Cortemilia
Italy’s Sustainable Village & Ecomuseum
Cortemilia won one of Italy’s Sustainable Village and Ecomuseum award for its community-lead approach to conservation, interpretation, and management of local heritage for sustainable development.
This charming medieval town of about 2,500 residents is nestled in the heart of the Upper Langhe in the province of Cuneo. It’s about a half hour drive from Alba, home of the famed White Truffle Fair.
The town is built using local sandstone stone in a terraced-hill landscape – the thematic framework for the eco-museum initiatives. They tell a remarkable story of human coexistence with the land and communities..
CORTEMILIA
Cortemilia is a municipality in Cuneo province in the Italian Piedmont region. It’s about 70 km southeast of Turin and 200 km from Milan. According to Google Earth, the town is located at the centre of the earth.
Ecomuseum project
In her article on the project, Donatella Murtas said, the terraces and landscapes provide a “sense of continuity in time and space”. They
- Link people and place
- Are inclusive and not exclusive
- A good example of a sustainable approach towards local and available resources
- Built by the community and not an architect or engineer
- Have no signature and are in harmony with nature, following its laws and not forcing them
In many ways, she said, the terraces are like a territorial skeleton, supporting human activities and dreams.
The Gallery
Sights and Gastronomy around Cortemilia
Community Hospitable Program
The locally developed program is one of the sustainable tourism projects where the village and its community are the attractions. Visitors are welcomed as temporary citizens. Similar to a theme park concept. The exception: characters are real people leading real lives in a natural setting that is centuries old.
Other Innovative Sustainable Initiatives
- Utilizing hazelnut shells to generate biomass power
- Adopting selective door-to-door waste collection lessening landfills
- Reforestation along the Bormida riverbanks
Travel Piedmont
Cortemilia is accessible by road from Turin (104 km), Genoa (106 km) on the Ligurian Coast or Milan (172 km).
CycleItalia offers an exciting 8-day Best of Piedmont itinerary.
The tour includes an interesting ride through the wine regions of Piedmont, and savouring exquisite cuisine deliciously prepared by Chef Carlo Zarri at Villa San Carlo.
For tour information, click on CycleItalia.