Property summary
Magnificent renovated +270m2 habitable property with panoramic belvedere in a fenced garden, with an adjacent building and 3,7Ha land.
Investment and business potential:
This property offers a wealth of possibilities, from an exceptionally large family home (two families can comfortably live in the house) to agro-tourism as the size, locality and structure lends itself perfectly for use as a B&B, guest-house, eco-camping etc.
The house gets sold due to health reasons, fully furnished with possibility to take over a small tractor and tools to work on the land.
Location, location, location…
Located in the Tuscany-Emiliano Apennines at 750m at the end of the small hamlet of Montecroce. No through traffic, yet only a few km from Toano and Cavola with the civic administration, shops, banks, a superb open-air public swimming pool, games area for football, athletics, tennis courts etc. At only a few km away lies the Cavola Airclub with its airstrip for Delta planes, fully licensed for helicopter landing! At 25km from the ski slopes of Febbio or the Pietra di Bismantova, host to hikers and mountaineers giving them breath-taking views up to the world famous marble ridges of Carrara.
The whole area is a heaven for nature photographers, hikers, mountainbikers, skiers, horse people, alpine climbers, via ferrata mountaineering, ... But also motorcyclists and trikes love to cruise the curling streets to discover beautiful sights from one mountain top to another.
Summer or winter, always safe and comfortable:
Originally a typical Emilia Romagna stone farmhouse of 100+ yrs old, the house has undergone all major renovation works following also the latest anti-seismic regulations. The energetic renovation of the house (incl. A central heating system with wood heating boiler in combination with solar panels) results in an astonishing A3 class with only annual 43,40 kWh/m2 !
Some final renovation work inside is still in progress, giving a quick-decision buyer his say in the choice of the final look as soon as an official agreement is signed.
See full details below on the house and how the renovation was done.
Contact the Belgian owners Jan and Anne Marie, they can help you with all the necessary steps to take in the realisation of your Italian dream.
*****
Full details on the house and its renovation:
Having travelled a significant part of the world, Jan (Gianni) found his piece of paradise on top of Montecroce in Corneto di Toano, in the heart of the legendary Parmigiano cheese region. He wanted to settle down here with his family (wife, dogs, cat, horses). The photogenic character of the area in combination with the possibilities it offers, kept this world traveller on this one particular spot ever since he got here, more than 8 years ago.
Consequently, they started a total restructuring of the house in order to be able to fully rejoice the billion dollar view with panoramic belvedere over 270°, in the company of other nature lovers in their B&B to be.
Unfortunately, due to health problems of his wife, for whom the winters in the mountains are too harsh, they will not be able to fulfil their dream and they need to sell the house and move more down south.
This brings this exceptional multiple bedroom farmhouse back to the market.
Originally it was a typical Emilia Romagna stone farmhouse of more than 100 yrs old which has been enlarged at a later point of time to provide a superior and very large dwelling.
The house comes with an adjacent building and 3,7 Ha of land divided into two pieces on each side of the road.
Over the last couple of years the house has undergone all major renovation works in order to make it a modern, very comfortable place to be, at the same time minimising heating costs in winter and keeping pleasant temperatures in summer. The concept was to organise the first floor apartment and ground floor 'taverna' for B&B or holiday rental and using the second floor as the owner's premises.
The energetic renovation results in an astonishing A3 class with only annual 43,40 kWh/m2 ! Only newly built houses can do better with an A4 code...
- For starters the foundation was strengthened both underground as through a 'cordollo'. This is a reinforced concrete 'collar' connecting all walls of the two buildings in one loop just under the roof, following the latest anti-seismic regulations.
- Both roofs were completely removed and rebuild with beautiful wooden beams and special Isotec insulation. A very big Velux window (1.14m x1.40m) gives access to the roof where one can secure himself with a legally certified life line.
- Externally the house got a 10-15cm thick insulation all around and apart from a small part at the back of the house it all got a finishing layer in apricot and coffee cream colours.
The back part has not been painted yet, leaving the possibility to add-on a magnificent big portico/terrace in order to fully enjoy hot summers on the north side of the house.
Special attention was paid to cover up all cables on the walls in order to give the house the most beautiful appearance.
- All doors and windows got replaced with beautiful dark wood-look maintenance free Pvc frames with double-glazing windows. Some of these have acoustic insulation, others are reinforced anti-theft, depending on where they are located. All have the latest insulation norm and special care was taken to avoid the so called cold bridges.
The windows of the apartment on the first floor giving access to the balcony were replaced with full size window doors, provided with a pre-wired code-related access system.
The window sills at both parts of the house are now all in the same Indian marble that marries well with all surrounding colours.
The windows facing south are protected from the sun rays in july-august either by the 200+ yr old oak tree at the entrance or by the cantilevered roof. Thus making the high air conditioning costs obsolete while at the same time offering optimal use of the sun in cooler seasons.
- The 9m long balconies at the front got enlarged to a 1.25m width and the railing got replaced with a glass wall on the second floor. On the first floor everything has been prepared to put in a similar glass wall too. Here the option remains to create a separate access to the apartment via a staircase towards the balcony which can be installed either at the front (giving an impressive view to the house), or to the side of the balcony (maximising the garden space in front of the house). The buyer will decide.
The tiles got replaced with a 'Gaia Star' natural stone, giving a golden glow that fits perfectly with the colours of the walls and the windows.
Special attention has been taken in order to create a balcony that combines the viewing of the beautiful environment with the sun bathing properties in all seasons. Because the 'winter holiday sunshine' is a God given surplus...
- A highly efficient Viessmann wood heating boiler in combination with solar panels for thermal heating were installed to take care of both the hot water and the high end central heating system in an economical and environmental friendly way. (The property contains some woodland providing for your own wood.)
A heating cellar got created where a good part of the wood is stored near the wood burner.
Adjacent is the boiler room where the fully insulated boiler of 1500 liter remains.
- Both levels of the newer part of the house have already been renovated including electricity, plumbing, new ceramic floors etc. Special care was taken to use materials that give a beautiful natural look while being easy to keep.
The remaining work inside is still in progress and (if in time) the buyer can still have his say in the choice of the final look as soon as an official agreement is signed.
With a total habitable surface of more than 270m2, the main building of the property provides several excellently sized rooms. One of them is an open duplex under the roof with adjacent a small office and mezzanine. The latter wired for multimedia production and surround sound home cinema experience. On the ground floor another room is used as sauna/fitness room. There are three bathrooms and two substantial kitchens. The renovated kitchen on the second floor is in open plan with the living room in L-shape.
On top there is the enormous (approx. 25Ft x 35ft – 7,5m x 10,5m) ‘taverna’ on the ground floor with an open fire place and pizza oven. This can easily be converted in another totally separate studio with its own entrance (also with a code-related access system pre-wired).
The facility area comprises the heating room and separate boiler room as well as an enormous attic.
The latter can be reached from the 'duplex room' and gives +60m2 storage space albeit with limited height. There you will find an insane length of tubing giving access to lifecam camera positions or home/garden lighting. These give the possibility to wire a music and video stream to every corner of the house allowing you to create an impressive multimedia power house.
All rooms have spectacular views of the surrounding area from the distant mountains, rolling hills and wide spaced open valleys, giving one of the most breath-taking panoramic views to be found anywhere in these parts. Almost every morning and at nightfall one can see our local wildlife, i.e. Herds of deer passing over our land. With a bit of luck you will also notice some wild boars, foxes and hares roaming. We have our 'own' owl visiting his oak tree every year again and we see regularly falcons and buzzards circling in our valley. But one of the most remarkable experiences is to hear the nightingale sing his beautiful love song!
The house lies in a fenced garden which is in a continual process of being designed following the natural levels of the plot (this is Jan’s hobby!). One finds a tapestry of ground covering plants giving spectacular yellow waves during the early summer as well as many roses, bougainvillea, lavender and other flowers. You will also enjoy the fruit of the almond, plum, apple and pear trees within these boundaries as well as the organic strawberries, all competing with the biggest eye catcher: the more than 200 yr old oak tree at the entrance.
There is parking space for several cars within the fenced area and another big parking lot opposite the house which can take up to 3 big cars. The land behind the house can also park a number of cars if necessary.
Across the road lies another building of +/- 60m2, which is currently used as barn/stable/garage which has electricity as well as warm/cold water.
If one would opt to start a wildlife eco-camping, this could easily be transformed into a separate sanitary block.
That piece of land has two gigantic concrete plateaus (one with a roof), which also give magnificent views of the area, including the famous ‘Pietra di Bismantova’.
The property comes with its own private land of +/- 37,000m2 (3.7 Ha /9.14 acres), currently mostly meadow, though some woodland is included (providing a ready supply of logs for heating up the house in winter).
Here you will find more apple, almond, cherry, apricot, plum, walnut and hazelnut trees.
In a long and distant past the slopes facing south, were used as a vineyard for the famous Lambrusco wine. Nowadays they are part of the meadow and paddock paradise for the horses but they can easily be converted to serve another purpose.
Located at the end of the small hamlet of Montecroce, there is no through traffic in the street other than the occasional biker, a farmer or a lost tourist.
Altitude is around 750 meters, which leaves this top of the mountain often bathed in sunshine when the valleys are covered in a sea of clouds. This little micro climate gives the utmost feeling of being in heaven!
Being part of the Comune di Toano it is only a couple of kilometers away from the main township of that name. Here one finds the civic administration offices, banks and amenities such as the superb open-air public swimming pool with utmost spectacular views, games area for football, athletics, tennis courts etc.
At only 8 km away lies Cavola di Toano where you can also find all of the usual services such as shops, supermarkets, restaurants and a weekly open-air market. The Cavola Airclub has an airstrip for Delta planes and is fully licensed for helicopter landing if necessary!
You are no further away than 25km from the ski slopes of Febbio (also recommended for lovely walks and views during the summer season) or the Pietra di Bismantova near Castelnovo Ne' Monti. This table mountain plateau is giving breath-taking views over the Tuscan and Emilian Appenines, up to the world famous marble ridges of Carrara. In case of mishap, its mountaineers will find the St. Anna Hospital ready and waiting with its own helipad.
The whole area is a heaven for nature photographers, hikers, mountainbikers, skiers, horse people, alpine climbers, via ferrata mountaineering, ... But other than cyclers also motorbikers and trikes love to cruise the curling streets to discover beautiful sights from one mountain top to another.
The nearest airports are at Bologna at 90km (1h 15min drive) and Parma at 104km (1h 26min drive) which offer cheap flights from Uk, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, ...
One can also make very nice city trips to discover Modena (50km), and Reggio Emilia (55km), to name the biggest ones, all accessible in about 1 hour. Or one can visit some smaller interesting towns like Carpi (62km) or Maranello (44km) renowned for the Ferrari cars. These legendary cars and their competitive brands can be seen regularly on the way home... They can all be tested in their home town!
In short, this is a superb farmhouse that has been renovated with love and top quality material.
The small amount of work inside that needs to be finished is being done slowly so as to give a quick buyer a say in the finishing touch.
Photos See all the photos
Price 492,300 €
Price / sq metre: €/m² 1,823.33
other currency
Reference:
83271