hollywood billionaire

Chapter 278 A jaw-dropping quote

"Giocondo Albertoli was born in Ticino, Switzerland. His hometown is only seven kilometers away from Lugano, so technically, he should be considered half Como."

"It seemed like there were many Swiss people in Italy at that time." Han Yi thought, "But just by listening to the name, it doesn't look like the Swiss style in my impression at all... Lugano is an Italian-speaking area, right? ?”

"Italian-speaking area." Mattia nodded in response, "Ticino is the largest Italian-speaking area in Switzerland. Apart from this, only the southern valley area of ​​Gebenlouden canton that borders Italy still speaks Italian. "

"Northern Italy has been deeply influenced by Switzerland for a long time... To be more precise, families in Northern Italy who were slightly more financially prosperous at that time all had a risk-aversion tendency to move to Switzerland." He has lived in Switzerland for many years. Antoine Gachet is very familiar with this history.

"Risk aversion?"

"Italy at the end of the eighteenth century was a powder keg with a fuse that was about to burn out. Although most areas were still ruled by the conservative Habsburg family or the Pope, the reforming power of the Enlightenment became increasingly powerful."

Mattia unraveled the historical fog that shrouded Han Yi, a foreigner, word for word, word for word.

"Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany, as early as the early nineteenth century, abolished the death penalty law in the principality and reduced the censorship of publications. That was Thomas Jefferson in the early nineteenth century A time when anyone who brought a bag of coarse rice from Northern Italy back to the United States for research would be worried about being caught and sentenced to hanging.”

"As the saying goes, grain is the oldest drug. Everyone is eager to take it, and everyone who has taken it has died." Han Yi joked.Entering the dawn of modern society, there are indeed many strange rules that contemporary people cannot understand.

"This is magical Italy. Although I was not born here, it is indeed one of my favorite places in the world." Antoine Gachet rarely laughed heartily. "On the one hand, there are places like the Papal State. A backward country out of touch with the times, without an effective road system, with much of the area around Rome being swampy and periodically plagued by malaria, Lazio people simply could not survive without emigrating to the capital.”

“But on the other hand, you can see Antonio Genovese from Naples, a giant of thought who has profoundly influenced southern Italian society to this day…and of course, there are breakthroughs in electricity and the advancement of science. Alessandro Volta and Luigi Galvani are thriving."

"Which one of the two can truly represent Italy? Both can, and neither can."

"Mr. Gashe's example is a good one. Alessandro Volta was the epitome of the chaotic political situation north of Rome at that time."

Mattia Colombini took over.

"It so happened that Volta was born and died in Como. When he was born, Como still belonged to the Duchy of Milan, and the Duchy of Milan was a royal land belonging to the Habsburg dynasty. By the time he died, , Como became the Lombardy-Venetian Kingdom of the new Austrian Empire.”

"In the past few decades, Napoleon came and went, and northern Italy has been in turmoil. After the French fought the Austrians, it was the Italians' turn to fight against the Austrians. For politicians and military For families, northern Italy is the best stage for them to display their talents, and it is also recognized as a paradise for exiles throughout Europe. But for civilians who just want a stable life, it is a hell where they can die at any time."

"So, any family with a little money in their pocket would basically choose to move their family to southern Switzerland. Although Switzerland was also a vassal of France at the time, at least there was no war in Lugano in southern Xinjiang, and the Italians did not need to go there. Learn another language.”

"So, although politically it belongs to another country, Lugano can actually be seen as part of, broadly speaking, Italy. Giocondo Albertoli was such a broad Italian, which means he was more Choose to operate in states that speak the same language rather than others.”

"Like Solvay, Albertoli also chose to study in Parma. At that time, Parma was undoubtedly the center of architecture, music, art, and ham and cheese in the Romagna region and even in southern Europe. Soon, the talent The talented Albertoli became famous for his exquisite and elegant neoclassical architectural decoration style."

“The Royal Villa in Monza, the Palazzo Melchieri in Milan, and the famous Lakeside Villa Melchieri in Bellagio on Lake Como all had interiors designed by Albertoli. Of course. , the latter was a project just completed in 1808, and the Passalacqua Estate, built in 1787, was Albertoli’s debut in Como.”

"A grand opening requires the most exciting performance content. Albertoli devoted his life's learning to insert an extremely luxurious interior decoration into the low-key and subtle appearance of the Passalacqua Manor."

"The reception room we are currently in has not changed its display since the completion of the manor. In other words, the six chairs you see in front of you were once the seats of Churchill and Napoleon."

"You do know how to make people excited, Mr. Colombini." Han Yi walked slowly to the dining table, held the back of one of the chairs with both hands, turned to Mattia Colombini and smiled. .

"It's not me, it's this manor." Mattia took two quick steps forward and pulled out the chair for Han Yi. "If you are excited about my description, then I want to invite you and Mr. Jiashe Take a seat and then... look up at the ceiling."

“What you see now is a full-scale mural painted by the neoclassical painter Andrea Appiani. Appiani was widely regarded as an artistic genius comparable to Raphael and was the most famous painter in Milan at the time. Painter. His relationship with Napoleon began during the First Italian Campaign. Appiani painted a large number of portraits for Napoleon who was marching and fighting in northern Italy, and was deeply appreciated by the latter."

"So, in March 1805, Napoleon was proclaimed the King of Italy in Paris, and after he was crowned in Milan in May of that year, Appiani was awarded the honorary title of 'First Painter' and was responsible for drawing official official paintings for the new king. In the portrait, one can imagine the close relationship between the two.”

"And where did their fate begin?"

At this point, Mattia opened her arms and made a dramatic pause.

"Here?" Han Yi tapped the surface of the dining table with his fingertips. Mattia's hidden meaning was too obvious, and he knew what his answer was without having to guess.

"This is the reception room." Mattia raised his head and stared at the religious-themed murals on the ceiling that have been carefully maintained and have not been discolored after 229 years. "It is said that he was invited by the Duke to have lunch here. Napoleon fell in love with the mural at first sight and asked the Duke for specific information about the artist... One day later, Appiani rushed from Milan to Como, and the friendship between the two began."

"Adventures full of opportunities." Han Yi gave intermittent and insightful comments, "History is written in these coincidences."

"Indeed, a lot of history that changed the fate of tens of millions of people was written in this room." Mattia agreed, "The idea of ​​establishing the Shannan Republic was conceived here, and the battle plan for the Battle of Valvasoni was formed here. He even spent his last holiday before going to Egypt to take office. In this reception room, he would wolf down roast chicken with fried onions and potatoes in 10 minutes, then spread out the map of Egypt and read it over Look at it again and again."

"You mean, it was this room that buried the Mamluks." Antoine Gachet exaggeratedly took a deep breath, "Mr. Colombini, your description is so vivid that I can even see His Majesty the Emperor. I am...now in this room, I am the only one who can look at him levelly."

"His Majesty the Emperor was not the only one at Passalacqua who wrote history."

The uncontrollable smile on Mattia Colombia's lips disappeared fleetingly. Antoine was teasing him in a way that made fun of his height, which was not suitable for him to respond excessively.

"Gentlemen, if you two are willing to follow me to this room diagonally opposite, you will find a music room with a height of two floors. Sala della musica, or you can also call it a theater, because it is A small theater with outstanding sound effects is hidden in the manor. If it is full, it can accommodate an entire symphony orchestra and more than thirty audiences." "This room is a strong testament to the long history of Passalacqua Manor. "Before the invention of motion pictures, music rooms, not private theaters, were the norm in stately homes."

After finding out Han Yi's temperament, Mattia, who had always been serious and upright, suddenly made a joke.Amid the laughter of the three visitors, including Fiamu Derwig, the group walked into the square, rather deserted music room without any seats.

"It may seem a little empty now, but when Bellini lived in the manor, this room was bustling with activity. In fact, the premiere of "Norma" and "Sleepwalker" was not at La Scala, but It's here. During the preparation period, actors living in Milan would charter two carriages and rush to Lake Como to stay for half a month. While they were rehearsing, Bellini would modify the arias according to the results of the rehearsal."

"Napoleon used the reception room, and Bellini used the music room." Han Yi whispered, "What about Churchill? Which room did he like to use the most?"

"Churchill was 71 years old when he came here. It was September 1945, the first general election after Britain had just finished the war. According to him, it was the longest week in his life."

"Longer than the week of D-Day?" Han Yi asked with interest.

"He said so himself." Mattia nodded, "Marshal Alexander invited him to Lake Como for vacation. For Churchill, this was indeed a rare opportunity to breathe. Therefore, living in Passalacqua Manor During that time, Churchill’s favorite thing was his bedroom. He could stay away from home all day and have his favorite oysters, Stilton cheese and Pol Roger champagne delivered to the room for him to sit in. Enjoy in bed.”

"If the weather was nice and he was in a good mood, he would take a walk in the gardens at Passalacqua and look at the lake."

"Speaking of gardens..."

Han Yi subconsciously glanced in the direction of the door.

"Why does a manor with such rich heritage... become like this?"

"When Churchill moved in, Passaraqua was already in decline. In 1890, the last Count Lucini-Passaraqua died without an heir, and subsequently a baroness from Estonia She bought this place and ran it for almost half a century. She was a person who liked new things, especially cars. Therefore, the manor at that time was filled with first-generation sports cars from all over the world, especially Italy. "

"Where are the cars?"

"It has been sold long ago."

"That's such a pity." Han Yi thought of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB at his home in Los Angeles and the sky-high prices for which the originals were sold, and shook his head regretfully, "If they could be preserved to this day, those cars might be worth more than the manor itself. "

"In those days, as a baroness, it was impossible to preserve them properly." Mattia explained, "Estonia was a slave country of Nazi Germany, so once Italy surrendered, Pablo Saraqua Manor was seized by the Allies. This is why Churchill was able to live here, because in 1945, the manor was the property of the Allies."

"After the situation stabilized, the estate was auctioned to a Hungarian anthropologist who lived in seclusion."

"Hungary……"

"What happened to Hungary?" Mattia was a little confused.

"Nothing, please continue, Mr. Colombini."

"This anthropologist, who was low-key by nature and who stated in his will after his death that he would not allow anyone to reveal his true information, had little interest in maintaining the estate. Therefore, the garden, which had been neglected in the past half century, became even more obvious. Disorganized.”

"In the early 70s, after his death, the Hungarian Heritage Committee resold the manor to Thomas Love and his wife Judy Love at a low price. This is the current owner of Passalacqua. They are renowned throughout the United States. A gas station tycoon who owns more than 42 gas stations in [-] states. Taking advantage of the oil crisis, Thomas Love equipped his gas stations with a variety of ancillary stores and made a fortune as a result. Soared into over ten digits.”

"At the beginning, the Love family invested a lot of money and effort in the maintenance and reconstruction of Passalacqua Manor. The couple liked Lake Como very much and hoped to move here for a long time after retirement. Zero Zero They did the same thing in the 2008s, starting in 2011 and living there until [-].”

"But in that year, Mr. Love was diagnosed with... a serious chronic disease. I can only reveal to you that for treatment, they had to move back to the United States. As the disease recurred, Passalacqua The manor is no longer their first choice for living, and the maintenance work has come to a standstill. At first, they wanted to rent out suites to maintain the basic operation of the manor, but they found that... a lakeside mansion of this size cannot rely on a few rich people every year Accidental interests can survive independently.”

“So, starting in 2014, the Love family put Passalacqua on the market for sale, leaving me to look after the place until today.”

"So……"

Han Yi licked his lips and asked the most important question.

"Mr. and Mrs. Love, what is the expected psychological price?"

"After being listed for so many years, there is actually no psychological price anymore. They just want to cash in this asset into euros and pass it on to the next generation in the form of a trust fund."

Standing in the center of the Bellini Music Room, Mattia Colombini's every word evoked an opera-like echo.

"so……"

"Pasaracqua Manor, built in 1787, originally listed for 1 million euros..."

"Starting in June 2016, we will accept offers of 6 million euros and above."

(End of this chapter)