Second Homes ‘Ruining Tuscany’

In its aim to preserve the natural beauty of Tuscany in Italy, pressure group Legambiente is renewing its call on development restrictions. They claim that the region’s beauty and history are threatened by “rivers of cement” as a result of the demand for holiday homes in the area.

“We need to cherish this landscape,” pleads a representative of the environmental group. Concerns over the boom in new-build homes and infrastructure in the area was echoed by Alberto Asor Rosa, a professor at La Sapienza University in Rome. The professor recalls an instance in the hamlet of Monticchiello, a historic settlement near Pienza, where new apartments were supposed to be constructed as housing for local people. Later it was advertised by the developer as second homes in the Roman press.

One of the 20 regions in Italy, Tuscany is known to be the most beautiful region in the country. Legambiente would like to keep it that way, but recent developments in the different areas are causing some alarm. Other villas and hotels being constructed in historic towns and picturesque valleys are of great concern to the group. These construction projects have little regard to their impact on the region’s widely known scenic appeal. Often, the developer will ask local authorities for permission to build, with the promise of great benefits and civic amenities in return. Some of these developments are now under close investigation by the government due to their questionable legality.

Posted on: Italy

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Second Homes ‘Ruining Tuscany’

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