What's in a name? Why "agriturismo" is a non-starter

To the average English-speaking person the word agriturismo is a bit bewildering and off-putting.

I don't know about you but to me agriturismo conjures up images of Maoist work brigades -- city folk trucked into the countryside to chop weeds with hoes, then attend Marxist self-criticism sessions for fun.  I imagine spartan quarters.  Splintery floor boards.  Chinks around the window frames.  Thin mattresses of great antiquity.  Towels the size of handkerchiefs.  Communal showers with no hot water.  School-cafeteria food.  No wine or booze. 

At best it all reminds me of going on a church retreat.  Talk about suffering for your faith.

Ah but, thank the Lord, that's not the Italian way. 

While agriturismi can vary greatly in levels of luxury as well as price, a great many are beautifully appointed and offer excellent food and wine, much of it provided by the land around you, as fresh and wholesome as any you've ever had.  Sometimes you'll find yourself in a house that's several centuries old but equipped with every modern amenity.

Susanna Crociani, who runs the family's winery and agriturismo in Montepulciano with her brother Giorgio, told me, "With English and American people I don't use the word agriturismo.  I say 'country house' or 'country estate'.  Because that's what it is, and everyone can understand it."

Admit it.  Doesn't "country house" or "country estate" conjure up a very different image in your mind?  Gracious living, refined leisure, culture, comfort and cuisine?  And, since we are talking about Italy, we Anglo-Saxons have expectations of warmth and friendliness.  A respite from our hectic routines.  A return to Nature.  Enjoyment of the simpler things, as they are misleadingly called. (Someone's unremitting labor has to provide those simpler things to be enjoyed.)

Kitchen - dining room at Crociani's -- authentic Tuscan country style

Agriturismo or country house?  No contest.  Country house wins by a country mile. Depending on the size and splendor of the joint, country estate will also work fine.

Advice to Italians who run agriturismi:  In all your communications to the English-speaking world, get rid of the word agriturismo.  Change the word to country house or country estate as soon as possible.

I bet it will make all the difference...even if you'd like your guests to pick olives or weed the flower beds.

These too are 'agriturismi'-- uh, country houses

Comments

[Fredric Koeppel]

I dunno, chopping weeds with hoes might be fun.

[Terry Hughes]

LOL, as they say.

Just don't go Imus on us.

[Mike Tommasi]

I always hated the name, to me anything that ends in "ism" cannot be a place or a thing, but rather a concept. And concepts are never comfortable, least of all to sleep in.

BTW the agriturismo thing is so popular that it is hard now to find a place that truly makes the required minimum % of the produce they serve. Most lie outright, but there are good ones.

[Terry Hughes]

Mike, I agree completely with your anti-ism-ism.

Interesting to know that so many lie. And of course so shocking...

[gabrio]

It's a tax thing; the Agriturismo status is tax exempt that's why some lie.

[Steven]

Stayed at many Agriturismo. Basically a country property that is not a hotel - you get a bed and breakfast and the rest depends. Food if offered, often spectacular (e.g. 8 courses over 4 hours every night in Tuscany). Can be 100 euros per night or ... 800 euros like TerraNova (pictured), but worth every penny as indescribably beautiful (a 10 year restoration of a 300 year old mountaintop mansion).

[Terry Hughes]

I've stayed at some fairly Spartan ones too, Steven. And fairly ritzy ones. Not 800 euros worth though.

[Gerringong Accommodation]

I also enjoyed several days in Agriturismo a few years ago.It was a good experience.Real feel good environment.

[Norfolk Island deals]

I most certainly enjoyed reading this post.I'm really curious about that place myself.