If you haven't yet experienced a traditional Italian agriturismo, here's what they are all about. First introduced in Italy during the 1960s with the aim of preserving traditional culture and boosting the local rural economy, agriturismo establishments are a wonderful way to experience the country's regional food and wine in authentic surroundings.
What will you experience at an Italian Agriturismo?
Now popular all over Italy and its islands, agriturismi (the plural form of the word) typically offer accommodation, meals and unique culinary experiences such as wine tours, pasta making and truffle hunting. Some are based at family-managed vineyards, while others are run on small working farms producing everything from delicious wines, olives, and cheese to fresh fruit, vegetables and preserved meats.
Often found in off-the-beaten-track locations, these farms provide a glimpse of rural Italian life, while guests savour a wine tasting and food pairing, or a formal meal of seasonal produce grown on the premises. You can do exactly that on a Great Rail Journeys tour, in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia - where several holidays include excursions to agriturismi.
Agriturismo Sardinia: a gourmand farm-to-table experience
The Wonders of Corsica & Sardinia tour features a visit to an agriturismo on the outskirts of the seaside town of Alghero. This family-owned agriturismo offers an amazing farm-to-table experience: after sampling organic wines, grown and produced on the premises, we sit down to a four-course meal of local specialities, served in idyllic surroundings.
For anyone who loves the Italian gastronomic tradition, this is the real thing. Dining in a rural, unspoilt setting, among antique furnishings and work tools, we are served authentic Sardinian cuisine, particularly that of Barbagia, the homeland of the Sa Mandra family who manages the farm. Dishes are prepared with pride and great care, using seasonal ingredients from the farm, and from the finest local producers, giving guests a true flavour of Sardinia.
Sa Mandra features in the Michelin Guide Italy and is considered a new Bib Gourmand 2024 restaurant - an award given to establishments that combine gastronomic experience with good value for money.
"Situated on the Azienda Agrituristica, Sa Mandra restaurant allows guests to savour one of Sardinia's emblematic ingredients, the roast suckling pig which is the focus of the single menu offered here." Michelin Guide Italy, 2024
This exceptional agriturismo has created a fascinating museum of the Sardinian tradition, full of hundreds of local artefacts which reflect the artisanal culture of Sardinia. The Sa Mandra farm also has an educational function, as the family invites children and young people to collect herbs, make bread, cheese, or milk the animals.
Beautiful Sorrento and the Bay of Naples
The Top to Toe of Italy tour is fashioned around Europe's popular 'Grand Tours', which started in the 17th century, lasted until the 19th century, then were revived during the Edwardian period. The writer EM Forster reflected this trend in his novel A Room with a View.
After visiting the eternal city of Rome then heading to Sorrento, the tour group savours the unique flavours of Sorrentine cuisine at a local agriturismo, La Sorgente, established and run for four generations by the same family. Here we indulge in a farm-to-table meal of delicious Sorrentine food including homemade mozzarella followed by a tasting of limoncello.
The terraces of this lovely farmhouse offer an oasis of peace and tranquility, surrounded by ancient olive groves, lemon orchards and vineyards. This authentic establishment also features on the tour, Glorious Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast & Eternal Rome. We visit the agriturismo after a tour of the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum which, like Pompeii, was preserved by the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD.
An agriturismo in Sicily
Hidden among the rolling hills and valleys of beautiful Sicily, overlooked by epic sites, including Mount Etna and the remains of ancient temples to Greek and Roman gods, The Magic of Sicily tour takes us into Agrigento's atmospheric and well-preserved Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO-listed site of ancient classical Greek and Roman temples, set among a rolling valley, dappled with groves of almond trees.
After stepping back into the past at this World Heritage site, we visit Passo dei Briganti, where - surrounded by beautiful countryside, culture and tradition - we experience a warm family welcome, along with fine food and wine. This agriturismo flaunts a 19th-century farmhouse, surrounded by seven hectares of land, organic olive trees, fruit trees and vegetable gardens with a restaurant that serves traditional Sicilian dishes.
Taste an authentic agriturismo in Italy
With so much to offer, Italy's agriturismi provide an immersive experience for travellers seeking the authentic flavours and traditions of rural Italy. Each visit to an agriturismo, whether in the heart of Sardinia, the Bay of Naples, or the timeless landscape of Sicily, brings a deep connection to the land, its people, and Italy's culinary heritage.
If you're ready to explore Italy through its agriturismo tradition, find your ideal Italy holiday with us, where you'll enjoy handpicked excursions that bring Italy's rich food and culture to life.
