Holiday farms packed for ferragosto

Italy's ever-growing number of holiday farms are expecting full occupancy for the mid-August Ferragosto holiday which marks the Feast of the Assumption.
An estimated 550,000 overnights are forecast for the three-day weekend of August 15 at the some 18,500 holiday farms in Italy.
However, because of their growing number, general turnover appears to be on the decline for August, according to the head of Agriturist Giorgio Lo Surdo.
''The number of people choosing this form of accommodation is more or less the same as last year while an increase in the number of guest farms has reduced profit margins,'' he explained.
The sector is also being hurt by the reduction in the number of nights tourists, especially Italians, stay at the farms, now an average of five.
''This results in additional expenditures for the farms who are forced to accept more shorter-term stays,'' Lo Surdo said.
Earnings were also reduced this year due to the fact that, as opposed to other tourism destinations, only 1% of holiday farms hiked their prices over last year.
Earlier this year a report in the travel magazine Gente Viaggi said that the number of holiday farms operating in Italy had almost doubled since 1999.
The report added that in 2007 alone their number jumped 6.7% over the previous year to bring the total increase in nine years to 81%.
The greatest increases in the number of holiday farms in 2007 was recorded in southern Italy, which the report said is trying to catch up to central and northern Italy where farm tourism developed earlier.
According to Gente Viaggi, more than half of Italy's holiday farms offer meals as well as accommodation, three out of ten organize wine and food tastings and six out of ten offer recreation as well as cultural, sporting and other activities.
Some 60% of Italy's holiday farms sell their own agricultural products or those of neighboring farms.
Data provided by Agriturist showed that Tuscany continues to attract the greatest number of farm tourists, 18.5% of the total.
Sicily followed with 9.7% and then Lombardy with 7.8%.
Last year 25% of farm tourists were foreigners.