Moltedo · Imperia · Liguria
Historic Olive Estate — For sale as a whole
01 — The Place
Moltedo is a hilltop village in the hinterland of Porto Maurizio, surrounded by olive groves, just 7 kilometres from the sea. The proximity to the coast takes nothing away from the sense of retreat and stillness: from up here the sea glitters in the distance through olive branches, but the pace is that of the slow, unhurried Ligurian interior.
The very name of the village betrays its mythological roots: Moltedo derives from a word meaning "place of many myrtles", a plant sacred to the Roman goddess Venus. The parish church of San Bernardo, built in the 17th century, stands on the ruins of an ancient pagan site and today holds a remarkable art collection — among the works, a Holy Family with Saint Anne and Angel attributed to Anton Van Dyck, canvases by Gregorio De Ferrari, a 15th-century wooden triptych and a Crucifix from 1450. A hidden museum within the alleys, listed in no coastal guidebook.
The area is crossed by the Via Marenca, an ancient thousand-year-old route connecting the Ponente coast to Piedmont through the Ligurian Alps — the great highway of antiquity, once the main salt trade route from the sea to the territories beyond the mountains. The path passes directly through Moltedo, continuing toward Montegrazie, where less than 6 km away stands the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace — the most visited place of worship in the Imperia area, whose origins are traditionally linked to a shepherd girl from Moltedo.
Schematic reconstruction of the historic Via Marenca route — from Limone Piemonte to Ventimiglia, passing through Moltedo and the Valle Caramagna
The Oratory of the Immaculate Conception in Moltedo — one of the village's five churches, a resting point for travellers and pilgrims along the Via Marenca between Piedmont and Liguria.
Church of San Bernardo, built in 1642
Moltedo's bell tower among the olive trees — with the Ligurian Sea on the horizon, just 7 km away
The mill kitchen as left by the Gazzano family — time suspended
02 — History
The estate bears the name of those who built it, inhabited it and lived within it for generations. The Gazzano family wove their history into that of Moltedo through the trade of olive oil — the oil of the Taggiasca, which for centuries made these villages of the Imperia hinterland places of rare prosperity.
The oil mill is the productive heart of this story: a 19th-century structure with stone vaulted ceilings, original PIERALISI machinery still in place, and the visible traces of every technical adaptation the passing of time required — from the hydraulic power of the Rio Moltedo to electricity.
The faces of the Gazzano family — rooted in this village since the 19th century
The oval portraits hanging on the mill wall are the most powerful testimony to this continuity: 19th-century photographs of the Gazzanos still watching over the place they built. Together with the furniture, the sacred canvases, the illuminated document addressed to the "Signor Prefetto" — everything forms an intangible heritage that is impossible to replicate or artificially construct.
Whoever acquires Gazzano does not acquire merely buildings and land: they acquire an authentic two-century narrative, rooted in a village listed in no coastal catalogue.
Farewell letter to the Prefect, late 19th century. Among the signatories, the Gazzano family — testament to their civic standing in Porto Maurizio, Imperia
Ecstasy of Saint Francis of Assisi
The Woman Taken in Adultery — John 8:1-11 — A favourite subject in Genoese Baroque
Saint Joseph with the Christ Child
03 — The Estate
The Gazzano Estate is a coherent whole that does not lend itself to fragmentation. Building A (the oil mill), Building B (the residence), the terraced land with the centuries-old olive grove and the Rio Moltedo form a single system: each element adds value to the others, and the whole is worth significantly more than the sum of its parts.
3 levels: cellar, ground floor warehouse, first floor apartment
+ 49 sqm terraces. Ground floor under completion, first floor residence
~280 century-old Taggiasca olives on dry-stone terraces
Including adjacent plots, Moltedo outskirts and Caramagna
Aerial view of the estate: terraced olive groves, Rio Moltedo, Building B — graphic rendering with proposed swimming pool
Overhead aerial view: in the foreground the terracotta roof of Building A (the 19th-century stone oil mill) — in the background Building B (the residence on pilotis). Two distinct buildings, one inseparable estate
04 — Building A
Building A is the structural core of the estate. Built in the 19th century as a working oil mill, it retains its stone vaulted ceilings, main nave and original PIERALISI machinery — one of the few complete installations still in situ in Liguria. Approximately 340 sqm across three levels: basement (cellar), ground floor (warehouse with ceiling heights up to 3.60 m), first floor (apartment with a hall reaching 4.20 m in height).
The main nave: stone millstones, 19th-century vaulted ceilings, PIERALISI machinery
Original MAIP PIERALISI nameplate — Jesi, Italy. A rare industrial document
Hydraulic press with fisc mats — complete PIERALISI machinery in original position
The exterior masonry of Building A documents centuries of productive adaptations: stone channels for the hydraulic power of the Rio Moltedo — which flows just metres away — buttresses, successive infills, materials from different eras. The distinctive marks of a time that will not come again.
Inside, the layering is equally legible: the devotional niche on the first floor, the corridor with its stone arch, the terracotta jars in the cellar, the wood-burning kitchen that recalls how the mill was also a space of daily life.
PIERALISI centrifuge
Devotional niche
Camera
Terracotta jars in the cellar — containers for the olive oil production
Front millstone beneath the arched vault — the original geometry of the mill
Building A seen from the hillside: the terracotta roof and the mill volume within the village context
The exterior masonry: traces of tanks, arches, buttresses and stone channels built across different eras to harness the hydraulic force of the Rio Moltedo. The distinctive marks of a time that will not come again.
Building A — three levels
Sub.1 — Basement
Cellar · H 2.20 m
Sub.2 — Ground Floor
Warehouse · H up to 3.60 m
Sub.3 — First Floor
Apartment · Hall H 4.20 m
05 — Building B
Building B is the residential core of the estate: approximately 306 sqm plus 49 sqm of terraces, on a pilotis structure with a fully open and ready ground floor awaiting its design identity. The first floor holds the existing apartment: kitchen with stone fireplace, 3 bedrooms, large bathroom, living room, balconies and a wide terrace.
The ground floor on pilotis represents “free” volume for a structured completion project that could accommodate additional residential units or garages according to planned requirements.
The dining room with stone fireplace — the formal space of Building B
Ground floor — Open space accessible from the main road. Vintage Fiat
First-floor landing — pendulum clock and period atmosphere
Living room with oriental rug and painting
From the terrace of Building B — the village of Moltedo, olive trees, terraced gardens and a glimpse of the stone roof of Building A below
Building B also preserves a small artistic heritage: the canvas of “Saint Joseph with the Christ Child”, “The Woman Taken in Adultery”, “Ecstasy of Saint Francis of Assisi” are Baroque works with Caravaggist influences attributable to the Genoese or Emilian school of the 17th–18th centuries. Together with the family's illuminated document, they bear witness to the cultural richness of those who lived and worked here for generations.
Baroque canvas — artistic heritage preserved within the estate
Building B — Ground Floor and First Floor
Ground Floor — Garage + Apartment under completion
First Floor — Dining, Living, 3 Bedrooms, Bathroom, Balconies, Terrace
06 — Terreni & Rio
The Rio Moltedo flows just metres from Building A, on the southern side of the estate. For centuries it was the driving force of the mill — the water that powered the millstones — and today it remains a fundamental landscape element: the sound of running water accompanies the courtyard, the garden, the entrance to the village.
The estate's land extends across 21,818 sqm in total, comprising: land adjacent to the buildings (2,306 sqm) with 2 private irrigation wells, the main olive grove (14,313 sqm), outlying land in Moltedo (3,278 sqm) and land in the Caramagna area (1,921 sqm).
The Rio Moltedo and the garden with palms — part of the estate
The Rio Moltedo, a stream running through the valley, has historically powered the mills and oil presses of the village
The Rio Moltedo upstream of the estate, now landscaped as a garden with diverse tree species
Dry-stone terraces — the historic agrarian structure of the Gazzano olive grove
07 — The Olive Grove
The main olive grove extends across 14,313 sqm of dry-stone terraces, with approximately 280 century-old Taggiasca olive trees. The Ligurian Taggiasca is recognised as an international benchmark: a premium DOP extra-virgin olive oil with established markets in Northern Europe and North America.
The Gazzano olives — with their gnarled trunks, silver canopy and stepped terraces — are an integral part of the landscape and identity of the estate. Not an accessory: the productive heart of the agricultural heritage.
Century-old Taggiasca olives — gnarled trunks, dry-stone walls, light of the Ligurian hinterland
View of Moltedo from inside the olive grove — the relationship between the village and its olives
The path through the olive trees — a trail climbing toward the ridge and connecting to the Via Marenca
08 — Possibilities
The Gazzano Estate does not lend itself to a single intended use. Its strength lies in the design flexibility it offers whoever acquires an already-structured system — architecture, land, history and landscape in a single whole.
With 280 century-old Taggiasca olives and already-certified agronomic practices, the mill is ready to resume production. The available land also allows for vegetable cultivation and poultry farming, giving rise to a fully integrated agricultural enterprise.
The mill, with its vaulted ceilings, original machinery and the river just metres away, is an architectural feature no new-build could ever replicate. Destined as a restaurant, tasting room or event space, it becomes the experiential heart of a premium agriturismo. The restoration of the historic building may also benefit from European rural heritage funds, offering concrete financing opportunities for those pursuing a well-designed project.
For those seeking an authentic property with character: a home ready to live in immediately, with generous garage space, alongside an extraordinary architectural project opening to multiple development possibilities.
From the pilotis ground floors below road level, where additional residential units can be created, to the restoration of the historic mill, itself transformable into independent residential spaces. An estate of 21,818 sqm combining private, productive and landscape uses, just 7 km from the Mediterranean.
Each residential unit, once completed, may be sold or used for short-term rentals, offering concrete income opportunities beyond residential value.
The project could be completed with the addition of a swimming pool and dedicated animal facilities — horses, dogs and others — for a lifestyle combining rural authenticity, nature and investment potential.
Design proposal for Building A: With simple roof remodelling and the arrangement of the external courtyard spaces, paving, canopies and careful use of materials, the building recovers its elegance without betraying its historic identity.
— Current state
— Design proposal
Graphic rendering — design proposal Building A · Original architectural proportions maintained
The pilotis structure completely frees up the floors beneath the apartment, offering an open and flexible space ready for any use. An external panoramic lift — feasible to guarantee full accessibility at every level — allows architectural barriers to be removed without sacrificing the elegance of the whole. An additional storey, permitted under current planning regulations, opens the possibility of an exclusive top floor: a private belvedere with an unobstructed view over the valley.
Variant 1 — main façade with arched loggias
Variant with external panoramic lift — planning-compliant
Current state: the pilotis structure with open ground floor — free volume awaiting completion.
Building B — pilotis structure: ground floor volume completely open, ready for enclosure according to design
09 — The Sea
The Moltedo hinterland is not isolation — it is choice. The sea at Imperia is less than ten minutes by car: the Ligurian coastline with its turquoise waters, the seafront promenade, the marina. The Riviera di Ponente, with Sanremo, Bordighera and the French Riviera beyond the border, is the geographic context of reference. Whoever acquires the Gazzano property does not give up the sea — they simply choose to see it from a distance, living their daily life elsewhere, enjoying its climate, its air, its flora, without the proximity being imposed.
Aerial view from the property: the village of Moltedo on the right, the green valley, and the Ligurian Sea on the horizon — 7 km as the crow flies
10 — The Price
Estates of this nature — historic, intact, with productive land and two buildings in an authentic village seven kilometres from the sea — do not come to market twice.
The asking price is deliberately competitive: those who make contact today will discover a concrete opportunity, difficult to find elsewhere on these terms.
The sale is as a single whole, within defined timelines. For those with the vision who wish to know more, simply ask.
Enquiries
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