Sicily, Palermo, Bagheria, Italy

This ancient Water Tower is located in the municipality of Bagheria, in the province of Palermo, and dates from around the mid-19th century; it dates from when the old "senie e castelletti" irrigation system was replaced by a new irrigation and adduction system using innovative hydraulic machines that made use of steam engines, later replaced by combustion engines. In spite of the fact that, in the province of Palermo, there are many such Towers, ours has its own uniqueness in that it also has the annexed masseria. Today the Tower is no longer in use, but the building maintains its original architectural features: the Piezometric Tower stands 30 meters high, and there can still be found the collection tank and the farm building, original of the time, inside which are the mechanisms necessary to make it work, by means of a hydraulic steam engine; finally it also has a semi-basement floor. The building enjoys views overlooking the Gulf of Palermo and the "Conca d'Oro"; in addition, the property comes with a rendering showing us the property in its maximum expression post-renovation. The entire complex is listed as a monumental property, as an artifact of historical significance. The property also includes an underground garden of about 5,000 square meters, from which the famous "pietra d'Aspra" (material used for the construction of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo) was extracted. Two rural buildings of about 80 square meters complete the property. In 2009 the famous Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore chose the property for the shooting of the film "Baaria." La Torre is 1 km from the sea, 14 km from Palermo and 45 km from Palermo's "Falcone e Borsellino" airport.