Umbria family vacation, Italy

Planet

1) We choose our suppliers among the ones that sustain the environment. For example, Monte Vibiano farm has been awarded with the prestigious "Premio Impresa Ambiente" award, "the highest recognition for Italian private and public companies that have distinguished themselves in the interests of Sustainable Development, Environmental Issues and Social Responsibility". It has been the first farm in Italy to receive the prestigious reward and certification of DNV ISO 14064, to have reached the zero emission of CO2, using solar and wind power. We sustain them also by buying their precious wine for our guests.
2) We support a local NGO, TAMAT, that is working on a project to develop sustainable mobility (H2power project) and we buy their gadgets to fund their activities. They are working, with other partners, on developing a demonstrator vehicle that is using as fuel a variable mixture of methane and hydrogen, that can be produced from renewable energy sources. They also organize awareness raising events for citizens and students about sustainable development and mobility and about the solution to preserve our environment.
3) The farmhouse of this vacation is a "Responsible Tourism accommodation". It's an agriturismo producing its own oil and wine and many vegetables for the local restaurant. The buildings have been restored following the local tradition and materials. They have solar panels for energy saving and have a good organization in recycling.

People

1) We give information to our guests to visit some local art and crafts workshops that maintains alive old techniques. In 2010 an association of craftsmen “Associazione botteghe artigiane del centro storico” was set up in Perugia to promote the historic, artistic and cultural heritage of the city and make people aware about Umbria cultural heritage. The association promotes the project “ArtiCity” to support the local handicraft, among them : the Studio Moretti Caselli that still uses a characteristic ancient technique to produce stained glasses, the Giuditta Brozzetti Atelier, that produces woven fabrics with ancient techniques, and Anna Barola’s workshop “Art and craftsmanship” that produces handmade traditional embroidery
2) We bring our clients to the farmers’ markets: true open air food shops from the producer to the consumer, vegetables organically grown and “zero kilometers” far. Buying and tasting their products is a way to support small local producers that otherwise risk to disappear. Farmers’ markets in Umbria are part of a project called “ Campagna Amica” that identifies and safeguards Italian and certified farmers’ products. In these markets you can find women producing buffalo mozzarella and cheeses, farmers with fresh fruit and vegetables (there is also a cooperative that sells products grown in a jail by prisoners), producing and selling typical flours and beans and so on. We support all of them buying their products and organizing, when possible, tasting of their products.