(Act Daily News) — Ever dreamed of proudly owning your individual secret citadel in a lovely area of Italy, wandering alongside its fortified partitions like a monarch surveying their kingdom?
For lower than the worth of a townhouse in central London or an attic house in Rome’s historic heart — that dream can now come true.
The medieval fortress and hamlet of Serravalle, half-way between the cities of Modena and Bologna in Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna area, is up on the market for 1.9 million euros, or about $2 million.
Already livable and fitted with heating, it requires simply minimal fixes — and the worth is negotiable.
Set in inexperienced rolling hills, the fortress comes with a portion of the village, which bears the identical title and was as soon as a part of its fiefdom, mendacity at its ft.
What’s up for grabs is the unique, overhanging historical fortification of 1,800 square-meters set at an altitude of 400 meters.
The property contains the majestic fortress constructed on the ruins of pagan settlements, a three-level 18th century stately palace known as Palazzo Boccadiferro, the place the present homeowners often reside, a looking lodge with woodshed, a four-story lookout tower, a surprising panoramic walkway and a lush 14,000 square-meter park.
“Not only is it very convenient, roughly down to 1,000 euros per square meter, it has enormous potential both as a private, silent retreat to unplug in, or as an investment to turn it into a resort,” Paolo Giacopini of Immobiliare Giacopini, the actual property company dealing with the sale, informed Act Daily News.
Secret tunnels and heated rooms
The fortress was as soon as valued for its strategic location.
Paolo Giacopini Immobiliare/Conforti Immobiliare
“The charm and panorama are matchless, surrounded by vineyards, in a strategic location between the two top cities of Emilia Romagna, a wonderful region which is often wrongly eclipsed by Tuscany when it comes to castles and manors.”
At the second, the well-maintained property is rented out for personal occasions and conferences however the present homeowners, who want to stay nameless, are now not ready to deal with working the intensive property.
They reside on the fortress throughout summer time months, says Giacopini, so it’s already inhabitable with heating, kitchen, utilities, fireplaces, a number of bedrooms and bogs. The two-story looking lodge, constructed as a rural home, can be heated.
While the fortress is immaculately preserved, different components of the property, such because the lookout tower, inbuilt 1227 and modified in 1523, would possibly require just a few fixes.
Lavish Renaissance-style furnishings, together with work, are additionally probably on sale.
Giacopini, who takes guests on guided excursions, says the distributors are open to presents.
He explains that, given its historic and inventive worth, the fortress is underneath the supervision of regional arts authorities who’ve positioned restrictions on radical structural modifications corresponding to turning a rest room right into a bed room, or vice versa.
Some of the historic options add an additional layer of intrigue. A secret underground passage hyperlinks the tower to the palace and was as soon as utilized by guards fleeing from enemy assaults.
The passage is cool in summer time however freezing chilly in winter. Giacopini says one American consumer who toured the property with him claimed his ft nearly froze inside his sneakers.
Bloodshed and glory
The property contains an 18th-century palace.
Paolo Giacopini Immobiliare/Conforti Immobiliare
Serravalle is steeped in historical past. The fortification has for hundreds of years been on the coronary heart of territorial feuds and battles towards invaders and neighboring fiefdoms. Prior to the unification of Italy’s kingdom in 1861, the nation was divided into many metropolis states, or comuni, every combating for supremacy.
In the twelfth century the fortress was bitterly disputed by Modena and Bologna for its strategic navy place. Back in these instances, a fortress was a small navy microcosm that protected a big portion of land, farmers and tenants.
The fortification, constructed on the ashes of an historical Roman navy outpost known as Verabulum, was conquered and destroyed by the Lombard tribes within the eighth century.
After it was rebuilt, legend has it, the fortress hosted Charlemagne on his option to Rome to be topped emperor, accompanied by French troops, within the ninth century,
While it is quiet and peaceable, the property is not completely remoted. The village has some social buzz with 40 residents, a frescoed church, a conventional tavern and a wine museum specializing in native rural life.
A big stone portal emblazoned with a coat of arms and adorned with statues greets guests on the entrance.
The property has undergone a number of upgrades in time. The palace, named after the Boccadiferro (which means “iron mouth” in Italian) household that dominated it for 4 centuries, was turned from an historical lined loggia right into a stately noble dwelling. Roughly 1,151 sq. meters large, it’s the largest portion of the property.
Ghost tales
A secret underground passage hyperlinks the palace to a close-by tower.
Paolo Giacopini Immobiliare/Conforti Immobiliare
Other than the park of the castello, which is the traditional moat surrounding the hamlet that includes horse chestnut and ash bushes, there are additionally a big hanging backyard and courtyard areas superb for night drinks and sundown walks.
There is a spooky vibe. According to native lore the fortress and property are haunted by the ghosts of 1 Boccadiferro lord stated to have killed 12 successive wives. Their tormented spirits, wailing and offended, are stated to roam the corridors and halls at evening trying to find vengeance, leaving whiffs of their perfumes within the air.
Giacopini brushes these off as mere tales.
“The deceased brother of the current owner wrote a research pamphlet on the place’s history and found out that Boccadiferro was so in love with his one wife he had her portrait painted several times in different attire, so it seemed like there were many women but it was always only her,” he says.
Serravalle is ideal for nature lovers in addition to these hoping to pattern the area’s culinary choices.
The property is surrounded by farmhouse taverns known as agriturismi, serving succulent handmade tagliatelle al ragù and tortellini. There are additionally vineyards producing premium Pignoletto and DOC wines of the Colli Bolognesi.
Trekking, biking and using trails unwind within the rural environment, whereas close by there is a golf course with 18 holes.