There are more than 23 agritourism establishments in Italy. These small "companies", very often family-run, are experiencing a real boom. The growth trend is equal to 2,5% per year, and should continue at these levels, if not better, also in the years to come.
Obviously short-term holidays, such as Easter or the long weekends of April 25 and May 1, favor and expand the visibility of farmhouses: to spend two or three days away from the stress and noise of the city, that of the farmhouse undoubtedly seems to be the best option.
In Italy, there are about five thousand municipalities in which agritourism companies are present, while the number of customers is around 12 million. What makes agritourisms attractive in such a vast market is the diversification of the offer: accommodation, catering, tasting and alternative activities, such as riding stables, educational farms and many others.
One out of three Italian agritourisms is run by women. In the North there are more than ten thousand farmhouses (46% of the total), while on the Islands there are just over a thousand.
However, it is not that simple to start a farm. First of all, the necessary and sufficient condition is to be an agricultural entrepreneur: that is, to carry out, according to article 2135 of the Civil Code, cultivation, animal breeding and/or forestry activities. The agritourism activity must be closely connected to the agricultural one in order to exploit its resources.
It is then necessary to obtain the authorization to carry out the activity from the Region and the Municipality (generally through the "Scia", certified notification of the start of the activity). The Regions then set up a regional or provincial list of subjects suitable for carrying out the agritourism activity. To conclude the process, the favorable opinion of the health authority and the hygienic suitability of the premises and equipment are required.
If the Municipality does not respond to the application for registration in the list, it enters sixty or ninety days - the term varies according to the Region considered - the principle of silence-assent, according to which the request is understood to be accepted in any case.
