Riccardo Arletti, craftsman of eco-friendly tents

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Riccardo Arletti, craftsman of eco-friendly tents

Tell us about your business and its impact on the territory

My name is Riccardo Arletti and I am the founder of a young company in Emilia. We aim to spread a new type of tourism to revitalize the industry with a focus on sustainability and closeness to nature by making sustainable eco-tents produced using recycled materials. Tipì’s mission is to create a community of virtuous accommodation facilities so as to offer travellers a new kind of experiential tourism. We wanted to reinterpret the philosophy of glamping, making it truly green and giving it a more minimal concept. We decided to create an experience that could be truly affordable for everyone, with the intention of contributing to the valorisation of the areas, small-scale accommodation and agricultural facilities that have chosen to adopt our sustainable tourism model for the season.

Tomorrow's Bologna: what do you expect and what do you wish to find there? 

Definitely a lot more ideas and young businesses like mine, to be able to support and fully exploit the beauty of our area. Our goal will be precisely to revitalize local tourism in a young and sustainable manner.

Any interesting stories about how your business began?

The idea came to me when I was writing my thesis at the University of Bologna. I wrote a paper on the Via degli Dei and in studying how the route affected the economy of the places it passed through, I realized that in certain areas there was a lot of potential but that facilities that could accommodate hikers were lacking. That’s where the idea of creating accommodation to blend in with the landscape came from and, later, the desire to offer this type of solution to facilities already in the area as well.

Favourite places off the beaten track?

Discovering Bologna without visiting San Luca is truly impossible. To immerse yourself in the heart of Emilia and the region, the Via degli Dei and the Via della Lana e della Seta (which start right from Piazza Maggiore) are definitely experiences not to be missed.

What's your favourite Bolognese word, and why?

“Dammi il tiro!” is an ancient and exclusively Bolognese idiom for "open the door!". It is said to date back to the 18th century when in the homes of the Bolognese, the doors were opened using a mechanical system consisting of ropes and chains. A really nice saying (and mostly unknown to the rest of the Emilians).

Disclosing Bologna is a Promenade column

Present-day Bologna, the result of behind-the-scenes work, commitment to social and territorial promotion, excellence, local and adopted citizens.