Our history
Two centuries of vines, sea and homecomings
Before becoming our farm stay, Podere Il Ritorno was a farmhouse among the vines, a working farm and an admiral's estate. This is its story: the story of a place people have always come back to.
Mid-19th century
A stone farmhouse among the vines
The estate already existed in the mid-1800s: an old farmhouse built of stone, at a time when none of today's surroundings were here. Only fields and countless vineyards, which produced the wines of Elba.
Early 20th century
The farm
Throughout the early 20th century the estate was a working farm: cows, hens, milk, and field work following the rhythm of the seasons.
Late 1980s
The admiral's estate
In the late 1980s the estate was bought by Admiral Mario Porta, an officer of the Italian Navy and Chief of the Italian Defence Staff from 1988 to 1990. He was bound to this land through his wife, Luisa Gasparri, who had grown up here: the estate had belonged to her uncle and aunt.
Together they restored it: new roofs, some parts enlarged, and the old farm became an elegant estate. The admiral looked after the olive trees and the vineyard, and kept a beautiful horse here.
The name
Why «Il Ritorno»
The admiral spent months at sea, commanding ships also engaged in NATO missions. Coming back here was the reward for every voyage: that is why he named the estate «Il Ritorno» – «the return». The name had a second meaning too: it was his wife's return to her family's land after many years.
The quiet years
Waiting for someone
After the admiral sold it, the estate went through years of silence: the houses closed, the olive trees left to themselves, waiting for someone to come back and take care of them.
Since 2021
Our return
In 2021 our family fulfilled a dream: buying the estate, bringing it back to life and turning it into a farm stay. We chose to keep its name, because it has a double meaning for us too: our grandparents ran a hotel, and with the estate we return to hospitality, our family's trade.
Our green giants
The estate's ancient trees
We have the honour – and the responsibility – of looking after two trees that are the symbol of the estate.
The holm oak, over 250 years old
Next to the estate's historic well grows a holm oak more than 250 years old: it was already here when Napoleon arrived on Elba in 1814. It is a magnificent tree and our pride, and it also features in the book «I giganti verdi di Portoferraio» («The green giants of Portoferraio») by Carlo Gasparri.
The olive tree, over 200 years old
Among our olive trees stands a magnificent one more than 200 years old: with its twisted trunk and broad crown, together with the holm oak it is the symbol of Podere Il Ritorno.