Sustainability at Villa Il Cardinale 

At Villa Il Cardinale, we are committed to working to minimise our environmental impact. This means investing in new technology and innovations and honouring how people have lived at the Villa for centuries – living off the land, using what we have and respecting nature. 

Our ambition is to become certified according to Green Key, the internationally recognised sustainability standard for the hospitality industry. As we work towards that goal, we have used the standard as a guideline for our sustainability practices.

WATER

We aim to use water efficiently and reduce waste. 

We have two wells in the garden, which we use to water the plants and vegetable gardens in the dry months, meaning we minimise the use of mains water. We also reuse water for the garden as much as possible. 

We wash guests' towels and bed linen every 7 days to reduce water use. We hang them in the sunshine avoiding the use of electric dryers wherever possible. 

The water in the pool is not wasted. We keep it full during the winter months by adding the appropriate eco-solutions, including salt.

Our ambitions

We plan to install a cistern to collect and store rainwater, adding a further resource to water the garden. 

ENERGY

To reduce our CO2 emissions, we aim to minimise energy use and make our systems as efficient as possible. 

In 2019, we replaced the windows on the entire ground floor of the Villa to improve insulation, making it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. As a result, we could remove the air conditioning on the ground floor to save even more energy. 

We encourage our guests to switch off lights and only use the air conditioning or heating in the rooms when required. 

Our ambitions

We are planning to install solar panels to cover some of the Villa's energy requirements. We also aim to install a electric car charger. 

WASHING & CLEANING

We aim to minimise chemical use, creating a healthier environment for people and nature. 

We have a saltwater swimming pool, so we don't need to use chlorine and the water is kinder on the skin. 

FOOD & BEVERAGES

We grow our own vegetables and source as much produce as possible locally to reduce transport emissions. We buy bread, cheese and other produce from local artisans, so we support the community and give our guests a genuine taste of the region.

We cater to all diets and tastes, but since Marina, the owner of the Villa, has been vegetarian for over 30 years, we specialise in offering delicious, fresh, homemade vegan and vegetarian dishes. 

WASTE & CIRCULARITY

We use the waste-hierarchy principles – prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle – to minimise waste from ourselves and our guests.  

Our tap water is drinkable, so we minimise the use of bottled water. 

We have easy-to-use sorting stations for waste recycling in our guest kitchens, including the possibility to collect food scraps that we turn into compost for the garden. 

We always aim to reuse what we have rather than buy new. For example, we lovingly restore and upcycle furniture, reducing waste and retaining the Villa's authentic look and feel with vintage pieces. 

GREEN AREAS

Cultivating a healthy, lush garden is one of the ways we contribute to the biodiversity of our surrounding green spaces. 

We avoid chemicals and insecticides and use permaculture principles – encouraging a sustainable and self-sufficient ecosystem – in the XX hectares of green space surrounding the Villa. 

We grow our own vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes, greens and herbs, which we love to share with our guests, and we enrich the soil using compost from our food scraps. We also produce olive oil from the 40 ancient olive trees growing around the property.

The many flowers in the garden are a paradise for pollinators like bees. 

Our ambitions

We are researching the flowers, plants, and trees that grew in the gardens in the Villa's past centuries heydays. We aim to reintroduce many original plant species and cultivate ancient fruit trees. 

SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES

We believe that contributing to a thriving community is part of our responsibility as a sustainable business. For our larger parties and events, we work with local caterers specialising in regional dishes and sourcing locally grown or produced ingredients. 

We work with local entrepreneurs and craftspeople to maintain the Villa and for projects such as reupholstering furniture, custom-making curtains and other renovations. 

GUEST INFORMATION

Bedrooms

Turning off lights, air-con or heating when not in the room.

Hanging up towels if they don't want them to be washed

Kitchen

Recycling, saving food scraps to use for our compost