In 1928, the brilliant industrialist Piero Dusio, after a long football career with Juventus, bought this house located in his hometown and restored it. It dates from around 1760. More about Piero below.
The current owners carried out extensive works around the year 2000, including electricity, heating and a new roof. The pool was added in 2005.
The Location - A Prediction
The Barolo towns* are now the most expensive and it’s near-impossible to find homes for sale there. Recently, properties have been changing hands for hundreds of millions. There are other areas such as Roero and the eastern Monferratto around the towns of Nizza Monferrato and Canelli and these are all great places but my professional opinion is the area north of Asti is the part of Piemonte that will see the most attention and will increase in desirability and thus, value. This house lies in the heart of this.
* Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, Cherasco, Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Roddi and Verduno.
The house has 4 floors:
Ground floor
There’s an entranceway, kitchen, dining room, three living rooms and a bathroom (WC). With an independent entrance behind the house is an apartment. This has two bedrooms, a bathroom and a dining room/kitchen.
First floor
There are 7 bedrooms of varying sizes, 3 bathrooms and two studies. There’s access to a terrace.
Second Floor
Here we find a long room with stunning views over the surrounding landscape.
Cellar
Underground is a big, beautiful wine cellar. This includes a tunnel cut into the sandstone. Here we can also find the gas heating system.
Swimming Pool
The pool measures 12m x 5m. Behind the pool is a beautiful lounge with a bathroom and kitchen.
Under the pool is a large garage for 4 cars and parking for 6 cars.
On the road is a double garage.
The house is incredible. We love every aspect of it, including the style, location and the lifestyle it offers. There are at least 5 areas outside you can relax in. There are stunning views of the Alps and access to the property is excellent.
About Piero Dusio
I don’t know about you but I love the history of fascinating people. Piero was born in the town in October 1899. His first business success came at the age of 27 when he had smartly invested in textiles. He made a fortune.
In the 1930s he started driving race cars. Between 1945 to 1947 he was president of the famous Juventus Torino football club. He was close friends with F1 legend, Tazio Nuvolari.
In 1947 he established Cisitalia (Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italiana). He worked with Rudolf Hruska and Ferry Porsche. Dusio helped Ferry greatly, even paying a huge ransom for him to get the founder of Porsche freed, Ferry’s father, Ferdinand Porsche from a French prisoner of war camp. It seems logical that Tazio Nuvolari and the Porsche family spent a lot of time in this house.
Dusio attempted to make an F1 team but it didn’t experience success so was abandoned. Finances collapsed due to the huge ransom he paid for Porsche and the huge expenses of the Formula One team. He left for Argentina, leaving his debts behind. In the meantime, he had created some of the most beautiful cars ever built. One of his cars was the first car to be considered art by the NY Museum of Modern Art and the car is still there today. I did ask Pininfarina if I might video or photograph some of their Cisitalia collection for my video but they kindly replied they didn’t want his art to be used for commercial purposes.
The villa is a beautiful private home but also has massive business potential. Convert the living space into luxury accommodation for Porsche fans and organise driving tours around this incredible landscape! I have an expert in the UK who currently runs an estate that was owned by one of Britain’s top engineers. She’s a huge Porsche fan and has great ideas for the place to realise its full potential and would love to help you build something really special.
A Famous Neighbour
A house close by is the home of Paolo Conte, a famous Italian singer.
My video about this property
Part II - The Porsche connection
A video about the restoration of one of Piero Dusio's cars destined for the New York Museum of Modern Art
Cisitalia 202 A
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