If you are still choosing a destination for your next vacation, come to Italy! By following our tips, you will enjoy a fun and relaxing stay in the country, while respecting the environment. Here are 13 unique and unforgettable experiences for a green vacation in Italy.
1. Sleep in an ancient peasant village overlooking Lake Trasimeno
Relais Borgo Torale, in Tuoro sul Trasimeno, is the ideal place to enjoy the thriving Umbrian nature by the pool. Located at the top of a hill, this old abandoned peasant village has been transformed into an eco-relais overlooking the majestic Lake Trasimeno. It uses 100% renewable energy sources: don’t miss out on a weekend of relax and sustainability.
2. Stay among the branches of a tree and enjoy local produce in Tuscany
Do you want to live the authentic Tuscan Maremma? Glamping il Sole is a faboulous place nestled in the countryside of Civitella Paganico. Here you could also take care of the farm animals, make bread or cheese and taste many homemade specialties! You will have the chance to enjoy all these green experiences in your next vacation to Italy!
3. Live in an ancient village carved out of the rock in Matera
18 caves that gave rise, after their restoration, to the “Diffuse Hotel” Sextantio-Le Grotte della Civita. Located in the oldest area of the Sassi of Matera, the charming accomodations offer unique and sustainable experiences, including cooking classes with km0 products, aperitifs prepared with local wines or even bike rentals to explore the pristine nature in the surroundings.
4. Try the highest sauna in Europe in Val Senales
If you are a lover of high altitude, Rifugio Bella Vista in Val Senales is perfect for you. Situated at 2.845 meters above sea level in the Alps of Ötztal, this shelter offers the chance to sleep in an authentic igloo (in winter months). The mountain hut offers regional food, uses 100% renewable energy sources and water recovery systems. An outdoor swimming pool and sauna, which is the highest in Europe, complete the picture.
5. Sleep in a barrel, taste vegan cuisine and immerse yourself in the bio-pool of Marche
Country Relais Coroncina is the ideal place for a vacation of pure relaxation, nature and great local and vegan food. The Relais will surprise you with its magnificent outdoor pool, but also because your room will be inside a real barrel!
6. Sleep in a Mongolian Yurt and practice yoga at sunset with view on the Turin Hills
The Om and Shanti Mongolian Yurts at Yurte Soul Shelter are truly beneficial for your soul. Immersed in the wood and lit only by LEDs and low consumption lamps, the Yurts offer breathtaking view overlooking the Turin hills. The accomodation also offers the chance to practice holistic disciplines such as yoga or meditation.
7. Walks among vineyards and olive groves, yoga and dinners aboard a Catamaran in Salento, Puglia
Enjoy an incredible stay at Masseria Tenuta Flora Maria, sorrounded by the Salento countryside. A perfect place of wellness and sustainability, which offers walks, yoga at awakening or cycling routes with bikes provided free of charge. Breakfast with only local produce is included.
8. Sleep in a former monastery and discover the history of the first organic productions in Italy
An ancient monastery, the Girolomoni organic farm you give you an experience of total sustainability. Surrounded by nature, it offers local specialties grown in a previously abandoned territory. It has a strategic location, close to the main cities of northern Marche region, and allows for walks in the surrounding trails.
9. Go back in time by sleeping in an ancient castle and discover the surroundings by bycicle
The ancient 14th century fortress of Torre della Botonta has been transformed into an eco-friendly “Diffuse Hotel”. A perfect combination of history and unspoiled nature, located in the heart of Umbria. The castle features an e-bike rental service, to explore the region without damaging the environment.
10. Stay in a former military post close to the Sardinian sea and discover the area by bike
Your stay at Rifugio di Mare will be unique and unrepeatable: you will have the chance to sleep in a former World War II military post. Located in Alghero and clinging to the cliff, the facility offers lots of ecotourism itinerarires, also by bike! It is attentive to renewable resources and to the quality of its food, which is totally organic and local.
11. Recharge and find your wellness between land and sea in Liguria
Sesta Terra Natural Resort is located in Framura, a little touristy area of Liguria. It is the ideal place to enjoy a moment of rest by the pool, while admiring unspoiled forests. It is a sustainable experience of absolute wellness, with many walking and biking routes to do physical activity and respect the environment.
12. Try Gong Baths and many other experiences in this organic farm in Tuscany
Sant’Egle BIO Resort and Glamping is an eco-friendly and preserver of biodiversity facility located in Grosseto. A unique country house that will not only immerse you in the Tuscan countyside, but will also offer a deep relaxation with its wellness area, where you can try private yoga classes and Gong Baths, and many other activities. The agritourism cultivates its products with biodynamic and synergistic methods and the energy it uses is 100% renewable.
13. On vacation with alpacas
Nestled in the hills of Pisa is Alpaca Country House, a completely renovated farmhouse of 1200 that is part of the medieval village of Montecastello. It includes an immense field of secular olive trees in which cute alpacas are bred, whose wool is also used to make scarves and plaids that you can buy on site. The facility also has a vegetable garden that produces many of the foods you will find on the table.
Traveling is good, but it is even better if you do it responsibly while respecting the environment. In Italy there’s plenty of eco-friendly accomodations that offer the perfect combination of vacation pleasure and environmental protection. So what are you waiting for? For your next vacation, choose Italy and try these 13 unforgettable experiences to have a green trip!
Cover Image: Rifugio di Mare, Punta Giglio, Sardinia, photo by Andrea Pistolesi