At Palazzo di Varignana, they’ve been busy restoring old buildings and reforesting farmland. One standout piece of this vision is the Agrivar farm: a 300-square-meter olive mill smack in the middle of 160,000 olive trees
A Bold Plan for Historic Architecture and Rural Reforestation
Carlo Gherardi built his career in digital tech, then decided to go back to the land—specifically the rolling hills of Varignana, near Bologna. By reclaiming abandoned historical buildings, farmland, and country houses (with olive and grapevine fields), he created a sprawling resort and its own working farm. Today, Palazzo di Varignana includes: Palazzo Bentivoglio (the estate’s centerpiece), several villas, Restaurants, bars and spas. Around the main compound, you’ll find about 30 hectares of parkland and water features, which connect to the Agrivar farmland—350 hectares supplying the resort’s restaurants with zero-mile ingredients.
Rustic Architecture and Rural Roots
Varignana sits on a hill at the foot of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Legend has it that the first settlers were refugees from the nearby Roman city of Claterna, fleeing barbarian invasions in the 5th and 6th centuries.
Fast forward to the 13th and 14th centuries: the physician Bartolomeo da Varignana lived here and even taught at the University of Bologna. Later, in the 1600s, aristocratic families bought and renovated country estates around Varignana. Then in World War II, bombing raids damaged the area because of its proximity to the Gothic Line.
When restoring these old buildings, Gherardi made a point of keeping their rough, rural vibe. The main hub is Palazzo Bentivoglio, a 1705 countryside castle with four towers, designed by Bologna’s Francesco Angiolini. It’s surrounded by a contemporary “village” built in stone, where crumbling ruins were turned into guest villas and communal spaces.
A Wunderkammer, the Claterna Mosaic, and Igor Mitoraj
Inside Palazzo Bentivoglio sits a Wunderkammer showcasing art and archaeological finds Gherardi has collected on his travels. A highlight is the Claterna Mosaic, on loan from the Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna. Dating back to the late 1st century BC, this floor mosaic was crafted with colorful stone tesserae—white Istrian, black from Pistoia, and other polychrome stones—depicting an acanthus leaf flanked by pairs of flowering scrolls and small birds.
Scattered throughout the resort, you’ll find other notable pieces, like Sulla Riva II, a mythic-inspired bust by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj, and Largo Gesto per un massimo spazio, a bronze sculpture by Bolognese artist Quinto Ghermandi.
In the palazzo’s private chapel, there’s an oil painting of Pope Gregory XIII conferring with the scholars who developed the Gregorian calendar, based on Copernicus’s discoveries. Nearby is a reproduction of that very calendar.
Out in the garden, a wooden sculpture called Il Trittico rises skyward. Three intersecting triangles symbolize evolution and the perfection of the number three.
From Gardens to the Lake: Palazzo di Varignana’s Green Spaces
Several green areas shape the property. There’s a kitchen garden that grows produce for the resort’s restaurants, plus an almond grove featuring late-blooming varieties (Prunus Dulcis Soleta and Lauranne) and a line of goji plants. Terraced plots grow aromatic and medicinal herbs, elderberry bushes, hazelnuts, table grapes, asimina, figs, panachè, red-love apples, jujubes, biricoccoli, and old apple and pear varieties.
In 2015, the estate expanded to include an ornamental garden by landscape designer Antonio Perazzi. Rows of ginkgo biloba, hornbeam, and maple flank rose shrubs, ornamental cherries, and dogwood, forming geometric “rooms.” A pergola covered with ornamental apple trees and roses leads to the Labirinto Carlico, a living maze designed by Sandro Ricci to connect the garden to the estate’s park. This area also boasts a 100-tree oak collection (76 different species) and a wide range of shrubs and Mediterranean plants.
A classical-style amphitheater—semicircular with five rows of Tosco-Romagnolo sandstone—overlooks an artificial lake. In summer, the amphitheater hosts outdoor events and wine tastings, surrounded by vineyards.
One path, the “Old Olive Avenue,” is lined with ancient olive trees—some are centuries old—celebrating the farm’s commitment to olive-growing. Each tree stands at the heart of a small flower bed with daisies, violas, and ornamental sage.
Agrivar: Ancient Varieties and CO₂ Capture
Agrivar is Palazzo di Varignana’s agronomy project, aiming to revive old olive varieties—later adding grapes, fruit orchards, and saffron. Drainage works, ditch cleaning, and rainwater management helped cut erosion and bring uncultivated land back into production. To reduce groundwater use, they built surface-water reservoirs, releasing water as needed to irrigate crops.
Agrivar’s showpiece is a 300-square-meter olive mill, ringed by 160,000 olive trees. Planting all these trees didn’t just kickstart extra-virgin production; it also helps capture CO₂. Because the grove is next to the mill, there’s a tight supply chain, and they use a continuous, two-phase milling process at low temperatures to keep oxidation down. This method helps control the oil’s polyphenol levels—and with it, how bitter or spicy the final product is. Right now, Agrivar makes five different EVO oils, including Brisighella DOP, a monocultivar from a local Emilia-Romagna olive.
The nearby vineyards grow both native and international grape varieties—Sangiovese, Albana, Famoso, Malbo Gentile, Pignoletto, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay. The wine is produced on-site in an 1,100-square-meter semi-underground winery, built with “tough” materials like olive wood and red brick.
Il Grifone: Fine Dining with Zero-Mile Products
Inside Palazzo Bentivoglio sits Il Grifone, the resort’s fine-dining restaurant run by Chef Francesco Manograsso. He blends creative and traditional cooking, relying on the estate’s own zero-mile produce.
With roots in Calabria and experience in Asian cuisine, Manograsso says his dishes come from two key inspirations: his childhood memories and Varignana’s natural bounty. He plans his menu around what’s growing in the resort’s kitchen garden each season, chasing bold contrasts in flavors and textures. He also plays around with techniques like drying and fermenting to make the most of every ingredient, preserving nutrients, and cutting food waste.
Caring for the Environment and the Community
Fighting waste and respecting nature are huge priorities here, in line with the founder’s philosophy. Gherardi sees land “not as an inheritance from our parents, but a loan we hold in trust for our kids.” Palazzo di Varignana endorses the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda and has made sweeping changes to meet them.
They’ve cut paper use by 90% thanks to a resort app. Employees get metal water bottles; guests receive water in recyclable cartons. Even the spa line uses zero-mile ingredients straight from the farm.
To fight food waste, Palazzo di Varignana teams up with Too Good to Go, an app that saves unsold or soon-to-expire food. Since 2021, they figure they’ve saved over 490 meals—equivalent to preventing 1.23 tons of CO₂ emissions.
Palazzo di Varignana at a Glance
Palazzo di Varignana is an eco-friendly resort near Bologna, born from Carlo Gherardi’s push to restore local architecture and landscapes. Today it boasts numerous guest lodgings, restaurants, bars, spas, gardens, an amphitheater, a man-made lake, a Wunderkammer, and a working farm producing the estate’s own olive oil, wine, fruit, and saffron—all fueling the resort’s zero-mile philosophy. It’s a place where ancient history meets modern sustainability, blending rustic charm with a forward-thinking vision.
