For those who are tired of the city, for those looking for relaxation, slow rhythms, thought, and to conquer new awareness, we have selected hotels in Italy that not only offer a holiday in contact with nature, but are committed to having a slight impact on the planet that hosts us.
They arise in places where human presence and footprint are minimal and where it is possible to have a unique encounter with the charm of nature and landscapes. In some cases, these are real protected areas, those where our respect for what surrounds us is at its highest expression.
Furthermore, in these hotels and resorts, special attention has been paid to the impact generated by the building itself which in most cases coincides with the recovery of an existing structure and in the others calls into question the green building.
Finally, we have included in this selection the structures that are committed to responsible management of resources: from the introduction of rigorous separate collection, to attention to waste, passing through the use of energy from renewable sources.
You can find them, scattered along our beautiful peninsula, below.
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1/9Oasyhotel, on the Pistoia Apennines among wolves, fallow deer and fawns
Oasyhotel, on the Pistoia Apennines among wolves, fallow deer and fawns
Immerse yourself in the most uncontaminated nature but in a well-designed structure: this is the experience that the Easyhotel in San Marcello Piteglio allows, which is located within a protected area affiliated with the WWF on the Pistoia Apennines. 16 small houses where wood is king, designed with considerable attention to the impact on the ecosystem in which they arise, welcome travelers looking for a break from the frenzy of city life. Here they can say goodbye to electronic alarm clocks, replaced by birdsong, enjoy the luxury of a breathtaking starry sky, meet fairy-tale animals such as fallow deer and fawns (but boar, deer and wolves also abound in the surroundings). All without giving up some of the comforts of a high-level structure, starting from the gastronomic offer that interprets the ingredients obtained thanks to the foraging spontaneous in these woods.
A structure suitable for everyone, including children, who can have fun together with adults thanks to sports activities ranging from trekking to ziplinepassing through horseback riding and paddling in the lakes.
The proceeds deriving from the activity of the Easy Hotel are used for research projects and environmental conservation: a further confirmation of the attitude to care, of the planet and of people, of the Dynamo Camp (a reality adjacent to the hotel that every year gives a holiday out of the ordinary for children and teenagers with serious or chronic pathologies) of which the structure is an expression.
In 2022 it opens on April 14 and closes on October 31.
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2/9Oasyhotel
One of the landscapes around the Easyhotel.
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Sextantio.it3/9Sextantio, a dip in the rural past in the Abruzzo mountains
In Santo Stefano di Sessanio, inside the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, stands Sextantio, a widespread hotel at over a thousand meters above sea level where you can recover a relationship with nature that has now been forgotten by many of us.
Here everything smells of history and the recovery intervention of this medieval village has not canceled the cultural identity linked to the poor and rural life, typical of areas like this one.
The architectural material is entirely recycled as well as the furniture which coincides with poor solutions of the Abruzzo mountains, as happens for example with the blankets, handmade with wooden frames. At Sextantio the signs of time are displayed and enhanced and a holiday is offered on the traces of an ancient experience that saw nature as an ally and not a basin from which to draw resources.
Respect for the territory also translates into a gastronomic offer based on crop varieties and local food production that also embraces ritual, symbolic and affective aspects of the food of peoples often on the verge of material subsistence.
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4/9Sextantio
The village seen in the evening.
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5/9Lefay Resort & SPA, well-being reflected in Lake Garda
An eleven-hectare park surrounded by hills and natural terraces rich in woods and olive groves on the Riviera dei Limoni: right here lies the Lefay Lago di Garda, a resort that in addition to contact with nature and responsible management (it is Green Globe certified) , offers a wide range of services related to wellness, many of which take shape in the SPA of over 4000 square meters; the culinary offer is structured around what the Mediterranean diet has to offer, while the health paths integrate Western and Chinese medicine.
Many of the suites were renovated in 2021 thanks to the use of materials from these lands and provide a unique enjoyment of the lake landscape, in which the Lefay fits “on tiptoe” with a design inspired by lemon groves. Energy management is also careful and obtained from renewable sources, as is the commitment to saving water.
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6/9Lefay Resort & SPA
The swimming pool and the view of the Lefay Resort & SPA on Lake Garda.
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7/9Capofaro, the quiet of a holiday among the Salina vineyards
Among the Aeolian Islands, Salina stands out for its vegetation and remarkable biodiversity, two elements that often make it called the “green island” of the archipelago. Here, in a context far from the main (small) urban settlements, stands the Relais & Châteaux Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia in Salina. A structure that seems to ask permission to exist from the landscape that welcomes it so much is well integrated into it; combines the charm of the blue sea that embraces the island, with the green of the luxuriant vegetation.
At the Capofaro it is possible to stay overnight in one of the six rooms obtained in the old accommodation of the nineteenth-century lighthouse keeper that dominates this stretch of coast. The property offers a wide range of activities, including those related to wine (Salina is known for its Malvasia and its capers), with high-level tastings especially (but not limited to) the wines of Tasca d’Almerita.
Capofaro draws part of what is needed for the kitchen from a vegetable garden located inside the structure, the packages are in glass and the straws in bamboo to limit the presence of disposable plastic products.
Here you can find the property’s website for more information.
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Instagram @ilcanticodellanatura8/9The Canticle of Nature, in an ancient convent in the quiet of the olive trees
In Montesperello, a few kilometers from Lake Trasimeno, is the eco-resort Il Cantico della Natura. An old farmhouse within a 25-hectare organic farm, in the past used as a convent and then abandoned after the war, has been renovated according to the principles of green building to create an ideal environment for those looking for a romantic escape into nature uncontaminated Umbrian.
Among the centuries-old woods and olive groves of this area in the green lung of Italy, it is possible to go horseback riding, trekking to discover landscapes that inspire peace and serenity, and also dedicate yourself to the search for the Umbrian summer truffle accompanied by an expert truffle. . The management of the resort is attentive to water waste, uses energy coming exclusively from renewable sources and technologies based on energy saving.
Equipped with SPA and swimming pool, it offers its guests 18 apartments and suites, including two eco-suites that aim to create continuity between the interiors and the surrounding nature thanks to the extensive use of glass.
Here you can find the property’s website for more information.
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9/9The Canticle of Nature
One of the eco-suites.
Source: Vanity Fair
