Every now and again we all need a break from our daily life, at least for a day. We need to  live unusual experience, to fell in love. Around Italy and Europe there are many accommodations that offer this option: not the usual hotel rooms that look all the same, but unusual and original housing that will allow you to spend a dream night. Furthermore, they are also eco-friendly accommodations, that use energy from renewable sources, organic food, ecological cleaning products and try every day to minimize their environmental impact.

So let's discover 10 unique places that will amaze you!

A Yurt overlooking Turin

Glamping is one of the latest trends in tourism. Yurta Soul Shelter offers the possibility of sleeping in a Mongolian Yurt surrounded by woods, with a panoramic terrace overlooking the city of Turin (North Italy) and the surrounding Alps. The tent is completely eco-friendly: it is indeed made of wood, sheep's felt and natural fabrics, lit by LEDs and low consumption light bulbs, wood-heated and clean with natural detergents. You can experience meditation, yoga, and other holistic experiences.

A castle holiday in Central Italy

Torre della Botonta is an “Albergo Diffuso” (a new type of hotel rescuing Italy’s hill villages), inside a 14th century fortress. The old bank, the old town, the public kiln and the Watchtower have been transformed into rooms and common spaces while retaining their original beauty and part of the old furniture. The castle is located in the heart of Umbria, in Castel San Giovanni, near some of the most beautiful destinations of the peninsula.

A special bed overlooking the crystal sea

The Mortola Tower is an amazing eco-resort that shows how luxury and sustainability can coexist. We are in Liguria where there's a charming 1500 mansion surrounded by 20,000 sqm of botanical garden overlooking the sea. The accommodation uses solar panels, water flow reducers and energy saving lights. Here, you can sleep in a loft, an orangery or in a suite with special furniture, rich in charm and artistic details. But what makes the accommodation really unique is a bed-boat. The hosts had restored and transformed an old 19th-century boat into a very original bed.

A treehouse in Spain

I'm sure, when you were a child you had always dreamed of having a treehouse. In the heart of Cabañeros National Park you'll find beautiful treehouses with a breathtaking view of the surrounding Mediterranean forest. The houses, of various sizes, are equipped with a small kitchenette, air conditioning and heating. All have private bathrooms.

An ancient mill on the banks of the Arno

Just 5 km from Florence (Italy) there's the unique bed&breakfast La Martellina. Immersed in a beautiful landscape of green hills, the accommodation develops into an ancient and evocative mill dating back to the 13th century, renovated according to the principles of bio-architecture. The city is easily accessible by bike.

A lighthouse in the middle of the sea

Porer is a wonderful lighthouse, built in 1833 in a small island in the Adriatic Sea, two and a half kilometers from the coast of Croatia. You'll arrive here on boat and then you'll live a very original holiday, away from everything and everyone. The accommodation has 2 apartments with 4 beds each.

The ancient huts of the Sardinian shepherds

In the wildest Sardinia, you can stay in the typical pinnatu, the old shepherd's huts. Sardinna Antiga is an amazing eco-village. Here smoking is banished and cell phones are not welcome, breakfast is organic and local, water comes directly from the mountains and body care products are organic too. 

An indoor camping

Did you know that you can sleep in an old factory in Berlin? Inside two old industrial halls, two young girls have created an indoor camping, where you will find retro caravans and cabins. The Hüttenpalast is located in a quiet area of ​​Berlin, in the Kreuzkölln district. The accommodation, that you can easily reach by public transport, uses energy saving lights and ecological cleaning products.

A hotel made of snow and ice

Here, in the Alps of Switzerland, everything is made of ice and snow. The winter holidays thus become a truly magical moment! At Igloo Village Stockhorn guests can enjoy a night inside an igloo. Every year the hotel is rebuilt, and internationally renowned artists decorate the interior spaces. In the bathrooms there are water flow reducers and it’s easy for every guest to recycle. 

Berber tents by the sea

Just a few kilometers from Burano Lake Nature Reserve, in Tuscany, the Capalbio Campsite offers, among other lodgings, unusual and luxurious accommodations: beautiful berbere tents with 2 bedrooms, a few steps from the sea (one of the cleanest in Italy) and surrounded by Mediterranean maquis. During your holiday, that will be green thanks to the energy saving lights and the water flow reducers, you can taste the exquisite local food.

2017 is the International Year of Sustainable Tourism. The UN reminds us how important is to live authentic and unusual experience all around the world without damaging the planet. We must change the way we travel, choosing the train rather than plane whenever possible, prefering local and organic food and booking eco-friendly accommodations, for example through ecobnb.com.