Sustainable travel and ecotourism in Tuscany

Info and Description

Ecotourism in Tuscany: For your holidays dedicated to Ecotourism in Tuscany, take a look at our accommodation immersed in idyllic landscapes, discover nature trails and small villages where time seems to stand still, where you can taste traditional dishes and discover the wonders of local crafts. By choosing a sustainable stay that fully respects the ecosystem, you can fully enjoy the authenticity of a wine tasting session or enjoy a nice picnic in the countryside on foot, by bike or on horseback.

Hospitality: On Agriturismo.net you can choose farmhouses, holiday houses or accommodation in a bed and breakfast offering activities related to green tourism, for example, bike rental or sale of typical products or close to hiking trails in the natural surroundings  

Cycle tourism - Tuscany by bike: A lot of people who are passionate about green tourism enjoy this slow and environmentally-friendly type of tourism, which allows you to enjoy unique landscapes that have become famous thanks to the many historical, artistic and cultural attractions, while fully respecting them. In a cycling area of about 500 km that continues to grow, you can choose between the different routes available, such as the routes Montelupo Fiorentino-Radda in Chianti, Orbetello-Laguna di Levante, Pisa-Lucca, the Arno bike route and hills of val d'Orcia, among the best known. Also, note the Parco Ciclistico del Chianti that touches the towns of Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Gaiole in Chianti and Radda in Chianti in the province of Siena, and that of Greve in Chianti, in the province of Florence.

Equestrian tourism: Tuscany on horseback - If ecotourism is primarily about equestrian tourism, Tuscany is able to offer a wide choice of stables and riding schools that organise horseback riding, accompanied by guides: why not treat yourself to this unique excitment by looking at our farms with stables?

Below you will find the contacts for several riding centres in the various provinces:

Florence Toscana Equitazione Montespertoli, via Pian di Pesa 9 - Website: www.toscanaequitazione.it - Email: info@toscanaequitazione.it This equestrian centre offers plenty of areas for horseback riding, along with activities, courses at various levels and the organisation of green weeks

Grosseto - CM Equitazione Albinia, strada provinciale Giannella - Website: www.equiturismo.it - Email: info@equiturismo.it; The centre offers courses for beginners or advanced courses leading to the FISE (Italian Federation of Equestrian Sports) licence. The guide will be able to accompany the participants to discover the Tuscan garrigue, enjoying the natural setting, gastronomy and historical landmarks, from the province of Grosseto to that of Viterbo.

Pisa - San Rossore Pisa, viale delle Cascine 153 Website: www.sanrossore.it - Email: alfea@sanrossore. it A few km from the Tower of Pisa, in the San Rossore Park, you can attend courses in saddle or riding that take place at the park racecourse, as well as follow the riding courses organised by the stables and, finally, ride to the coast of Versilia.

Siena - Club Ippico Senese Monteriggioni, strada di Pian del Lago Website: www.clubippicosenese.it - Email: info@clubippicosenese.it This club has its own stables, well cared for land and a jumping area. Experienced riders have the opportunity to try their hand at horse riding for more than an hour, following different routes.

National Parks - Regional Parks The Tuscan countryside boasts landscapes that could be called Oscar winners: not surprisingly, the Chianti and the Maremma have become film sets for many movies set in this beautiful region. In such a natural environment green tourism can only flourish, just think of national parks of the calibre of the Casentino Forests, the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, without forgetting the beauty of the Tuscan archipelago islands and the peaks of the Apuan Alps and the Apennines.

The Park of the Tuscan Archipelago - The Park of the Tuscan Archipelago traces its roots to Greek mythology, it is said that the islands of Giannutri, Capraia, Gorgona, Pianosa, Montecristo, Giglio and Elba were born from pearls unthreaded from a necklace of Venus and thrown into the Mediterranean Sea . Apart from the island of Elba, the largest of the seven, the others are quite modest in size and, since some are home to prisons, they have been able to preserve their pristine wilderness, becoming some of the favourite destinations for lovers of green tourism.

Tosco-Emiliano Park - Like that of Casentino Forests, this national park stretches between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, following the path of the Apennines up to 1700 m above sea level and including the massif of the Pania of Corfino in Tuscany. Roughly two-thirds of the park are located in Emilia Romagna, where the administrative headquarters are located. Tourists on holiday in Tuscany can still contact the Orecchiella reception centre, an ideal base for walking in the southern part of the park.

Parco delle Foreste Casentine, Monte Falterona and Campigna: The Parco delle Foreste Casentine and Monte Falterona are spread over an area of 36,400 hectares, equally distributed between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.

All the park can be visited , on foot and on horseback, on mountain bikes or, during the winter, even on skis for about 650 km of trails.

The Franciscan Monastery of Camaldoli and the Sanctuary of La Verna are major attractions with the beautiful landscape in which they are immersed and the great historical and artistic value.

Regional parks - Parco della MaremmaThe Regional Park of Maremma, also known as Parco dell'Uccellina, stretches along the coast, starting from Principina a Mare and ending at Talamone in the provinces of Grosseto and Livorno. Very varied from a geographical point of view, in fact, this park includes landscapes such as those of the Uccellina Mountains and the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the coastline of which has alternating sand beaches and steep cliffs. At one time this area was unhealthy because it housed the largest salt marsh in Tuscany, that of the Trappola.

Parco di Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli

The Parco di Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli stretches between the provinces of Lucca and Pisa, offering a dense network of hiking, biking and even horse riding trails. You can also cross it using the little train or a boat on Lake Massaciuccoli, the largest in Tuscany, on the shores of which Giacomo Puccini was inspired to compose some of his legendary aria. When you explore the park, you can also admire the different species of animals that inhabit San Rossore, today the place in whitch the former residence of the King is found has once again be opened to the public, it has been used in recent year by the President of the Repubblic and today is under protetionog the REgion of Tuscany.

Parco delle Alpi Apuane The Tuscan ecosystem is very varied and the proof is that the Apuan Alps Park has been a UNESCO heritage site since 2012: the rocky and jagged profile of peaks led to the use of the term Alps to refer to the Apuan mountains, once inhabited by the Ligurian population. The rocky, jagged walls have favoured the creation of nature trails suitable for all lovers of hiking and mountaineering, also revealing marble deposits among the many natural treasures here. A dense, serpentine network of underground caves is partly accessible with guided tours and we can tell you that the Antro del Corchia is open to the public for about 2 km.

Shopping Made in Tuscany: typical products -Regional dishes and traditional food  The Tuscany on the table is a real Land of Plenty for all foodies. The gastronomic tradition of this area is based on the use of simple but tasty ingredients, typical of poor cuisine: for example, we start with the Pecorino di Pienza and Lardo di Colonnata, pass by mushrooms from Garfagnana, truffles of San Miniato and all Tuscan cold cuts, such as Soprassata, Finocchiona, Prosciutto Toscano or the Rigatino flavoured with wild fennel, finally arriving at the famous unsalted bread so named because very little salt is used during the preparation, the bread soup, steak Florentine, the Senese pork and Chianina fillet with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.. And the desserts? Certainly not lacking: do not miss a taste of the traditional Ricciarelli and cantuccini of Siena, the Schiacciata Fiorentina, the Torta co' Bischeri of Pisa, the biscuits of Prato, the Castagnaccio and Brigidini!

Tuscan wines For wine lovers visiting Tuscany, the typical wine cellars will certainly be an obligatory stop for tasting AOC  and AOCG wines, like the famous Chiani, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino. The rows of vines that follow the gentle slopes of these hills, enhancing them with vines and grapes, are now a distinguishing trait in the eyes of tourists from around the world.

Other typical products of Tuscany Buying products made in Tuscany does not only mean buying wines and quality food, there is also the entire tradition of craftsmanship that has always characterised this region to be taken into consideration: we can mention for example Florentine leather and leather processing in the Comprensorio del Cuoio (Leather District), the alabaster of Volterra, the ceramics of Montelupo, Casentino cloth, Carrara marble ... are you ready to take home a little of Tuscan?