A natural oasis
nestled in the mountains of the Alto Mugello characterized by organic farming,
a clean, renewable energy system and breathtaking views: this is the new
organic park that was recently opened in the Mugello.
Managed by the
national farmer’s association Coldiretti and the national environmental
association Legambiente, the park is located in the protected area of
Covigliaio (Firenzuola), between the mountain passes that connect Tuscany and
Emilia Romagna, the Passo della Raticosa and the Passo della Futa.
Extending over
650 hectares of varied forests, visitors can admire a range of fauna, including
falcons, roebucks, and wolves.
The oasis will
be cultivated by Covigliaio’s 100 residents, who will grow vegetables such as
zucchini, barley, and potatoes, which will then be sold, along with Tuscan
beef, in a greengrocery in the park. The park will also generate energy using
biomass, a renewable energy source that takes organic matter from living, or
recently living organisms, such as wood, waste, and hydrogen gas, to produce
energy. The energy will then be used by Covigliaio’s inhabitants.
In the
protected area of Covigliaio there is also an agritourism and bed and
breakfast, two tourism structures that run on biomass and photovoltaic systems.
This makes the Covigliaio oasis an important example of sustainable tourism,
says the Legambiente.
‘It is one of
the small-scale yet cutting-edge examples of sustainability in our country that
operates in different economic sectors. Tourism, high-quality agriculture,
landscape, sustainable energy, are indeed the necessary factors in healthy,
clean progress that can compete with stronger competitors in these markets,’
explained Vittorio Cogliati Dezza, president of Legambiente.
‘For
Coldiretti, this is the first experience of this kind in Tuscany, and among the
first in Italy, as managers of a protected natural oasis, said Tulio Marcelli,
Tuscany president of Coldiretti.
For more information, see http://www.toscana.coldiretti.it.
