This New Year will see a 10% increase in the number of people spending the holiday at guest farms in Italy, according to the Coldiretti farmers' union.
An estimated 300,000 will spend New Year's at the growing number of farms but this year only for an average of three or four days, Coldiretti said.
According to the farmers' union, one of the reasons why the guest farms are so popular this year was the lack of snow in the mountains and a decline in the number of Italians travelling abroad for the holidays.
This year also saw more Italians reserving their farm stays through the Internet and more people opting for last- minute specials.
Italy's 15,000 guest farms, which offer both bed and breakfast and full pension services, welcomed over three million people this past year for a gross turnover of about 900 million euros, up 12% from 2005, Coldiretti said.
