Italian farmhouse for sale near Venice
Where the river keeps the last light of the day
A three-storey Venetian farmhouse with three outbuildings and an orchard of 2,000 m², facing a quiet waterway in the Veneto countryside. Venice and the sea are an hour away, the Dolomites just two.
Asking price just $168,000 (€150,000)
The rare kind of place you stop looking for
Every evening the sun goes down behind the poplars and the water turns to copper. Herons lift out of the reeds. In June two century-old cherry trees bend under so much fruit that you pick it from the window.
This is a classic Venetian casa colonica: thick brick walls, timber beams, generous rooms and a structure that has stood for generations. It now waits for someone with a vision to bring it back to life, at a price that would be impossible near Lake Como, in Tuscany or in Provence.
- Living space on three floors
- 3,875 sq ft360 m²
- On each floor
- 1,292 sq ft120 m²
- Three outbuildings, in total
- 3,229 sq ft300 m²
- Garden and fruit orchard
- 21,528 sq ft0.49 acres / 2,000 m²
- International airports within about an hour
- 3
- Minutes to the A13 motorway
- 10
The sunsets are the reason people stay
The house faces open water and a wide, flat horizon, so nothing interrupts the evening sky. From late spring to autumn the sun sets straight into the river, and the reed beds glow gold for a few long minutes. It is the view you will show every guest on their first evening.
Every evening the sky puts on a different show, and you have the best seat.
Deep in the countryside, never far from anything
Polesella lies in the heart of the Veneto plain, between Rovigo and Ferrara. The A13 Padua to Bologna motorway exit is a few minutes away, as is the Eridanea road. Three international airports and the high-speed rail network put all of Italy within easy reach.
Map: Sentinel-2 cloudless – https://s2maps.eu by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2017), CC BY 4.0; ISTAT / openpolis (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth
Open in OpenStreetMapBy car from the house
- A13 Padua–Bologna motorway10 min
- Railway station5 min
- Ferrara, UNESCO city25 min
- Bologna airport (BLQ)1 h
- Venice Marco Polo airport (VCE)1 h 15
- Verona Villafranca airport (VRN)1 h 10
- Treviso airport (TSF)1 h 20
By high-speed train from Ferrara
- Venice1 h 15
- Florence1 h 10
- Milan2 h 15
- Rome2 h 55
- Naples4 h 20
Polesella has its own regional railway station on the Padua to Bologna line. Ferrara, 25 minutes away, is on the high-speed Frecciarossa network.
Travel times are approximate and depend on traffic and timetables.
Your Italy, starting from the doorstep
Live in the quiet and spend your days in some of the most beautiful places in the world. Each is an easy day trip, with the driving time from the house shown beside it.
- 1 h 15
Photo: Wolfgang Moroder, CC BY-SA 3.0 Venice, always
The Grand Canal, St Mark's Square, a gondola at sunset, then the glassmakers of Murano and the painted houses of Burano. Leave the car at Mestre or take the train and spend the day on the water.
- 25 min
Photo: Vanni Lazzari, CC BY-SA 4.0 Ferrara, the Renaissance city
The city of the Este dukes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cycle the nine kilometres of its intact city walls, visit the moated Castello Estense and stay for cappellacci di zucca.
- 40 min
Photo: John (Flickr), cropped, CC BY-SA 2.0 Wine cellars of the Euganean Hills
Volcanic hills dotted with wineries and enotecas, where Fior d'Arancio and Serprino are poured with local salumi and cheese. Have lunch in Arquà Petrarca, the medieval village where the poet Petrarch spent his last years, then relax in the thermal spas of Abano.
- 50 min
Photo: AnatolyPm, CC BY-SA 4.0 Padua and Giotto's frescoes
Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel and the world's oldest university botanical garden, both UNESCO sites, in the lively university city where Galileo taught.
- 1 h
Photo: Mario Fornasari, CC BY 2.0 The Po Delta by boat
A UNESCO biosphere reserve of lagoons, sand bars and pine woods. Take a boat among pink flamingos and finish the day with clams and mussels from the Sacca di Scardovari.
- 1 h
Photo: Fabio Ciminelli, CC BY-SA 4.0 Bologna and its hills
Italy's food capital: fresh tortellini, mortadella and miles of porticoes listed by UNESCO. The vineyards of the Bologna hills make crisp Pignoletto.
- 1 h
The Adriatic beaches
The sandy beaches of Rosolina Mare and Sottomarina are about an hour away, as is Chioggia, a fishing town of canals often called little Venice. Further along the coast, Jesolo and Bibione offer miles of golden sand, turquoise water and lively summer evenings.
- 1 h 05
Photo: Quinok, CC BY-SA 4.0 Vicenza and the Palladian villas
Andrea Palladio's city and its villas defined architecture for centuries. See the Teatro Olimpico and the elegant Basilica Palladiana.
- 1 h 15
Photo: Arne Müseler, Public domain Romantic Verona
Juliet's balcony, the Roman Arena with its summer opera festival and the Amarone wines of nearby Valpolicella.
- 1 h 25
Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0 Lake Garda and Valeggio sul Mincio
Wander through Borghetto, a tiny medieval village of water mills on the Mincio river, and try the hand-tied tortellini of Valeggio, known as love knots. Then see the gardens of Sigurtà and the lakeside castle of Sirmione.
- 2 h
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0 Adventures in the Dolomites
UNESCO-listed peaks for hiking, climbing and skiing, from the Belluno Dolomites to Cortina d'Ampezzo, host of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
A farmhouse with room for a whole new life
The main house rises on three full floors of about 120 m² each, roughly 360 m² in total. Ceilings are high, walls are solid brick and the roof structure is in timber, as Venetian farmhouses were built to last.
Around it stand three outbuildings with about 300 m² in total: old barns and stables with the volume for a studio, a wine cellar, guest suites or a wellness space.
Three outbuildings, in total 3,229 sq ft
The condition: a blank canvas
The structure is sound and the house is to be renovated throughout, which is exactly its opportunity: every interior can be designed around you and the way you live. With rooms this generous you can choose Italian craftsmanship, terrazzo floors, exposed beams and lime plaster, or bring the habits of home with you, such as a large American-style open kitchen, a family room or an en-suite bathroom for every bedroom. Layout, finishes, systems and energy design are entirely yours to decide. Structural consolidation work has already been carried out, and the house already has an 8 kWp solar power system with 10 kWh of battery storage.
What it can become
- A family country house within reach of Venice
- A boutique guest house or agriturismo with orchard produce
- Holiday rentals for travellers touring Venice, Verona and Bologna
- An artist's or writer's retreat with studios in the barns
- A wellness or retreat venue surrounded by nature
How it could look once restored
Computer renderings for illustration only: one possible restoration, not an approved project and not the current state of the house.
The estate from above
Filmed by drone in May: the house, the orchard, the waterway and the open countryside all around.
Two century-old cherry trees, and summers that taste of them
There are four cherry trees in the garden. Two of them are more than a hundred years old, with trunks you cannot wrap your arms around. In early spring they turn into clouds of white blossom humming with bees.
By June the branches are covered in so many dark red cherries that the trees look painted. Neighbours come with baskets, and there is still enough left for jam, liqueur and the birds.
A fruit orchard that never really stops
Around 2,000 m² of garden are planted with fruit trees chosen over decades. Something ripens almost every month from May to November, and there are vines with plenty of grapes for the table and for wine.
Typical harvest months in this part of the Veneto. They shift by a few weeks with the weather.
In March and April the meadow fills with wild flowers, and the fruit trees blossom one after another.
A protected waterway at your gate
The property faces a slow waterway lined with a deep reed bed, in an area of recognised natural value. It is a refuge for herons, egrets, kingfishers, ducks and countless songbirds. In the evenings you hear frogs and the wind in the reeds, and very little else.
Quiet country lanes and river embankments run for miles in every direction, ideal for walking, cycling and riding. The great Po river and its delta, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, are close by.
Gallery
Why this is the opportunity of a lifetime
In the Veneto, a property with this much space, land and character usually costs several times more. Here the price reflects a house to be renovated in a quiet rural village, not the extraordinary position it enjoys.
- About 360 m² of living space plus three outbuildings of about 300 m², on a single estate
- 2,000 m² of mature garden and orchard, already productive
- One hour from Venice, one of the most visited cities in the world
- Three international airports and high-speed rail within easy reach
- Total freedom to design the renovation around your plans
- A protected natural setting that cannot be built up around you
A safe, assisted purchase
Buying a house in Italy is simple when it is done properly. This sale is followed step by step by local professionals, and you can complete it even from abroad.
- Help with your Italian tax code and bank account
- English-speaking lawyer and interpreter on request, and a deed translated into your language
- Power of attorney, so you can complete the purchase without travelling
- Taxes, notary fees and every cost explained in advance, with no surprises
How the purchase works
Documents first
Title, cadastral plans and planning records are available for you and your advisors to review before you commit to anything.
Preliminary contract
A written preliminary agreement, registered with the Italian tax office, fixes the price, the deposit and the dates for both parties.
Deed before a notary
The final deed is signed before an Italian notary, a public official who checks the land and mortgage registers and records the transfer of ownership.
Come and see it at sunset
Tell us a little about yourself and we will send you documents, floor plans and more photos, or arrange a visit. Replies within 48 hours, in your language.
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