Duilio Cortassa activities, carried out by farms as part of the 'wine routes', are classified as agritourism activities. Selling traditional agri-food products and products with a protected designation of origin (PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI) of the regions to which the 'wine routes' belong, not prepared, or cooked at the same time as the serving of wine, may be carried out by wine-producing farms located along the 'wine routes', subject to minor bureaucratic requirements. Making every effort to push traditional products, this law stipulates that, by way of derogation from the provisions in force, even industrial wine cellars and wine shops located within the 'wine routes' may carry out the presentation, tasting and serving of wine products, in compliance with the rules laid down for wine-producing farms. Sale of farm-products inside the farms, by farmers who are direct producers, whereby those are the owners of land directly managed or cultivated by them, as much as by sharecroppers, tenant farmers, settlers, leaseholders together with their cooperatives or consortia, was regulated already by the Act No. 59 of 9 February 1963. The Strade del Vino aimed at being a broadly innovative regulation, not only reflecting the entry of a new category of tourism services into the market, but helping to develop this sector. At the same time, offering traditional agri-foodstuffs, together with PDO or PGI products, shall nevertheless remain secondary to the prevailing and characteristic activity of wineries which belong to the 'wine routes'. However, it is only with the legislative decree No. 228 of 18 May 2001 that the wine tourism sector takes on its current and more modern outline. Farmers, both individually or associated among them, provided they are registered in the Register of Companies, were allowed to become direct retailers, all over the country, of foodstuff mainly coming from their farms. Farmers' markets are examples of direct sales from producer to consumer following the idea of the 'short supply chain'. They were born and developed to contrast the so-called 'long supply chain', in which, in general terms, the agricultural product is intermediated by one or more operators before being purchased by the consumer. The short supply chain is now being rediscovered because of the importance of the direct relationship between producers and buyers. Farmers' markets, which came into being for social as much as for economic reasons, are mainly aimed at increasing agricultural production at the local level, giving rise to new farms and promoting local products; providing farmers with an alternative marketing route; enable farmers and consumers to deal with each other, consolidating the relationship of trust and avoiding intermediaries; provide an educational forum for consumers, teaching them, for example, what product certification is and how products are obtained; provide educational opportunities for farmers on marketing; improve the quality of life by enlivening city centres and suburbs, including recreational activities in the market; preserving the agricultural heritage and the historical role of farmers9. Farmers are also allowed to sell directly agricultural products and foodstuffs belonging to one or more agronomic sectors other than the products of their own farm, on condition they are directly purchased from other farmers. The only requirement is that the income from the sale of products from their own farms shall exceed the income from goods purchased from other farmers. 9 One cannot fail to mention the “Campagna Amica” programme by Coldiretti, number of agritourism, farms, farmers' markets referenced on the maps of main Italian routes.
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