 One of my Italian cousins, Enrico Finzi, is offering his magnificent villa for sale. If you know someone looking for a glorious, restored villa in la Bel Paese, pass it on. The gardens, in-ground pool and two separate villas on the property gives it great income potential as a holiday rental or Bed & Breakfast. --Jerry Finzi This Beautiful villa compound dates back to the second half of 1700s, completely restored at the end of the 1980s, surrounded by a garden of about 3000 square meters with in-ground swimming pool, in the center of the village of Piangipane, 7 km from Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna. CLICK HERE to see his villa in 360 degrees!  The property is divided into two independent and adjacent buildings for a total of about 580 square meters. This offers the possibility of use as a Bed & Breakfast or vacation rentals! VILLA MAGGIORE - Main House The property is divided between ground floor, first floor and attic over an area of about 370 square meters. On the ground floor there is a spacious entrance to the garden, a kitchen, a small bathroom and a large living room with a fireplace. On the first floor a large entrance hall to the three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a dressing room with access to the attic completely furnished with custom cabinets. The main rooms on the first floor with vaulted ceiling conserve original well-preserved frescoes restored in the recent past, Tuscan terracotta floors and wood. MINOR VILLA - Small House It is divided between ground floor and first floor on an area of about 210 square meters. On the ground floor there is the entrance with a large fireplace, a living room with a large fireplace, a large dining room with a kitchen with a fireplace, a bedroom and a bathroom. On the first floor a large bedroom and a large bathroom Tuscan terracotta floors and wood Internal doors of the highest historical value dating back to 1600 Both buildings are partially furnished with custom-made handicraft items of value. COMMON AREAS: Garden of 3.053 square meters Swimming pool with wooden technical room Pond with fish and aquatic turtles Small house with two heating boilers Irrigation system divided with 11 parts control unit powered by an artesian well General conditions of the villa and the garden: excellent DISTANCES FROM VILLA TO: Ravenna city center 10 min Bologna city center 40 min Bologna airport 45 min Rimini airport 45 min Florence 90 min Milan 120 min Venice 120 min Rome 180 min Various locations on the Adriatic coast from 20 to 40 min NEW REDUCED PRICE: € 690,000 negotiable NO INTERMEDIARIES REDUCED TAXES FOR SUPERINTENDENCY FINE ARTS ENERGETIC CLASS G Or... you can can contact Enrico on FACEBOOK. For more detailed information, here is a link to the real estate listing.
  Voyagers to Tuscany identify the sunflower with the Tuscan lifestyle. They see it as a romantic symbol, overwhelmed by vast fields of sunflowers in the summer sun. They will come home with pasta bowls, dresses or tiles decorated with them. But they forget one simple fact: girasole (sunflowers) are actually a cash crop in Italy, and several regions grow them, not just Tuscany. And don't count on seeing sunflowers in the same fields every year. Italians farmers, like all good farmers, tend to rotate their crops. Sunflowers grown in a particular field one year might be replaced by beans the next. It also depends on whether the Italian government is subsidizing the sunflower crop or not. By the way, the word "girasole", literally means "turn to the sun", which is what sunflowers do--they always tend to face the sun and follow it from sunrise to sunset. In northern regions or in higher elevations, the sunflower bloom will be later, but in general (depending on variety grown and the weather), in Tuscany the height of the spectacular display will be from the beginning of July to the about July 15th. In Lazio you can see the yellow beauties in the beginning of July, in le Marche the best time to see them is mid-July to early August. Sunflowers are also grown in the regions of Emilia Romagna, Umbria, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia
 Sunflower seeds are grown for the seeds as food and for oil. They can be eaten raw, roasted or dried. They containing protein, vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, iron and nitrogen. Sunflower oil has a light color, mild flavor and low levels of saturated fats. Chefs love it because of its high smoke point--it doesn't burn as readily as other oils--and because it doesn't impart much of its own flavor. Sunflower oil accounts for 8% of the cooking oil used in the whole world. Consider this: Even with its own high production of sunflowers, the Italian supply doesn't come close to meeting Italy's demand fo oil and seeds. Italy imports as much as 70% from the crop's main producers--Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. If things go the way they have been going, the sunflower crop might be in desperate trouble. Production has dropped from 500,000 planted acres in 2003 to less than 175,000 acres in 2017. Market prices and lack of government subsidies have a lot to do with the shrinking harvests. So the next time you are cycling through fields of girasole, turn your head to the sun as they do, and say a little prayer for the sunflower to continue to brighten the beauty of Italy. --Jerry Finzi  Fields of girasole outside of San Gimignano On Amazon... 
Watch the videos below to see how sunflowers are grown, harvested and turned into oil...
|
Categories
All
Archives
May 2023
|
RSS Feed
