Travel Company Buys Entire Village

A German tour operator has purchased the entirety of a village in Tuscany with plans to turn it into a mega-resort for vacationing Europeans. Many in the village were upset at the sale, which they say will destroy the local character.

1 minute read

May 29, 2007, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

"The entire Tuscan village of Tenuta de Castelfalfi has been snapped up by the giant tour operator TUI and is due to be turned into an integrated holiday playground for German tourists within the next two years."

"'The Germans have conquered our village!' declared the local paper, Il Tirreno, following news of the sale."

"Complete with four square miles of land, a three-star hotel, 18-hole golf course, olive groves, vineyards and scores of elegantly crumbling villas, Castelfalfi is believed to have been bought for €250m (£170m)."

"Once it has been given a makeover, Castelfalfi is expected to attract 3,200 guests at any one time and will give the first whiff of mass tourism in a region that attracts holidaymakers precisely because of its small-scale family-run hotels."

FULL STORY: Room mit ein view: German travel company buys up entire Tuscan village

Friday, May 25, 2007 in The Guardian

Community / Economic Development History / Preservation Europe

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