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𝚅𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙰 𝙱𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙰𝙳𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙰. After moving to New York and purchasing their property in Brooklyn, it made sense for Marcel to eventually make it all official, and knowing the woman he had around, a big ring wouldn't make the impressive display it would've for others, so the next best idea was to appeal to her taste for the old and historic, as well as the Italian side.
Bought in early 2016, the Villa was a medieval hamlet dating back to the 16th century, being unoccupied since 2012. Most of the buildings were dilapidated and needed repairs and modernization, something that also was something he anticipated Mia would like taking into her hands. Along with the purchase of the Villa, Marcel set aside a fund to pay for anything needed to put the estate back into a working winery and olive oil mill, a project that took 2 years to be concluded. The property spans for 180 acres, 90 which are dedicated solely to the vineyards, 50 to the olive grove, 10 to organic farming and the other 30 is divided between decorative gardens, buildings and facilities.
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The vineyard, which existed since the origins of the property, produces sangiovese and moscato bianco, divided in near equal area, with 50 acres dedicated to sanguiovese, and 35 to moscato bianco. The production feeds both their winery and a small production of aceto balsamico. 2023 marks the first batch of their Riserva wines and the first batch of aged aceto balsamico as well. The production is entirely organic and done solely with local workers. Every month there is a wine tasting dinner held on the villa's restaurant.
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The olive grove grows three types of grapes: frantoio, moraiolo and leccino. The olives are grown using organic methods, like the vineyard, and harvested with electric rakes only, and the extra-virgin olive oil is extracted with the help of a stone mill to keep things as close to their traditional production as possible. A small portion of the production is jarred in olive oil preserves.
The Villa holds a small production of lemons planted in vases that decorate the property during summer, and which production is used in their distillery to make limoncello, or turned into marmelade and essential oil in the property.
A vegetable garden grows the herbs, vegetables and some fruits that are used in the property's restaurant as well as in the main villa. The garden is also cultivated using only organic methods and is divided between the produce that grows on right season and those kept within the greenhouse.
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The decorative gardens are the gems of the property, following the same landscaping that was indicated in garden plans from the 18th century, and even keeping some statues and fountains from back then. Those same gardens are food for the beehives that are kept in the property, along with the lemon trees during their flowering, which lead to a high quality honey production. The beekeeping also allows the artisanal production of beeswax candles, beeswax soap and honey drops.
Villa Belladonna have a medieval hamlet that holds a small hotel with 3 apartments, as well as a guest house with two bedrooms. The restaurant where the wine tasting is held also is located in that part of the Villa.
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The main Villa of the property is an area where only Mia, Marcel and a couple of caretakers have access to. It was renovated keeping the original blueprint of the villa and original characteristics like the wooden beams and the original walls, while adding modern comforts to it such as a climate control system, all done to Mia's liking. Inside of it there is a small collection of artwork, both bought and stolen, that he got for her, the main pieces being Boticelli's Fortitude and Pallas and The Centaur [ the later which he got for her as a wedding gift ], and Giorgione's Judith.
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The whole planning of the marriage proposal took him 4 months and costed a small fortune that he didn't even blink to put into it, after all, it was all done to give Mia something that could somehow illustrate, at least partially, how much her happiness meant to him, and to also leave something about their relationship that would outlast the both of them and maybe, some day, be passed on to their children.
CONTENT EXCLUSIVE TO THE VERSE WITH @thefixer