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Italy’s breathtaking Lake Como has become the first “electric” destination in Europe thanks to a pioneering new initiative designed to reduce pollution and facilitate the easy use of electric cars, bikes and boats for the first time. Como-The Electric Lake is the brainchild of British business woman Judith Wade.
Launched this summer by Italy’s largest historic gardens and destinations network, Grandi Giardini Italiani (GGI), the initiative covers 170kms around Lake Como and is the first in Europe to create a widespread infrastructure of 19 charging points for electric cars, boats and bikes in one location. Lake Como is the birthplace of Alessandro Volta, a physicist and nobleman who invented the first electric battery over 200 years ago – making it the ideal location for this eco-enterprise.
Como- The Electric Lake aims to make small but significant contributions to improving air quality and noise pollution. Installed by the Tesla Destination Charging Programme, the charging points mean that travellers can feasibly use electric and eco-friendly vehicles (that produce less greenhouse gases) in the Lake Como region for the first time, without having to worry about a lack of charging points which is a common barrier to their use.
With plans for widespread electric car charging points in the UK also in the Queen’s Speech, eco-conscious travellers will want to head out to Italy to get ahead of the curve and experience the thrill of travelling on or around the stunning Lake Como by electric car, boat or bike.
Under the initiative, GGI is supported by 27 stakeholders including national heritage administrators, hoteliers and municipalities who are all committed to improving air quality and the maintenance of Italy’s artistic heritage. For example, many of the world’s most famous hotels in Lake Como including Villa D’Este at Cernobbio, Hotel Terminus and Hotel Tremezzo have long demonstrated environmental care with initiatives such as innovative solar heating systems and environmentally friendly building materials and cleaning products.
Judith Wade is also passionate about tackling pollution because it threatens to damage the precious plants, people and wildlife in the 124 breathtaking historic gardens in the GGI network, many of which take important steps to gardening in an environmentally friendly way. For example, Villa Carlotta in Tremezzina uses biological products to avoid polluting aquifers (a layer of rock containing/conducting ground water) and Villa Melzi D’Eril in Bellagio uses an up-to-date, highly efficient system to heat the greenhouses.
For more information, please visit www.grandigiardini.it.
