Environment

Activity:
Few vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a walking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour does encourage clients to have a positive effect by engaging with locals, using cafes and restaurants, and investing in traditional gifts and local produce. By visiting a number of places of interest and offering additional optional excursions, we support those who run these trips and the upkeep of historically important sites.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

Community

Accommodation and Meals:
We will spend seven nights at Villa Casalta- a charming renovated farmhouse in the heart of Chianti. The villa is family-run and staff members are local to the region, meaning we have a more positive impact on local economy: local employment opportunities are created and income generated is reinvested in the area. Surrounded by incredible vineyards and woodland, the farmhouse has access to some very fresh, local ingredients, including renowned Chianti wines, olives and olive oil. Many meals are provided and will include a number of regional specialties including locally cured meats on crostini, Tuscan bean soup, fish stew, homemade pasta and Florentine steak. The owners are environmentally conscious and try to minimise negative effects on their natural surroundings by paying attention to recycling and energy conservation.

Local Craft and Culture:
We arrange for three wine tastings over the course of the trip, where we learn about local wines and how they are made. This includes a session in the farmhouse, one in Villa Il Palagetto, where excellent Vernaccia wines are produced, and a short course at the Tuscan Wine School. These are great opportunities to support local suppliers and to encourage the traditional methods of local wine production. We also engage with local culture by visiting many places of interest- for example, Siena, with its many galleries and impressive gothic cathedral, and small mediaeval villages such as Greve in Chianti and nearby Montefioralle, where prized Chianti wines are grown.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.