REVIEW OF EXPERIENCES IN TUSCAN COMMUNITIES
September 25-November 5, 2022
From Sept. 25 to Nov. 5, Tuscany’s community cooperatives open for visits with exceptional guides: local residents, who will lead visitors to discover villages and territories according to alternative itineraries to the typical tourist ones.
Press release Fivizzano, 9/20/2022
The series of events in which it will be possible to visit some of Tuscany’s small communities is called Tosco for a Day and offers experiences scattered throughout the region, from the villages of Lunigiana, to Mount Amiata.
Not everyone knows that there are more than forty community cooperatives in Tuscany, established on the initiative of the inhabitants of an inland area, with the aim of creating economic, social and cultural development in their area. These realities are receiving increasing attention and are now being pointed out by many as a possible alternative development model, capable of revitalizing large portions of inland territories, so much so that the Tuscany Region has been supporting the projects with public grants since 2018. Future Villages, the first Enterprise Network formed by 11 Community Cooperatives in the region, was also born.
The visits are offered through the tosco.travel portal, a project developed by the co-op’s tour operator. AlterEco in Equi Terme thanks to the support of the Tuscany Region, which is involved in promoting the tourism offerings of community cooperatives.
“The model of community cooperatives is becoming an increasingly concrete reality,” says Matteo Tollini, President of the co-op. AlterEco – With the Tosco Travel project, we want to support it by making the reality of villages and communities known, with an unconventional tourism proposal that offers real experiences of participation and involvement for guests.”
Tosco for a day starts on Sept. 25 with the first event and ends on Nov. 5, the initiatives will take place in a day (more information tosco.travel) involving cooperatives and territories from five Tuscan provinces: from Lunigiana, with Equi Terme, Guinadi, Filattiera, Fivizzano and Sassalbo, to Amiata with Montelaterone and Castell’Azzara, passing through San Casciano dei Bagni (SI), Tuscan Romagna with Palazzuolo sul Senio, the hills of Lucca with Sant’Andrea di Compito and the Apuan Alps with Levigliani.
Many experiences are offered, from e-bike tours to visits to marble quarries and mines, from circular economy handicrafts to the production of traditional cookies, from oil mills to camel groves, from engaging role-playing games to the production of chestnut flour, from ancient baking in the texts to the eco-friendly baking box.
“For the Future Villages Network,” comments Massimo Miniati, president of the Future Villages Cooperative Network and Coop. Municipal Ecosystem of Castell’Azzara – Tourism is one of the main services being developed for community cooperatives, in fact it is part of the network strategies to revitalize the economy of our villages and improve their attractiveness.” The press office – 3298147086
