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An 18th Century Converted Villa in Italy With Its Own Wine Lab

La Cascina Meraviglia is set in a quiet environment, surrounded by world-famous food and wine, golf clubs and horse riding

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Listing of the Day

Location: Piedmont, Italy

Price: €13 million ($15.86 million)

Located in the Monferrato hills of Piedmont, a recently declared UNESCO World Heritage site known for its sophisticated cuisine and wines, this 28,000-square-foot Italian villa offers more than luxurious country living.

Looking out onto the 360-degree views of Fubine, a small village in Northwest Italy, this property, La Cascina Meraviglia, has a double use, partly as a residence and partly as an experimental wine research laboratory. And part of the 9.39-acre land the villa sits on has been cultivated for vineyards.

It’s not hard to see the current owner’s enthusiasm for wines. Featured as one of the top-five winemakers in the world by the prestigious Wine Enthusiast Magazine, the property’s owner, Donato Lanati, won the Best Winemaker Award in Rome’s Wine Oscars in 2015.

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"The current owner made impressive renovations to the property in 2005 to both buildings and all engineering systems for around €12 million (US$14.64 million)," said listing agent Alessandro Bonasera with Italy Sotheby’s International Realty. The owner has moved to another of his properties and is now selling La Cascina Meraviglia to expand his wine business with the proceeds, Mr. Bonasera said.

The property is located in a calm and quiet environment, surrounded by peaceful walking trails, world-famous food and wine, golf clubs and horse-riding trails. Several small villages nearby are known for their Roman and Medieval historical significance, according to the listing.

"A very interesting part of the local area is the two ‘Infernot,’ ancient cellars used to preserve wine and food at 14 degrees (57.2 F) in constant humidity," Mr. Bonasera said.

The villa is converted from an 18th century farmhouse, which belonged to an important family, the counts of Bricherasio.

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Stats

The 28,000-square-foot villa sits on 9.39 acres of land, which have been partly cultivated for vineyards. It has 11 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

Amenities

Currently, the building, which is spread over three floors and has a basement, has a double use, partly as a residence and partly as an experimental oenological research laboratory. It also features several offices, conference rooms, wine cellars and a professional kitchen. The villa can also be converted to a boutique hotel

Celebrity cachet

The property’s roots originate from 1700. From 1822 to 1950 the houses were owned by an important family, the counts of Cacherano di Bricherasio. Count Emanuele Cacherano di Bricherasio founded the Italian automotive industry company FIAT in 1899 and remained in charge until 1904.

Since 1950 the property has been practically unused until it was purchased by renowned winemaker, Mr. Lanati.

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Neighborhood notes

The house is positioned on a hill of Monferrato in Piedmont, which is known for its sophisticated cuisine and wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco. It is a land of ancient traditions, with vineyards that produce glorious wines, from ancient soils.

The area offers the possibility of a plethora of beautiful art and nature to behold, and much of it is still not overwhelmed by tourism. Boundless landscapes are plentiful, marked by church steeples and castles that suddenly appear from hills, with views of the Alps on the horizon.

Surrounded by historical small villages with Roman and Medieval roots, the area can also be easily accessed via highways from Milan, Turin, and Genoa.

Agent: Alessandro Bonasera, Italy Sotheby’s International Realty

View the original listing.

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