Central Italy’s Hidden Beauty
Monte Rufeno Nature Reserve | ITALY | 5 DAYS
What TO expect
Sense the perfumes and colors of nature, wandering from medieval towns to beautiful forests in an unspoiled land between Rome and Florence.
Explore the life of a farmer while staying at the guesthouse of a local agriturismo.
Harvest edible wild plants, fruits and mushrooms while hiking, then learn how to prepare them from local chefs.
Enjoy a guided walk through the fairytale Sasseto Woods in the shade of monumental trees along a carpet of moss-covered stones.
Meet the woman whose family has owned a medieval castle for 400 years, then dine on regional wine and cuisine inside her fortress.
What travellers say about the experience
“I enjoyed every single activity, from hiking to visiting new cities, unique religious and cultural places. Getting connected to an intact natural forest and observing the diversity and the coexistence of different floral species in a unique way. Meeting the local communities and knowing more about the history of the region, their stories and their traditions was a unique and rich experience. Ans I will not forget the taste of flowers and the traditional food along the shores of the lake of Bolsena. It was great!.”
“What made it particularly good was the well-informed guides taking us to places that we might not otherwise have found, and telling us more about the landscape we were looking at than we could have found out for ourselves. The opportunity to meet such enthusiastic and knowledgeable people made this a delightful experience, and a really pleasant way of learning about and respecting the area. It is a beautiful place with lots of fascinating geology, history and nature, along with friendly people and plenty of good traditional food made from local produce. What more could you want?”
“My experience has been rich and interesting: an immersion in nature and in rural places of interest in central
Italy. I enjoyed good company, we have created a good feeling and used every moment of the day,
surrounded by greenery, plants, flowers, history and good food.”
sustainability
Nature conservation, authentic eco-tourism activities, soft adventure, genuine food & wine, and the relation between man and nature are the pillars of this eco-tour, in and around Monte Rufeno Nature Reserve. It has been designed thanks to the passionate and active participation of local service providers gathered within the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism.
The small dimension and slow pace of the site facilitate sound experiences and close links with the local community, through low impact activities and infrastructures. Habitat conservation and a shared care of Nature Reserve’s precious biodiversity are the main priorities at every level.
Financial contributions from package incomes will benefit monitoring and active protection of several scattered isolated wetlands inside Nature Reserve. Specifically, to safeguard their ecological function which is essential for endangered plants and animals linked to water such as many species of amphibians, the water violet, the European pond turtle.