The crenellated watchtower1896
PreservedThe stone defence tower, its battlements looking over the fields.
The Masseria
Two hundred and fifty years of family
A barony, a farmhouse and the people who kept it standing.
The dynasty
The timeline
1783
The Baronia di Bongiordano
Isidoro Ballesteros acquires the Baronia di Bongiordano, beginning the family's bond with this land.
1894
The masseria enters the family
The farmhouse passes into Ballesteros hands, with vineyards, olive groves, citrus groves and arable land.
1896
The crenellated tower
The crenellated tower is completed and still marks the outline of the complex.
1902
Prize from the Province of Palermo
The estate receives a prize from the Province of Palermo for the quality of its farming.
1910
Barone Pistone Prize
The Barone Pistone Prize recognises the work in the fields and on the buildings.
2013
A protected site
The Sicilian Region declares the complex a site of particularly important ethno-anthropological interest.
Today
Fausto and Paola
Fausto and Paola run the masseria, between organic farming and hospitality.
The complex
The historic structures
The chapel and bell tower
PreservedThe family place of prayer, crowned by the bell that marked the working day.
The cellar
In useLarge oak barrels rest in the coolest room of the estate.
The historic press
PreservedThe wood and iron screw press, still in place beneath the family crest.
The olive mill
PreservedThe old trappeto, with the stone wheel that turned for each olive harvest.
The pressing vat
PreservedThe wooden treading vat, a record of the estate's wine making.
The stables
PreservedIron stalls and original cobbles where the working horses were kept.
The Abbeveratoio
PreservedThe stone troughs against the historic facade, where the farm animals drank.
La Gebbia
In useThe large stone tank collecting and storing water, essential for irrigating the citrus orchards and vegetable garden of the masseria.
This place keeps the memory of Daniela Bono Ballesteros, last Marchesa di Bongiordano.
A site of particularly important ethno-anthropological interest, protected by the Sicilian Region (D.D.G. 450 of 6 March 2013).