Windmills for Sale in Italy

Windmill in Arezzo

What if instead of fighting against windmills you buy one? This symbol of rural and hard-working community has become a real estate dream, affordable to almost everybody. In Italy as in the rest of Europe, mills have seen their use destination changed through the years and today, also thanks to a property market rediscovering them, these buildings so unique and rich in history have been revitalized. The website immobiliare.it is putting on sale hundreds of mills scattered throughout Italy, especially watermills. After decades of inactivity, mills have been restored and are being offered as mansions surrounded by nature, or as holiday farms and conventional farms.

In some cases they are buildings of great historical value, mostly in Tuscany, where even a 14th century watermill is on sale in the Arezzo province, which has been established as historical building.

In the outskirts of Massa Carrara, there is one built in the 17th century, which belonged to the Marquis Malaspina ( $ 1.095.000, 850,000 euros), while a windmill which already featured in the Napoleonic land register is available for sale in Monteriggioni in the Siena province.

However, the most captivating item on the list is the most ancient still working mill in the Navigli area, just off Milan, which belonged to the Visconti family in the 15th century.  It seems that its structure and mechanics were designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. Unfortunately, the price is not accessible to everyone: $ 6.437.491, 5 million euros.

Windmill by Leonardo Da Vinci in Lombardy

Also worthy of mention are two green mills in Nizza, (a small town close to Messina, Sicily) and in Piorarco, just off Macerata, in the Marche region, able to produce clean energy. In addition, mills can become luxury mansions -- examples of extremely sumptuous design-- as is the case with a mill just a few kilometers away from Pisa, where the owner has had a heated swimming pool built within the mill building itself (see photo).

About 150 mills are registered on Immobiliare.it.  To visit them you should contact the agency through the website, each time checking the availability of buildings.

On the Argentario, close to Grosseto, there is a 200-sqm mill refurbished with a 20-sqm annex, consisting of 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 terraces with sea view , and a garden with a stream that runs through it. In Tuscany, however, one can get many good deals.

Another jewel, for its historical value and the beauty of the scenery, is an accommodation situated in Montepulciano, in the Siena province, deriving from one of the most important mills of the Medici family in the XVth century. The same building also houses a company of organic products.  Also located in the Siena countryside, between Gaiole in Chianti and Castelnuovo Berardenga, there are at least five mills available for sale that have a swimming pool. The average price is approximately 443,880 $ 350,000 euros.

Windmill with swimming pool in Val di Cecina

Proceeding from Tuscany to Umbria, between Todi and Citta di Castello, we discover at least three mills of about 150 square meters each, awaiting buyers and at affordable prices. For example in Cerreto di Spoleto, a mill partly restored and divided into two units is on sale for about $ 120,482 -- 95,000 euros.

In Sappada, a little village near Belluno, in the Veneto region, there is an old mill ranked among Italian historical buildings, which has been sold with an annexed project already approved by the Ministry of Fine Arts and Environment: this means that future refurbishing works have already been approved. The price?  In this case negotiations are confidential. But can a mill without wheel actually be considered a mill?

If you want a traditional mill, you can move to Sorgà, near Verona, home of a classic watermill on a river, built in the XVIth century and partially renovated, which has a double use: commercial and residential. It is the ideal setting, for example, for a restaurant with an attached residence.

Windmill in Latina

In the Lazio region, two windmills in Gori, in the province of Latina are really worth the trip: these are two ancient watermills dating back to the XVIIIth century, completely restored and working, with adjacent 5-hectare vineyards, planted with merlot and chardonnay grapes. The price? Definitely hot: $ 1,648,700  1,300,000 euros. In Emilia Romagna, in Toano, near Reggio Emilia,  there is a mill of the XIXth century, still in excellent conditions, built in the local stone, ideal for residential purposes. It has just been restored maintaining the characteristic features of the old mill, the millstones are still present in the inside, in perfect conditions. The wall outside is partly plastered and partly exposed stone.

In Salsomaggiore Terme, there is a former mill dating back to the XVIIth century located in the protected area of the park of Stirone, expanding from Fidenza to Salsomaggiore. Now it has become a wonderful dwelling in the heart of a riverside park, covered in mulberry trees, with rivers surrounded by elms and maples. There are also relics of Tertiary and Quaternary fossils, unearthed by the mining activity of gravel from the river-bed.

by Massimiliano Chiavarone