Vigna di Valle Estate:
hospitality at the Rinovolante farm inn

The expansion of agritourism activities, complementary to the agricultural products offered by Hortus Gymnasium, serves as a means of income integration. The investment in the infrastructure of the farm inn in Vigna di Valle, undertaken by Hortus Gymnasium, allows for offering accommodation and hospitality within the historic buildings, with furnished rooms and a small refreshment area available at various times and seasons for a diverse clientele. The lodging activity follows a non-hotel typology, providing a comfortable environment for a limited number of guests. It aims to welcome those who, while exploring the natural and cultural itineraries of the lake territory, wish to rest and enjoy the services offered by the Rinovolante farm inn.

On the first floor of the main building, there are two holiday apartments with two four-bed rooms, two bathrooms, kitchens, and all appliances. They are intended for agritourism vacations on the shores of Lake Bracciano, available for weekly stays from Saturday to Saturday, with the option to enjoy breakfast, weekly bed and bath linen changes, cleaning services, and on-site parking. Additional linen changes and cleaning can be provided upon request.

On the ground floor and first floor of the smaller building, there are six large rooms with a double bed and a sofa bed for children or additional guests, along with a spacious bathroom equipped with a whirlpool tub. The minimum rental period is two nights. The service includes breakfast, bed and bath linen, and daily cleaning. The rooms have a kitchen with a dishwasher and a bathroom with a washing machine. Adjacent to the gate, there is ample parking available..

The apartments offer views of the lake. While the rooms have shared balconies overlooking the garden courtyard, where guests can also enjoy their breakfast. Beyond the garden, there is a vegetable garden with seasonal produce available for sale to the guests of the farm inn.

In the immediate vicinity of the Rinovolante farm inn, there are many dining and leisure opportunities. The beach, whether public or with bathing establishments, is located 100 meters away, along with sailing and windsurfing schools and clubs. Even closer, there is a tennis club and an equestrian center. For mountain biking and air tourism, doorstep service is available. Within walking distance, there are restaurants of various levels and a pizzeria. The Natural Park offers numerous natural and cultural itineraries in the lake territory. The Orsini Odescalchi medieval castle and the Historical Museum of the Italian Air Force are major attractions.

The Rinovolante farm inn is located along the Rome-Viterbo railway line, a few kilometers from the Vigna di Valle, Bracciano, Anguillara Sabazia, and Cesano Romano stations (where the transport service becomes metropolitan with extended hours and high frequency). The location is 35 km away from Rome Termini or Tiburtina train stations, 45 km from Fiumicino Airport, 50 km from the Port of Civitavecchia, 30 km from the center of Rome, and 60 km from the center of Viterbo.

Some thoughts on agritourism as a sustainable vacation option.

In Italy, according to ISTAT data published in 2019, there are 23,615 authorized and active agritourism businesses as of 2018. In the same year, ISTAT released data for 2017, which revealed that there are slightly over 1.5 million economic units operating primarily or as a secondary activity in the agricultural sector (of these, approximately 466,000 are managed directly by individuals or families, accounting for 30.7%, while there are 413,000 agricultural enterprises, accounting for 27.3%). Therefore, we are observing that the choice made by Hortus Gymnasium to diversify agricultural activities with agritourism has been pursued to a truly marginal extent in our country: 0.016% of all those involved in agriculture in various capacities, 0.027% when considering direct farmers and professional agricultural entrepreneurs combined. Italian agritourism is most developed in Umbria, Tuscany, and Trentino Alto Adige, where the number of agritourism accommodations is higher in percentage compared to traditional tourist accommodations. The agritourism offering in Italy, therefore, appears as a “niche phenomenon” compared to general tourism accommodation and should be incentivized.