Tag Archives: ecotourism
Volunteer Vacations in Italy

Volunteer Vacations in Italy

by Melanie on 29. Jan, 2010 in Active Travel, Eco Travel, Featured Articles, Specialty Travel

The final post in my New Year’s Resolutions series, which includes Health and Fitness and Learning Vacations in Italy, focuses on doing good while on vacation. Of course, Italy may not be the first place you think of when you consider volunteering your time – indeed, Haiti comes to mind – but there are a [...]

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Ecotourism in the Cinque Terre

Ecotourism in the Cinque Terre

by Melanie on 21. Apr, 2009 in Cinque Terre, Destinations, Eco Travel, Liguria, Specialty Travel

The Cinque Terre, already a favorite destination for travelers to Italy, is one place where sustainable initiatives are taking root. Protect Cinque Terre operates out of Vernazza, one of the five “terre” (lands) and offers participants the opportunity to work with locals in landscape preservation such as “rebuilding the stone walls that support terraced agriculture, [...]

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Ramble On: Tuscany Walking Festival

Ramble On: Tuscany Walking Festival

by Melanie on 13. Apr, 2009 in Destinations, Eco Travel, Festivals and Events, Out and About, Parks and Nature, Specialty Travel, Things To Do, Tuscany

Tuscany, with its beautiful vistas and thousands of hectares of nature preserves and woodlands, offers numerous opportunities for serious hikers and casual trekkers alike. This is the also the thought of the organizers of the Tuscany Walking Festival, a yearly event that happens goes on roughly between the first days of spring until the end [...]

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The Ultimate Italian Driving Adventure

The Ultimate Italian Driving Adventure

by Melanie on 03. Sep, 2008 in Active Travel, Deals and Packages, Destinations, Driving Tours, Eco Travel, Lazio, Out and About, Parks and Nature, Specialty Travel, Tuscany, Umbria

If you’re the type of traveler who likes to go it alone and doesn’t mind injecting a little technological know-how into your trip, then a GPS-driven self-guided tour may be the ticket. Information about Zephyr Self-Guided Adventures through Italy just crossed our desks over the weekend. The company offers walks, biking, and driving tours through [...]

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Touring the Venice Lagoon by Pénichette

Touring the Venice Lagoon by Pénichette

by Melanie on 01. Jul, 2008 in Deals and Packages, Destinations, Eco Travel, Featured Articles, Food and Wine, Out and About, Specialty Travel, Travel Articles, Veneto, Venice

While browsing the web recently, I happened upon Emmanuelle Jary’s excellent primer on touring the Venice Lagoon on ViaMichelin (full disclosure: I have written for Michelin Travel Guides). But what, I wondered, was a pénichette? Turns out that it is a small barge-like houseboat - just the perfect type of transportation for getting around the city [...]

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From Mafia Villa to Agriturismo

From Mafia Villa to Agriturismo

by Melanie on 28. Feb, 2008 in Accommodations, Destinations, Italy News, Sicily

This one comes from the U.K.’s Italy Magazine, which tells us that the Corleone villa of former Mafia boss Salvatore Riina has been turned into farmstay housing, a.k.a., an agriturismo. The Pio La Torre Cooperative, named for a martyred anti-Mafia activist, belonged to Riina before it was seized by the State after his 1993 capture. [...]

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Resolution: Italian Citizenship

Resolution: Italian Citizenship

by Melanie on 05. Jan, 2007 in Destinations, Siena, Tuscany

Did know that you can get honorary citizenship from the Terre di Siena (Siena’s provincial tourism board)? Citizenship entails signing a Sustainable Tourism charter. Here’s what the charter lists as an honorary citizen’s privileges: Receive full information about local activities in the community Receive detailed information that will allow you to select the very best of [...]

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