Alberghi Diffusi: The Most Sustainable Hotels In Italy – Here’s Why
When Giancarlo dall’Ara first came up with the albergo diffuso model in the 1980s, it was a creative solution born out of a tragic situation. An earthquake had devastated dozens of towns in the northwestern region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Professor Dall’Ara, then a young hospitality marketing consultant, was tasked with finding a way to revive tourism in the area.
Instead of constructing new lodgings to accommodate visitors, he thought, why not use the existing houses? Why stay in a hotel when you can stay in the village?
The term albergo diffuso can be roughly translated to mean a “scattered hotel” — that is, a property that features rooms and suites located across numerous buildings within the same town. The model was born to drive tourism to Italy’s smaller destinations, so they exist exclusively in small borghi, or villages, where quaint homes are located within a short walking distance of one another.
“This type of hotel allows visitors to experience the most authentic, if elusive, side of Italy: daily life in its small towns,” begins Professor Dall’Ara. “It encourages an exchange between travelers who want to learn about a territory, and locals who open their doors to share their heritage and tradition.” (…)