Italy’s Agritourism Businesses Reach Record 26,360 as Wine and Dining Experiences Drive Growth

The number of agritourism businesses in Italy continues to rise, with wine tasting and dining now central to their core offerings. As spring approaches and the tourism sector prepares for a busy season, rural tourism remains a favorite, especially around Easter. The latest report from Istat, “Le aziende agrituristiche in Italia - Anno 2024,” shows that in 2024 there were 26,360 agritourism businesses across the country, an increase of 0.9% compared to 2023, equal to 231 more units. Growth is strongest in southern Italy, up 2.5%, and even more pronounced on the islands, which saw a 6.1% increase.

The economic value of the sector also continues to climb, reaching €1.9 billion in 2024, up 3.3% from the previous year. However, this is the smallest annual increase since 2020. Over the past decade, the sector’s value has grown at an average annual rate of 5.3%. Food and wine experiences are now a major draw: Istat reports that 6,750 agritourism businesses are authorized for tastings, with nearly half (44.7%) located in central Italy. In 2024, just over 13,000 agritourism businesses offered restaurant services—about half of all such businesses—marking a slight increase of 0.5% over last year.

The islands again lead growth in restaurant services (+3.2%), though most agri-restaurants are found in central Italy (29.5%), followed by the northeast (24.1%), south (19.7%), northwest (17.5%), and islands (9.2%). Tuscany leads among regions with 16.7% of all agri-restaurants, followed by Lombardy (8.2%) and Veneto (7.1%).

Wine tourism plays a significant role in these trends. Ten municipalities with at least 100 agritourism businesses occupy just 0.85% of Italy’s land but host 1,418 businesses—5.4% of the national total—with a density of nearly 55 businesses per 100 square kilometers. Many of these areas have deep historical and economic ties to wine production, such as Appiano sulla Strada del Vino and Caldaro sulla Strada del Vino in South Tyrol; Cortona and Montalcino in Tuscany; Montepulciano and San Gimignano; and Noto in Sicily.

Tuscany remains the region with the highest concentration of agritourism businesses at 22.2%, followed by the autonomous province of Bolzano/Bozen at 13%. Together, these two areas account for over one-third of all Italian agritourism operations. Other regions with significant shares include Lombardy (6.5%), Veneto (6.4%), Piedmont (5.6%), Umbria (5.1%), and Lazio (5%). All other regions and the province of Trento have less than a 5% share.

Growth rates show more dynamism in southern Italy: compared to last year, the south grew by 2.5%, while both north and central Italy saw only a 0.5% increase. The islands stand out with a combined growth rate of 6.1%, led by Sicily at +8.9% and Sardinia at +2.6%. Basilicata (+3.3%), Campania (+2.2%), and Piedmont (+2%) also posted gains, while Veneto grew by 1.6% and both Tuscany and Umbria by just over 1%. Valle d’Aosta saw a sharp decline (-8.9%), as did Calabria (-2.1%), Lazio (-1.8%), and Lombardy (-1.1%).

There is growing entrepreneurial interest in agritourism on the islands and some southern regions, while traditional strongholds like Tuscany, Umbria, and Bolzano/Bozen show signs of saturation or slight decline.

Dining and lodging services are expanding fastest on the islands and in central Italy. More than 21,440 agritourism businesses now offer lodging—81.4% of all such businesses—with nearly 40% located in central Italy, followed by northeast (26.6%), south (13.3%), northwest (12.5%), and islands (7.8%). Compared to last year, lodging facilities increased by 1.4%, with the largest jump on the islands (+6.5%).

Tuscany leads again for lodging agritourisms with nearly a quarter of all such businesses nationwide (24.6%), followed by Bolzano/Bozen (13.7%) and Umbria (6%). Of those offering tastings—6,750 businesses—almost half are based in central Italy.

About 9,600 agritourism businesses combine lodging with restaurant services, representing over one-third of all such operations nationwide; one-fifth are located in Tuscany alone.

Businesses combining lodging with tastings number about 5,473—just under one-fifth of all agritourisms—and most are found in central Italy or Sicily.

Those offering both tastings and restaurant services total about 4,683—nearly one-fifth of all agritourisms—with Tuscany again leading regionally.

Compared to last year, the biggest growth was seen among those combining lodging with tastings (+4.3%), followed by those offering both tastings and restaurant services (+2%) and those combining lodging with restaurant services (+1.4%). The islands saw the largest increases across all three combinations.

While lodging, tastings, and dining remain core activities for Italian agritourisms in 2024, complementary services continue to gain importance: more than half now offer at least one additional service such as horseback riding, excursions, nature observation, trekking, mountain biking, educational farm activities or various courses.

Educational farms have grown rapidly: there are now about 2,340 across Italy—an increase of over 12% from last year—with more than half located in northern regions.

Women manage about 39% of educational farms—a higher proportion than among other types of agritourism operators—and their average age is slightly lower than their male counterparts.

Since 2010 there has been strong growth in educational farms (+220%) as well as facilities for nature observation (+141%) and hiking (+11%). However, offerings for mountain biking (-36%), trekking (-7.7%) and horseback riding (-7.6%) have declined over that period.

In summary, Italian agritourism continues to evolve through diversification: food and wine experiences remain central but are increasingly complemented by educational activities and outdoor recreation options that attract visitors from across Italy and abroad throughout the year.