Full Description

Cergallina is located on the crest of a hill in splendid isolation. With stunning 360° views owners and guests alike feel at peace with the world. The restored farmhouse comes with 8.9 hectares (approx 22 acres) of farmland, mostly hay fields with a large fruit orchard (apples,pears,cherries, apricots plums etc.) and 2 large vegetable gardens.

The original farmhouse now consists of 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a large eat-in kitchen with a wood fired oven, and a sitting room with an open fire place. The original barn has been converted into 4 guest bedrooms on the ground floor, all opening on to the front garden.

The first floor, measuring 1200 sq ft(109 sq metres) is currently the farm stay restaurant, but with large windows and an old stone fireplace this area is ideal as a family /entertainment area. Glass doors lead onto the covered terrace with wonderful views of the surrounding valleys, ideal for outdoor summer dining.

A fully equipped professional kitchen on the first floor facilitates catering for all house guests.

In the garden beside the main house is the pool area, with a covered portico and a pool house containing a large family bedroom w/ensuite and two single rooms with ensuites (suitable for staff accommodation if required ) Surrounding the 33 ft (10 mt) pool is a paved area for sunbathing, and lawns with flower beds. The covered portico is great for poolside dining and country style lamps around the garden provide soft lighting for a night time dip in the pool.

Opposite the main building is an annex, recently built of old stone, with 5 ensuite bedrooms, each with a balcony overlooking the valley, stables and the pond, and a small balcony in the front to enjoy a summer's afternoon read.

Beside the main complex is a large building housing stables with 6 horse stalls, an upstairs hay barn and a garage. Over the way are another 6 stables, an arena and a fenced paddock which leads out into fields suitable for summer grazing.

The surrounding area is wonderful riding country, and many tracks have been cleared and marked to become a part of the famous Ippovia di Parma & Piacenza. A ride to the nearby medieval castle of Vigoleno takes an hour and a half In the surrounding hills there is a diversity of terrain ranging from shallow rivers, woods and open fields to satisfy all levels of riders

Must be seen to be believed!!

Video clips are available for download to give you a better feel for the potential of the property, prior to your visit.

Also available on request are more download files giving further descriptions of the property, together with a site plan.

The property is currently run as a "farm stay" business (agriturismo). Licences can be transferred to the new owners, plus training available if appropriate.

The property does however lend itself to a fantastic business opportunities should the new owner choose. We have developed an "Information Memorandum", available on request, which quantifies some of the following concepts, though further more exciting opportunities could well arise from an entrepreneurial owner. On the other hand, the life style opportunity created by this unique property is beyond comprehension!

Business opportunities for the new owner considerations, could include:

Boutique Hotel Country Club Courdon Bleu restaurant, with overnight accommodation Helipad Tennis Courts Spa/Massage/Beauty Clinics Company meetings/Conventions Sales/Product launches Italian cooking/language classes

The Area

Cergallina is located on a hilltop in a splendid position with stunning views, in the shire of Vernasca, 5 minutes from the pretty village of the same name, in the province of Piacenza, one of the lesser known provinces of the region of Emilia Romagna.

Parma is 35 minutes away, Mantova 70 minutes, Milan with its wonderful shopping, just over an hour away, Modena the home of Ferrari, 90 minutes down the highway towards Bologna.

Tourism is not overdeveloped– with similar beauty to the Tuscan countryside this area is considered unspoilt as Tuscany was thirty years ago. Northern Italians come for their weekend escapes and summer holidays and visitors from other countries explore the area by car throughout the holiday season.

Parma and Piacenza are also the home to the”Castles of the Duchy of Parma & Piacenza”, and many of these beautifully restored castles can be visited in half day trips from Cergallina. Two of these, Castell'Arquato and Vigoleno, are just fifteen minutes drive from Cergallina.

Cergallina is located at 500 metres above sea level. From the house the views are incredible – facing south rolling farmlands dotted with vineyards lead up to the wooded hills of the Tuscan Emilian Alps and to the north the view of the Po valley spreads out into the distance. On a clear day even the snowclad mountains of Switzerland are visible over the Padana plain, where the River Po meanders across the plains to the east coast of Italy.

Cergallina is surrounded by small farms, and tiny villages called “frazione” dot the area. In each village the “bar” is the centre of activity. These bars are both restaurants and pubs, and village life revolves around them. Of course with no mass tourism in the area, it's possible to experience real Italian country life. The restaurants, or rather “trattorias”, excel in their offer of local cuisine, as they must satisfy the very demanding Italian clientele who frequent them, with no lowering of standards as unfortunately happens in areas which have been overdeveloped.

Emilia Romagna is considered the top food area of Italy (Parma just having been appointed headquarters for the European Food Commission Authority). Parma and Piacenza are well known as home to Prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham) and Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese. The excellent country cuisine is enjoyed with fine wines produced in the area (even Julius Caesar was known to have enjoyed the famous Piacenza Gutturnio red wine!).

The climate at Cergallina is particularly pleasant. Long hot summer days, ideally spent lazing around the pool, are followed by evenings generally blessed with cool breezes. Spring and autumn are blazes of colour, great for walking, riding or mountain biking, and the winters are enjoyable too - some snowfalls in winter create a fairytale effect, but mostly the days are cold, clear and sunny.