Abstract
The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) program, promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), recognizes the multifunctional role of agricultural heritage systems. Traditional terraced landscapes represent important touristic destinations, and Chianti is one of the most well-known areas of Italy for rural tourism. The high-quality landscape of Lamole, consisting of forests and terraced agricultural areas, is included in the Italian National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes thanks to local farmers who recently restored the traditional landscape, considering it important both for tourism and product quality. The main aim of this research was to investigate, using anonymous questionnaires, whether tourists are aware of the characteristics of the Lamole landscape in comparison with other parts of Chianti. Results show that tourists clearly express their preference for the traditional landscape, which is comprised of a mosaic of agricultural patches with dry-stone terraces and forests, and that the level of landscape diversification is similar to 180 years ago. As tourism is a major resource, public institutions should support farmers in preserving the traditional landscape, investing in paths and information, as requested by tourists. The methodology has proved to be useful for addressing local planning, and to help farmers to achieve sustainable development in well-known touristic rural areas.
Highlights
The multifunctional role of agricultural heritage systems is today widely recognized, and it refers to different sectors including the preservation of traditional landscapes characterized by great aesthetic and cultural significance, traditional agricultural practices, family farming and production of high quality food, protection from hydrogeological risk, connection to climate change, conservation of agrobiodiversity and soil, and resources for tourism [1]
Programs such as the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is of particular interest as regards traditional landscapes, as it is firmly connected to the different topics listed previously and to the concepts of multifunctionality and dynamic conservation [8]
Traditional landscapes are characterized by small proprietorships or family farming, and the attachment that local communities show for their territories and traditions is fundamental, both in the preservation of these landscapes and for shaping local identity [9,10]
Summary
The multifunctional role of agricultural heritage systems is today widely recognized, and it refers to different sectors including the preservation of traditional landscapes characterized by great aesthetic and cultural significance, traditional agricultural practices, family farming and production of high quality food, protection from hydrogeological risk, connection to climate change, conservation of agrobiodiversity and soil, and resources for tourism [1].Despite the great importance of historical terraced landscapes, they represent a big challenge for conservation and management [2,3], mostly because these heritage systems have largely been abandoned all over the world, especially in Europe [4,5,6,7]. The multifunctional role of agricultural heritage systems is today widely recognized, and it refers to different sectors including the preservation of traditional landscapes characterized by great aesthetic and cultural significance, traditional agricultural practices, family farming and production of high quality food, protection from hydrogeological risk, connection to climate change, conservation of agrobiodiversity and soil, and resources for tourism [1]. The outcome of traditional practices, especially traditional cultivations, is the production of high quality products, which is greatly appreciated by consumers who are ready to pay a higher price for higher quality products that preserve a tight connection with the territory they come from This added value, made up of aesthetics, knowledge, history, culture, and traditions, cannot be reproduced by other competitors, and it becomes a central element on which it is necessary to focus in order to keep traditional landscapes productive, vital, and profitable [12,13]. Landscape certification, being similar to other types of certifications, would allow the strengthening of the relationship between the quality of the product and the quality of the landscape [15]
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