The project
We fell in love with a crumbling old Italian farmhouse on a hillside in Nizza Monferrato — and decided to bring it back to life.
When we first walked through the door, it was hard to imagine what it could become. The garage was dark and damp, the attic barely accessible, and the wine press room looked more like a ruin than a room. But standing on that terrace, looking out over the Barbera vineyards rolling away into the hills of Monferrato, we knew it was worth it.
What followed was a full renovation from the ground up — new roof, new structure, new windows and doors, all six bedrooms transformed, the pool carved into the hillside. Because the villa sits within a UNESCO-protected landscape, every decision had to respect strict regulations about what could be changed and what had to stay. That turned out to be a gift: it kept us honest, and it forced us to preserve the things that made the building beautiful in the first place — the original Piemontese ceiling beams, the terracotta tiles, the honest proportions of the old stone walls.
The result is a 300m² villa that sleeps 12, where you can feel both the age of the building and the ease of modern living. Every room is air-conditioned, every bedroom has its own en-suite bathroom, and the kitchen is fully equipped for long, unhurried dinners. The pool overlooks the same vineyard view that made us fall in love with the place in the first place.
Curious to see how we got here? Scroll through the photos below — from bare concrete to the finished villa.
The Project Begins
The old garage that will be transformed to a comfortable living room.
The old wine press, let us see what we can do with that.
The attic will become two very nice bedrooms, but it’s hard to imagine here.
What a transformation. The old Italian houses usually do not paint the back of the house. But we will paint this too after the full renovation of this side.
The roof is shaping up.
New roof needed.
They said we have to put a new roof on the house. We thought it was just new tiles, but they actually replaced everything, including parts of the walls.
Conversation about the plan with our Geometra Francesco who oversees the building project.
It will become a bathroom at one point.
The kitchen walls are starting to take shape, here the refrigerator will be integrated into the wall.
The dark storage room is transforming into a light kitchen and dining room, with 3 large glass doors leading out to the outside sitting area.
This will be the view towards the pool area and in the background you have a nice view of the vineyards.
The back of the house that will become a great outside area to enjoy.
Getting the pool in place.
Sunrise over our project.
Early morning walk, wishing they were done soon.
At the company that builds the windows and doors throughout the house.
The back of the house. It’s incredible to see the difference and this is not completed yet. This is where you can sit on a sunny or rainy day overlooking the pool and vineyards.
Work, work, work. This will be a nice relaxing area overlooking the pool.
The pool from another angle and vineyards at all directions.
Finalizing the pool and having a conversation about how the edge will look when it’s finished.
The wonderful view from one of the bedrooms, make sure you arrive first of your friends and pick one of the two bedrooms overlooking the pool.
For recreation we are building a Boule / Bocce court where you can enjoy a glass of wine and play friendly or competitive games with your friends and family.
Our neighbor is telling us that they are working like crazy. It’s nice to have neighbours looking out for us.
The entire ground on which the house stands on is reinforced to prevent new cracks in the restored walls.
The new windows are installed, and the new roof is in place with the beautiful old tiles.
Kitchen and Dining area.
They did a very nice job with building the doors and you can also see the old Piemonte ceiling that we keep in almost all rooms.
What a project! As the house is located in a Unesco area, it is strictly regulated what can be done during a renovation. We are so happy and proud to be able to give new life to this building for many years to come.
What makes Villa Bricco a special place to stay
A renovation like this is always about more than the building. It's about the setting. Villa Bricco 46 sits at Strada Bricco 46, in the heart of the Monferrato hills near Nizza Monferrato — one of the most beautiful and least-touristed corners of northern Italy. The Langhe, Alba, and Asti are all within easy reach. The vineyards you see from the pool and the terrace are working Barbera vines, tended by neighbours we've come to know well.
We renovated this villa because we wanted a place where a group of friends or a family could come and really settle in — not just visit, but live, if only for a week. A place with enough space that you don't feel on top of each other. Enough kitchen to cook a proper dinner. Enough outside space to spend the whole day without leaving the property.
If that sounds like what you're looking for in a holiday villa in Piemonte, we'd love to have you.