Features
Top ecotourism destinations: Umbria, Italy
The historic Italian region offers a range of eco-retreats and activities to responsible travellers, who can enjoy its picturesque rural landscape and artistic heritage.
Perhaps not the most famous touristic destination and sometimes forgotten because of the proximity of the more popular Rome and Florence, Umbria is a small jewel in the centre of Italy.
It is one of the country’s most eco-friendly regions, thanks to its attention to renewable energy, sustainable tourism and recycling.
Umbria hosts a number of touristic structures that place great emphasis on environmental protection, such as organic bed and breakfast, ‘agriturismi’ – farm accommodations with restaurants – and even eco-villages.
One of these is between Gubbio and Perugia, it is called Libera Università di Alcatraz (Free university of Alcatraz) and is a solar community that also has a hotel and restaurant, always with a focus on fairtrade, organic, ecological and ethical products. In addition to being very close to historic cities like Perugia, Assisi and Montalcino, the place also offers various workshops, massages and courses for visitors.
In Umbria, tourists can take a break from frenetic city tours and spend a slow day in some very iconic countryside retreats, enjoying some of the region’s traditional food and wine.
The region is a good strategic point to visit some of the most beautiful place in the central Italy such as, Assisi, Perugia, Gubbio, Trasimeno Lake, Cortona and Arezzo.
The regional authority has also created a Green Card for tourists, who can choose among different tours and rent an electric car to move around the area.
Photo: ebiggs vancouver via flickr
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