional cuisine, good food, food and wine experiences are in fact among the expressions that most frequently accompany the word “agritourism” in Google searches. “Examples of how experiential tourism is increasingly central in the choices of Italians and foreigners and agritourism, more than other realities, today guarantees the possibility of experiencing a complete holiday, managing to combine the passion for food and nature with activities, hobbies and interests that over the years have entered deeply into common experience – explains the president of Terranostra Campagna Amica Cotarella – an offer made possible by the quality path carried out by the agritourism sector which from this year also offers the possibility of walking, riding on horseback, by bicycle or on foot which allows you to discover lesser-known areas of our country”.