LC POLIZZI, SICILY

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An oasis directly inside the Natural Park of the Madonie, the Center is the Head Quarter for the operation of the SVT network. You will be able to enjoy the astounding natural setting, while learning and experiencing new ways of life. Located on a property of 5 hectars of forest and vegetables gardens, the Center combines a natural way of living with the new technology in the fields of agricolture, energy management and communication.

Mel and Milu live permanently on the premises with their 4 years old daughter, Lhassa, ensuring you a family experience Sicilian Style. Upon arrival, the Center will offer the possibility to go through a cleansing ritual, made with steam, darkness and chanting: The Temazcal. This will help to leave behind stress, tiredness, toxins and bad moods, in order to enjoy the flux of information and technics to which you will be exposed during your stay. The Center offers different choices for your stay.

A: Feel free to come without booking any workshop, just to chill and enjoy in good company. We share our sanctuary, our love and hospitality to receive you as a member of our family.

B: Come to share daily life at the Center. Take part in our daily activities. Share our meditations, our healing practices, our walks in the mountain… Yoga, Meditations, Trekking, Horse Riding, Traditional cooking etc… for your well being only.

C: Be part of a one week Master Classes offered by international teachers in the fields of Dance, Yoga, Theater, Social Business, Mentoring and many more according to the program.

PRIMA SARDEGNA, SARDINIA

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We are a touristic services’ agency that has been located in Cala Gonone for 18 years. For all of those who are in love with nature, we aim to transform their holidays in Sardinia into unique and unforgettable experiences. By proposing our activities and by supporting a sustainable eco-tourism, we want to ensure that all the natural riches are preserved.

We mainly propose outdoor activities, rental services and excursions. Our aim is to give the opportunity of intensely living the surrounding area in all of its real and savage aspects by organizing, for instance, hiking and excursions with mountain bike and kayak. 

We usually suggest to our costumers to venture for experiencing our beautiful bays, beaches with a crystalline sea, including Cala Luna the so called “Mediterranean Pearl” and other natural monuments, such as the caves of Bue Marino, which can be discovered by kayaking and, therefore, by having a direct contact with real natural beauties. We provide 24 hours assistance for kayak-trips of several days and for the “Selvaggio Blue”, one of the most beautiful and wild hiking paths in Europe. 

Thanks to the vast rose of choices among the different mountain bike paths and all the other numerous excursions that we organize, our guests can decide how to better explore the hinterland. Our staff, composed by competent guides, will be glad to show you breathtaking views, to bring you in uncontaminated places, as for example the ancient Nuraghe, and to the discover and observe with you wild animals, as the mouflon and the wild boar. 

Since we believe that a better distribution of tourism is able to respect the balance of the nature, we aim to recommend and incentivize - by proposing our offers - the low season tourism: from Easter until the beginning of June and from late September to early November. 

Furthermore, we have established several agreements with some accommodations  distributed in all the surrounding area and thanks to our deep knowledge of the territory and an active participation in many local projects, we aim to give to the tourists the occasion of living the real Sardinia!

WINERY MARIA PIA CASTELLI, MARCHE

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The story of Maria Pia Castelli’s company begins in 1992 when, after a holiday on board of their camping van, Enrico and Maria Pia discovered the wines of Burgundy and Piedmont. One of the decisive figures behind the decision of starting their activity is Maria Pia’s father, a highly experienced farmer and winemaker with a strong passion. 

It is Erasmo who will convince Enrico and Maria Pia to take the plunge. Thus, after restoring their country house, in the surrounding soil they initially planted 4 hectares of Montepulciano and Sangiovese and later, in 1999, another 4 hectares of Montepulciano and other white grape local varieties.

By trying to recreate the ideal habitat and with the intention of totally respecting the surrounding nature and the soil, Enrico and Maria Pia decided to leave the vineyards grassy (no-till farming technique) and to plant olive and fruit trees. The aim of Enrico and Maria Pia is to produce wines which are sincere and rich of personality and, more importantly, to create a product that is the result of a "clean" and accurate agriculture, careful towards the soil’s needs thanks to the use of natural fertilizers – such as the organic compost created by the different farming productions. 

Furthermore, another fundamental element that characterizes the wine’s production is the quality of the barrels in which the wine refines for years, quality guaranteed by the careful choice of the best French and long-aging oak’s woods.  Since then the adventure as wine makers continues unabated by overcoming together all the adversities in order to transform the activity in a proper lifestyle. To Erasmo we not only dedicate our deep and profound affection and memory, but also our pure Montepulciano: the Erasmo Castelli. 

 

LA FOCE, CHIANCIANO TERME, TUSCANY

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The Val d’Orcia comes as a shock to the stranger driving south from Chianciano toward the Via Cassia. The traveller suddenly reaches the top of a pass overlooking a wide valley below: this is La Foce. 

Everything that can be seen from here appears conceived on a larger scale, very different from any other place in Tuscany. The wide valley is dominated on the horizon by the towering presence of Monte Amiata, a long-extinct volcano that rises in solitary majesty above the valley.

In 1920s, the Origo family came to live here, Antonio was an Italian nobleman from Florence and his wife Iris an anglo-american writer.

The main points of the Origo plan to develop the Val d’Orcia were: set up an eight-year crop rotation; drain and build sustaining dams on the clay hills to prevent erosion; increase the arable land; rebuild the existing farms and the fattoria; plant grapevines and olive trees; build new roads; increase the livestock and create more pastures; suspend the cutting down of woods; increase facilities for education and medical care.

After Antonio and Iris’s death, their daughters Benedetta and Donata inherited the property. Now the once-abandoned farmhouses have been renovated and turned into holiday homes. 

In recent years, five communes in the valley have agreed to develop a park, that will ensure that the valley is preserved in its present state and prevent the carrying out of such horrors as highways, factories, and new buildings, or the destruction of the crete, in order to obtain more arable land.

There is also a chamber music festival here in July, the "Incontri in Terra di Siena" and various cultural activities take place here during the rest of the year. The garden is open to the public and La Foce is now visited every year by thousands of people from all over the world.

TEXTILE COOPERATIVE SU MARMURI, SARDINIA

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The Textile Cooperative Su Marmuri was founded in 1971. Its aim is to preserve the textile traditions of Ulassai  Village; it is the longest running Women's Cooperative of Sardinia.

The artifacts are made with the weaving technique called "a Pibionis" (grapes), whose names comes  from the characteristic embroidery design. The focus has always been to produce textiles with very high quality standards, paying particular attention to the fineness of the materials and the subtlety of the combs. Each garment, highly crafted, is made with locally found natural materials: Sardinian sheep wool, linen, cotton, hemp and silk. 

 

The variety of the production is very wide; it includes carpets tuttopieno and semipieno , bedspreads, curtains, tablecloths, towels etc etc…. The patterns of the textiles come either from the wide repertoire of ancient textile Sardinian tradition or from the creativity of local artists, among whom the great Maria Lai, who are developing new patterns  starting from their own decorative tradition. In the case of Cooperative Textile Su Marmuri tradition and innovation are working together towards a new rise of Sardinian contemporary arts and crafts.

 

URBINO RESORT, MARCHE

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Urbino Resort is the result of a meticulous restoration that has brought to light the farm houses of an ancient village, otherwise destined to be abandoned. It was not just a restoration but rather a work that has given new life and new function to the rural village.

Through a meticulous and philologically respectful restoration by the architect Massimo Bottini and a passionate work of Bruscoli Interior Design coordinated by the family, the former farming village has found its understated elegance, opening the doors to guests in the fall of 2007.

Thanks to a previous restoration, also the XIV century’s Abbey dedicated to Sts Philip and James was re-opened. Particularly striking is the festivity of ‘Our Lady of the Giro’, which has in this small church a key stage. It was in 1993 that Antonio and his son Gianfranco Bruscoli began the restoration of the Abbey, continuing, since about 1996, with the recovery of the other buildings.

The result is a Resort that beautifully combines contemporary taste with the intact charm of the past centuries’ atmosphere, respecting the natural setting and its historical roots but also the most advanced quality standards.

Located in the heart of Montefeltro area, within the Ss Philip and James’ estate and the Badia Wildlife Oasis (SIC area), URBINO RESORT is the perfect place for a holiday between nature, culture and wellness.

Consisting of 6 farm houses, for a total of 32 living units, Urbino Resort is a site dedicated to hospitality of excellence and to the enhancement of one of the most enchanting places in Italy.

The Resort is part of three hundred and sixty hectares of natural environment, organically farmed, and it respects the natural setting by using eco-friendly means. It is equipped with solar panels and photovoltaic system, rainwater gatherers for irrigation and systems for recycling waste material.

Urbino Resort also offers a Wellness Center, got from the ancient barn of the village, an Eco- Shop offering the products of its farm and other small local organic farms, and a wonderful botanical garden.

Within the Sts. James and Philip's estate, surrounded by three small lakes, there is "Urbino Lakes Restaurant and Pizza", where the Michelin-starred chef Stefano Ciotti nicely combines its culture, tradition, authentic flavors and territory.

Coming soon is the new equestrian tourism center "Urbino Horses", surrounded by unspoilt nature.