The castle of Castagneto Po which commands a towering position offering breathtaking panoramic vistas of the city of Turin has been put on the market. The castle was once home to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the First Lady of France. Virginio Bruni Tedeschi, her grandfather, was the founder of Italian tire manufacturing company CEAT. The Bruni Tedeschi family renovated the property into a home as well as a venue for exhibitions and events of special artistic interest.
The neo-Gothic lines were added by its last architect, Ernesto Melano, the building spans more than 21,500 square feet. The property contains more than 40 rooms and has been redesigned and equipped with modern amenities including elevators, kitchens and baths, and heating systems. Many stunning original details remain or have been restored, such as ancient boiseries, marqueteri floors, several hallway frescoes, majestic fireplaces, and fine marbles.
The English-style gardens and parkland were designed by Saverio Kurten and and includes vegetable gardens, orchards, wide flowered terraces, ancient greenhouses, a caretaker's house, and a farm building are harmoniously arranged for an exquisite aesthetic. The area is known for its plentiful and fruitful vineyards and farms.
'The grandeur of Castillo Castagneto Po is unrivalled in Northern Italy,' says Giancarlo Bracco of sales agents ImmobilSarda S.r.l. 'We are extremely proud to represent a property of this caliber.'
Boasting a rich provenance, the castle was mentioned in a written document as early as 1019, when Otto William, the son of Adalbert II, King of Italy, donated half the town of Chiasso to the monks of the abbey of Fruttuaria. In 1620 Victor Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, offered it to Count Giovanni Antonio Trabucco, a powerful general of the king's finance. Between 1500 and 1700, Castagneto suffered several invasions by French armies and was the object of contention in many battles, as it held a strategic position of great relevance to rulers. In the 19th century, the property belonged to the counts of Ceriana, who brought considerable embellishments to the building. Eventually, the castle passed from the Ceriana to the Bruni Tedeschi family.
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