Learning Sustainability of Rural Tourism : Farm Competitiveness and Landscape Health Risk Assessment

Looking at the problems surveyed in the rural landscapes of Northern Italy, how to implement the principles of sustainable tourism to enhance working farms and local identity is debated. The author examines how those principles can be translated into practice, identifying new and innovative ways for individual operators and stakeholders. A proposal of interactive guide-lines for future practitioners is introduced. It allows to consider of the costs and the benefits for environment and landscape of alternative types of rural tourism businesses.