Insights into the ‘landscape perspective’ : unravelling the spatio-temporal distribution of farm stays in Italy as a contribution to rural tourism analysis

By combining hospitality with traditional farming to promote sustainable economic diversification, farm stay has emerged as a pivotal element in the rural development of Southern Europe. Based on this assumption, we have investigated the spatio-temporal evolution of farm stay across Italy between 2003 and 2023, highlighting regional differences and the underlying drivers of growth and change. The study specifically explores the socioeconomic, environmental, and political factors shaping spatial distribution (and temporal patterns) of farm stays in Italy, taken as both a response to changing tourism preferences and a proactive strategy toward rural resilience. The study identifies Tuscany and Trentino-Alto Adige as regional leaders because of strong cultural assets, environmental appeal, and robust infrastructure leading to high accessibility from the largest metropolitan regions of Italy. Meanwhile, regions such as Molise and Aosta Valley, often constrained by geographic isolation, weak policy support and demographic decline, continue to exhibit low farm stay density – despite the increasing tourism potential. The recent expansion and consolidation of farm stays in Southern Italy, and especially in Apulia and Sicily, is also noteworthy, and may reflect successful rural revitalization strategies and investment in sustainable tourism. The empirical findings of this study definitely underscore farm stay’s potential to reinforce local identity, support small-scale agriculture, and contribute to territorial cohesion in Mediterranean Europe.