Agriturismos

Agriturismo offers you the chance to combine a relaxing stay in a secluded rural location, amidst beautiful scenery, with the experience of life on a real, working farm - often, you can get involved in a hands-on way, and you'll always be able to try the produce - from wine to vegetables to freshly churned cheese. You can be sure you are supporting a local, ethical, environmentally-friendly business and having minimal environmental impact and find out about all the ways in which farming has preserved traditional methods or pioneered new ways of being green in the 21st century. For more information about Agriturismo, check out the European Centre for Ecological and Agricultural Tourism's website, or the Italian Agriturist site.

Greentraveller founder, Richard Hammond, also highlights a variety of great agriturismo-accommodations in the Mediterranean in his blog on Sustainable Travel in the Mediterranean, Anouk van den Eijnde discusses some of Europe's best Farmstay Holidays and an agriturist treehouse is one of Richard's top five green breaks for 2010.

Agriturismo may be an Italian word, but there are great places to have the agritourism experience across the rest of Europe (and beyond), from rural Shropshire to the mountains of Andalucía - check out some of the best, and greenest, below.