The gradual exit from the pandemic is reinforcing a trend that was already developing in travel: “experiential” tourism, especially if in contact with nature. As an example of where the sector is going, The Sense is proposed, an “experience resort” on the Maremma coast, focused on the environment and virtuous sustainability (recycling, separate collection, no waste of water and energy).
The Sense is immersed in a centuries-old park overlooking the beach with a pine forest, in the Gulf of Follonica. The surrounding nature is recalled in the materials chosen for the resort’s interiors, is respected by management practices focused on sustainability and recycling, and is echoed in the “experiences” offered to guests.
In designing the resort, the surrounding environment was respected and valued, a context of high landscape value: from the conformation of the preserved and redeveloped dunes to the restoration of the original flora by planting native plants and local ecotypes. All the plants planted in the gardens – more than 7000 shrubs and perennials of 80 different species – were chosen for their characteristics of resistance to brackish winds and low water requirements, creating a windbreak barrier.
The environment is also respected with “eco” behaviors that make the resort as sustainable as possible. The water used for the irrigation of the park’s vegetation is drawn from a shallow well which, thanks to an osmosis system, powered by photovoltaic panels, takes salt water and introduces fresh water. In this way the water produced is at zero km and with reduced energy consumption. Rainwater is also used for irrigation and for the swimming pool.
An Experience Specialist offers guests “experiences to live. The sunset route takes place on the two viewpoints facing the sea where the protagonists are the sound of the sea, the warmth of the sun, the vision of the sunset, the light breeze, the view of the starry sky. You can enjoy a private sunbath, read, meditate, train, have an intimate dinner. The path of the dawn is more private and solitary, on a platform facing the sea where sea and sky merge, a place of contemplation where you can listen to the sounds of nature and meditate.
Other itineraries are dedicated to the knowledge of the territory: from the botany of the centuries-old park to the geology of the dunes and the archeology of the site (in the park there are still traces of the Etruscan settlements of over two thousand years ago: small dark stones in the sand, finds of the ferrous material of origin
Etruscan that the sea and the winds brought up here from the nearby island of Elba). In addition to the walks in the gardens and park of the Resort, there are botanical paths available to guests of the structure, studied with the help of ad hoc maps to discover the scents and colors of the endemic and scrub species
Mediterranean present in the vast park.
Among the services available there is also an area with a heated outdoor swimming pool. The discovery of the territory continues at the table: the wide gastronomic offer is curated by the Executive Chef Franco Manfredi who bases the taste experience on the enhancement of raw materials and local products in traditional Tuscan dishes.