History of Cavazzone

At the end of the 19th century, baron Raimondo Franchetti came to these
hills with the intention of breeding horses, He was immediately charmed
by this land. Being a man open to new ideas, he followed his mediator's
suggestions.



Shortly thereafter He followed his own inspiration. He bought 3000
hectars of land in the counties of Albinea, Viano and Vezzano and
redesigned the geography of this place promoting great works of reclamation
and reforestation, He planted trees, built new roads and houses for the
colonists.
"That seemingly arid back that was the Cavazzone hill changes its
features and puts on the look it kept till the present days, the right
measure of functionality borguese decorum and rustic lightheartedness".
But the baron was also a man fond of novelty and a frequent traveler:
He was inspired, for "His" Cavazzone, by the most advanced models of
agricultural development of the 19th century.

He built here the large "court" with the vineyard (in which He used to
produce wines, among these a famous "passito", from the grapes of his
own vines), the cheese factory, the oven, the ice storage room, the
stables, a great deal of colonial houses and the kindergarten.
In the end the nobleman, behaving as a loving husband should, presented
his wife, Sara Luisa de Rotschild, with a chalet in a characteristic
northern style, a copy of a pavillion in the Paris' universal Expo of
1870.

Between the 19th and the 20th century the Cavazzone becomes one of the
most popular meeting places for the accultured industrialists and for
the upper class of the town. The son of the baron, Alberto Franchetti,
spends long periods here, He was a musician and a composer, performing
at the "Municipale" theatre in Reggio Emilia. Many welcome guests were
accommodated here, his friends Puccini, Mascagni, Illica, Ricordi, the
musical gotha of those years.

In 1920 Eugenio Terrachini, a Very Important Person for the economy of
the town, acquired the property from the baron's heirs and in the years
between the two wars moved the "Belvedere", the gazebo that the baron
used to keep in his town cottage, from which He was used to
watching "his" Cavazzone. Today the "Belvedere" is a sort of symbol for
this part of the reggian hills.

During the years after the war, under the Terrachini family lead, the
Cavazzone has to cope with the needs of an agriculture strongly
influenced by the new markets' requirements.
Paolo, son of Eugenio, readjusts its features many times, renews the
stables, promotes field work mechanisation and transforms the old grain
cellar into an efficient (mangimificio).
The final strike comes in recent times with the production of the
Balsamic Vinegar, to produce which He had to further
enlarge the complex. Another prestigious chapter in the Cavazzone and
its creators' history.