As I have posted elsewhere on this forum, Therese and I are moving to Italy from the wet and windy UK.
Our plans are progressing well. In December, on our first day of searching, we found a house in the hills of Tuscany near Anghiari. Despite all the warnings about Italian bureaucracy, the process of purchasing the property was quite straightforward and quick. We signed an preliminary purchase contract on a Sunday just six days after we saw the property and took possession about two weeks ago. I write this over a morning coffee with wisteria blooming overhead and large black bumblebees buzzing hungrily around the blossoms. No one had warned us just how lustily spring springs in this part of the world – ten days ago there were no leaves and no flowers, and now…..
Anyway, more importantly for the Euroga community. As many know, flying GA into Tuscany is rather difficult. The big airports – Florence, Perugia and Pisa dont want to know us – they impose ridiculous two hour parking limits despite owning hundreds of acres of empty tarmac. I was very lucky to snag the last hangar space at Bologna airport for out Jetprop at the very friendly TAG operation there. At the other end of the spectrum the aviosuperficie (rural airstrips) are under attack with ENAC imposing burdensome new regulations and already I have heard about one closing down.
However, an entrepreneur and aviation enthusiast from the north of Italy has come to our rescue. Thomas Gostner, who along with partners already bought and turned around Bolzano Airport and established a new airline Sky Alps, bought the very run down Palozzolo Sansepolcro Aviosupervicie LIQF last year:
Sansepolcro and Anghiari are in the SE corner of Tuscany, right on the border with Umbria – this is not the infamous “Chiantishire”, over run with British tourists, but a much wilder and more mountainous bit of country. Spectacular area. The nearest place – Anghairi – is a small but perfect ancient hill town, voted Italy’s most attractive last year reportedly.
We have got to know the person Mr Gostner has appointed as manager of Sanseplocro airport and learned a bit about the plans. As the article says this is a transaction which, amazingly, has the wholehearted support of the local mayor and town council. They see this as a route to bring new tourists and pilot residents to the area (message for the Greek Islands!). The new owner plans to upgrade and expand the airstrip itself to its former glory (the photo in the article is how it used to look some years ago), build lots of new hangar space, some hangar homes, a hotel and restaurant with pool, and generally to create a thriving aviation hub which welcomes visitors. As this is happening just 10 minutes from our new home we are very enthusiastic and are looking for a nice economical old taildragger to base there for local flying. The airstrip is operational now and one can probably fly in already, but it well get a lot better organised in the coming months and years. I will report developments.
Nice place you have found there Buckerfan :)
As for Mr Gostner’s plans, the good news is hat he is a passionate pilot who has choosen LIQF for his project of a “perfect” aviator’s paradise. Money won’t be the big concern for him, owning one of the bigger renewable power company in Italy. However, I think he might want to create a hub for Skyalps traffic, which will hopefully not push out GA as it is happening right now in Bolzano…
lukepower wrote:
However, I think he might want to create a hub for Skyalps traffic, which will hopefully not push out GA as it is happening right now in Bolzano…
I am not worried about this. LIQF is roughly an 800m grass field. It operates strictly one way only, landing and taking off to the east, due to the proximity of the town and some big Appenine hills. Does not sound suitable for CAT. But if he wants to tarmac it, I would be very happy.
Just checking, may that’s what you meant:
LDG is to the east (02)
T/O is to the west (20)
Not really one-way… but with the possibility of interesting counter-traffic ;-)
https://www.centrovolo.it/liqf/
Thank you for posting. Looks very promising, especially as my better half is a big fan of Italy.
Suitable for a 182 in its present state, or still a bit too run down?
That looks beautiful @buckerfan, thanks for sharing this and the news about positive developments for GA!
Looks very enticing. Let us know when it’s suitable for a TB20!
Also not too far away, the only airfield in San Marino (one of the world’s oldest city states) is Torraccia, currently a 650m grass strip. The club there offers PPL, CPL and IR training, but it’s a difficult strip to land at for some types of touring aircraft.
A development loan has been agreed of $29 million and tenders invited to expand the facilities to include a longer hard runway. Spending anything like that amount could make it quite attractive to visit.
Details and references on Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torraccia_Airfield
Auguri @Buckerfan
Beatus ille, qui procul negotiis,
ut prisca gens mortalium,
paterna rura bobus exercet suis,
solutus omni faenore
Best wishes Buckerfan
“Blessed is he who, far from business,
as the ancient race of mortals
he cultivates his father’s fields with his cattle,
freed from all interest”
Is this what was meant. It doesn’t make sense trying to translate the Latin to French because it’s roughly the above when translated to English. Am I missing something? ELP 6 only goes so far.
Non terra patris eorum, sed terra est!
(I can feel translators going live ;)
Have fun in your new life @Buckerfan ! I somehow have the feeling you need little encouragement for that.
