Agriturismo Casa Greppo

Languages I speak: English, Italian

Here we are, in order: Piero, Elvira, Cristina, and Nicola. We are young—and not so young—and we come from far away, with a history that has been tied to this land for many generations, and we certainly hope to accomplish many more things. Our photo is a visual summary of the introduction just given, but our story—that of the farmhouse and the lands that welcome us—is almost always the subject of pleasant conversations with our guests, so we’ll save it for a future opportunity to meet and get to know one another. In this “introduction,” we aim to share our main projects to give you an idea of the setting you’ll find here and what we’re striving to create—a vision that encompasses all of us and the environment that so lovingly welcomes us. We have always been aware that we live on a small, happy island, a “little paradise,” as many of our guests kindly describe it. Feeling an ever-growing obligation to repay such generous beauty, we asked ourselves what we could do to improve our relationship with nature and, at the same time, reduce the disturbance we cause to the environment that welcomes us, while continuing to enjoy so much beauty and share it with our guests. So, on many occasions, often together with our most loyal guests, we thought about what we could do, we studied the feasibility of many ideas, we dreamed of fantastic things… even impossible ones. Then a to-do list emerged, and finally we took action, and here we show the results: ♦ Switching to a new electricity provider that guarantees, with TÜV certification, that 100% of the electricity comes from renewable sources. ♦ Replacement of all light sources with energy-efficient LED bulbs, while also reducing outdoor lighting as much as possible to minimize light pollution... so we can continue to be moved by the sight of fireflies. ♦ We have begun replacing all hydraulic pumps (and there are many) with new three-phase inverter devices, which draw only the necessary energy with improved efficiency. ♦ Hot water production is about to be converted from natural gas combustion to electric systems using three-phase inverter heat pumps and storage tanks. ♦ We have built a parking lot with an 18 kWp photovoltaic canopy and an electric vehicle charging station to support the new electric vehicles. ♦ We have installed a filtration and water softening system for water from the public water supply. As a result, it will no longer be necessary to buy bottled water, saving money and saying goodbye to those pesky plastic bottles! ...but if you really want to use them, please remember to compress them well before throwing them in the blue recycling bin. Furthermore, decalcified water—though not completely demineralized—allows for a 70% reduction in soap consumption. The oily feeling is actually due to the use of decalcified water, so I encourage you to reduce the amount of soap; its cleaning power will still be guaranteed. ♦ Decalcified water will help keep every part of the plumbing system clean, significantly reducing limescale damage and eliminating water leaks caused by scale buildup, which translates to financial savings but, above all, water conservation. By the way, please remember that water is a precious resource and should always be used sparingly. ♦ In our laundry room, we use only biodegradable detergents; we encourage guests to do the same. ♦ We have replaced the old sewage system with a new one equipped with an aerobic digester and a percolator, which, at the end of the process, produce water that can be reused in agriculture for irrigation. ♦ We use the organic material produced in the two composters to fertilize “our” vegetable garden. Please deposit organic waste without any bags, even if they are biodegradable, because decomposition occurs only in the presence of UV light and air, both of which are absent inside the composter! ♦ We have also committed to a profound transformation in the management of our farm. For the past 9 years, we have abandoned conventional production techniques in favor of new, more modern systems with low environmental impact, adhering to the European “integrated agricultural production” program and obtaining the corresponding SQNPI certification. “Integrated agriculture is an agricultural production system with low environmental impact, which involves thecoordinated and rational use of all production factors with the aim of minimizing the use of technical means (fertilizers, weed control, tillage) that have an impact on the environment or consumer health.” ♦ We have carried out work to renovate internal roads and regulate surface water, including drainage systems and ditches. All coverings and grade changes, totaling 100 cubic meters, were constructed using recycled building materials with certified origins. ♦ We are proceeding with the creation of a new olive grove, planting 1,600 new olive trees across 3 hectares of land. This will allow us to reclaim a portion of land that was previously unusable. ♦ In 2020, we completed work on a wellness facility accessible to people with limited mobility. The benefits of these projects certainly affect us all, so we ask for your active participation and any suggestions you may have—we are very eager to hear your thoughts. ...we look forward to seeing you, thank you!