Go Rural for Business
Do Italians Do It Better? by Jillian McEwan, Fresh Food Express
21st October 2015
"A Million Yeses!", was my answer when Caroline Miller, founder of Go Rural asked me to take part in a learning journey to Tuscany. Farmer and entrepreneur, Caroline has literally taken the bull by the horns, to create and shape Scotland's agritourism sector, following a life changing trip to Italy. It was during this trip, as part of her Nuffield scholarship, that Caroline discovered first hand how Italian farmers had successfully diversified in agritourism, boosting their income through offering farm tours, cook schools, holiday accommodation and onsite restaurants showcasing their homegrown produce.
Food For Thought - My Italian Agritourismo Experience by Cameron Laird, Cairnie Fruit Farm
19th October 2015
Though I have visited Italy several times through the years, the recent well organised and purposeful Go Rural "Learning Journey" trip was my first visit to Tuscany & Umbria and my first experience staying in an Agritourimso. After landing in Rome in the warm sunshine to the aroma of proper Italian coffee, my fellow Go Rural early risers and I, cozy in our two-car convoy (complete with our own Visit Scotland Italian translator), left the city lights of Rome behind and headed off to begin our taste of Italian Agritourism in Italy's stunning and tranquil countryside.
The Italian Job by Antonio Di Lieto, Market Executive – South Europe, Visit Scotland
15th October 2015
I was invited by Go Rural to join the Learning Journey to Tuscany and Umbria in order to provide some market knowledge and insights. The main aims of this journey were meeting with Italian farmers and agritourism business owners, take part in farm tours while staying in authentic Italian agritourism farms experiencing the Italian life and taste locally sourced food and drink. We had the opportunity to go behind the scenes looking at Italian tourism, leisure, food culture and enterprise and spoken to and met very influential people within the Italian agricultural industry. It has been a really educational journey which I would summarise as per below:
Back to Basics by Kim Gall, Gin Bothy
15th October 2015
Travelling to Tuscany and Umbria with Go Rural on a quest for slow food and true artisan creators I wanted to see how my Gin Bothy creations were mastered by the Italians. Hailed by many as the epitome of local produce I ventured to rural producers to experience the regions finest.
Inspiration from Italy by Stephanie Crowe, The Hideaway Experience
14th October 2015
Every agritourismo we visited in Italy brought new and different knowledge to the group. From the accommodation we stayed in, the small and large farms we visited to the exquisite food we ate; Italy’s agritourismos’ were full of passion, commitment and great hospitality. Not only did my trip to Italy expand my knowledge of Italian Agritourism, it also allowed for knowledge transfer between myself and the fellow business owners and managers that were on the trip.