Sustainability Policy Statement
Invitation to Tuscany was started from a self-sufficient farmhouse in Tuscany where we used very little electricity, grew our own food and generated our own electricity. That's me in the photo using a 'zappa' (italian hoe) to dig our garden in seventies!
These days our Head Office is in London but our ethos remains the same and we strive to reduce our carbon footprint through the two main aspects of the business:
- Day to day operations
- What we sell.
Day to Day operations
With internet traffic a growing cause of CO2 emissions, our website is now housed on green servers, provided by Kualo. We've redesigned the website to be light & fast, as well as cutting out the use of cookies for those browsing. Once you book we do use them as we need to track your transactions.
Whenever possible we use public transport and bicycles to get around London, as well as sometimes to visit the house - as for example in a recent trip to Provence taken via Eurostar and then via Brompton bicycle. For property visits to Italy we generally use a car which, when carrying four travellers, has a carbon footprint similar to a train trip - and much lower than air travel. For details see our article on Green Travel.
What we sell
We believe that self-catering villas are a great sustainable way to enjoy your holidays. You're embedded in the local economy, buying services and food produced locally, sometimes as close as 30 feet away in the case of our houses with allotments.
You can travel down to Italy by train or car - for details see To Italy by Train or driving to Italy. If you're staying in one of our villas within walking distance of a village or town the car can stay parked while you stroll into town for some local grocery shopping, an evening meal or aperitivo.
We list all villas close to villages here or you could have a look at our Five best Villas to visit without a car.
Old Tuscan farmhouses are low-energy buildings by nature, designed to cope with heat without air-conditioning - some judicious opening and closing of shutters can keep the interior cool without excessive energy use.
So we believe that self-catering villa holidays are intrinsically low-energy, sustainable and good for the local economy, as well as welcome reconnection to the natural world for many of us who feel disconnected by technology and endless notifications.