Join CL editor in Tuscany for a green retreat in an eco villa
Villa Lena is a unique agriturismo spread over 500 hectares of untouched woodland in the province of Pisa. Surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and organic vegetable gardens, it’s a beautiful place to host Country Living’s first green getaway and learn about the increasing importance of sustainable travel. A carbon offset fee is included (more on that below) and the trip will run from 9th to 12th October 2020.
Our digital editor Emma-Louise Pritchard has a keen interest in eco-conscious holidays – one of 2020’s top travel trends – and will join you in Italy to host this new, four-day break. You’ll go back to nature and enjoy foraging in the woods for seasonal produce before learning how to cook what you’ve found. You’ll also go truffle-hunting with Villa Lena’s dogs and a local guide before enjoying a pasta lunch.
The peaceful haven, combining art, culture and nature, runs an artist-in-residence programme and you’ll have the chance to take part in creative workshops and enjoy yoga lessons on the deck that overlooks the surrounding Tuscan hills. You’ll stay in one of the farmhouses and stables that have been converted in the grounds.
6 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP
1. Villa Lena
Sustainability is at the heart of Villa Lena. Most of the accommodation is run on green energy and rainwater is recycled for agricultural irrigation. It’s managed on biodynamic principles and upholds a close-loop system of buying no seeds and creating no waste. The hotel’s restaurant is a communal experience showcasing farm-to-table cuisine based on a seasonal, organic menu rooted in traditional Italian cuisine.
More than just a hotel, this is a rural idyll in the rolling Tuscan hills near the town of Palaia. Siena, Florence and San Gimignano, renowned World Heritage Sites, are a short drive away, and the rustic accommodation is furnished with locally sourced antiques, upcycled furniture and recycled hand-painted fabrics.
2. Foraging
Learn how to pick the best seasonal treats growing in the estate’s organic gardens and take a hike in the woods to explore what the land has to offer. You’ll then learn how to cook what you find in a special workshop with the chef-in-residence.
3. Truffle hunting
You’ll be staying during Italy’s famous white truffle season and will join a special truffle-hunting workshop to find your own with Villa Lena’s specialist guide and resident dogs. You’ll also enjoy a delicious truffle pasta lunch with wine.
4. Delicious Italian food
Villa Lena serves organic, Tuscan cuisine with a ‘slow food’ ethos. Fresh ingredients are grown in the vegetable gardens or sourced from local producers. There’s
also a chef-in-residence who you can join for cooking classes and workshops.
5. Traveling in a small group
There will be no more than 24 other Country Living readers on this short eco-break, giving you a great opportunity to get to know the others and spend time with Emma-Louise in an intimate group.
Meet Emma-Louise Pritchard
"Sustainable living is a priority for me and my job at Country Living means I can create content on how to live a more eco-friendly, plastic-free, zero-waste life for our readers. We know it really matters to them," says Emma-Louise, the award-winning digital editor at Country Living.
"For me, 2020 is about turning my attention to sustainable travel which is why I have investigated the debate around carbon offsetting to make sure we chose a trustworthy, Gold Standard provider for this amazing trip to Tuscany. You can read up on carbon offsetting and everything the experts have to say here.
"Over the past year, I've made it my mission to eliminate single-use plastic in my home as much as possible. I now enjoy a new routine of refilling my cleaning and hygiene products in glass bottles, using gorgeous-smelling soaps, wrapping all my gifts in reusable fabric and generally investigating all the new eco-swaps that pop-up on my radar. I share my findings over on Instagram.
"I can't wait to immerse myself in the natural surroundings of Villa Lena and am especially looking forward to meeting the truffle dogs, yoga on the terrace and, of course, the food – it's Italy, after all."
Emma-Louise will be giving a private talk about sustainable living. Follow Emma-Louise on Instagram @emmalouisepritchard.
Carbon Offsetting
A carbon offset fee will be paid on your behalf to fund a CO2 reduction project, an element of the trip that is of the upmost importance to Emma-Louise, who has spent a lot of time researching carbon offset best practice.
"It's really important to me that we offset our flights using a certified and legitimate organisation that fund worthwhile projects," Emma-Louise explains. "We will use a Gold Standard offsetter which helps fund projects that make a genuine difference in decreasing the use of non-renewable energy all around the world. Every Gold Standard project has been vetted and screened.
"That being said, it's extremely important to use carbon offsetting alongside a real and genuine commitment to fly less and take other transport methods where we can. This year, for example, I'll be travelling to Austria via the Alpen Express train and will be enjoying a staycation in the UK on a canal boat. Cutting down on flights is a great way to explore other, often more relaxing, ways to travel.
"For this green retreat to Villa Lena, I have chosen to use Carbon+Care, an award-winning, Gold Standard offsetter who will calculate the number of carbon credits our traveling will earn and then invest them wisely."
The Carbon+Care website reads:
When you offset with us you can choose to support projects that deliver value for local communities as well as the environment. That’s because, along with achieving verified carbon reductions, our Climate+Care projects tackle poverty, promote energy independence and improve people’s health and wellbeing.
Whether it’s protecting rainforests in Sierra Leone, providing efficient cookstoves in Kenya or powering communities with renewable energy in China – all these projects generate positive outcomes, backed up with verified carbon credits.
Emma-Louise has conducted a full investigation into the pros and cons of carbon offsetting, calling on industry exerts to weigh in with their advice. You can read the findings here. You can also see how we calculated the carbon offset fee for the Villa Lena trip at the end of this article.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Fly from London to Pisa or Florence and transfer to Villa Lena
Day 2: Foraging and cooking workshop
Day 3: Truffle hunting and lunch, plus talk and Q&A over dinner with Emma-Louise Pritchard
Day 4: Return home
The price: From £999pp*
The dates: 9th to 12th October 2020
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Three nights at Villa Lena in an en-suite room
Breakfast each morning, three delicious dinners and two lunches in Villa Lena’s organic restaurant
Foraging and cooking workshop
Truffle hunting with Villa Lena’s dogs and a specialist local guide
Exclusive talk and Q&A with Emma-Louise Pritchard
Carbon-offset fee for your flights (see more below)
Optional participation in other activities such as yoga** and artist workshops (at an extra cost)
Airport transfers (when taking recommended flights)
HOW TO BOOK
Call 020 3993 9253, quoting code CL GREEN RETREAT.
How did we calculate the carbon offset fee?
We used the Atmosfair carbon calculator and inputted return flights from London to Pisa. We must also allow for slight variation here, to account for travel from different airports. The return flights will emit between 0.38 to 0.47 tonnes of CO2, depending on the airline. This equates to a donation of between £8.53 to £9.38 per person. We have allocated an offset fee of £10 per person to Climate+Care.
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