From tilancio.com
A thousand years of history that, in 2012, risked coming to an end. Villa La Personala, in San Giacomo di Mirandola in the province of Modena, had in fact been reduced to rubble by the earthquake that shook the Modena area on May 29 of that year.
Angelica Ferri Personali (pictured), the descendant of the counts who still lived in the Villa with her family, looked at those ruins and, comforted by friends who proved their worth in a moment of desolation, decided to focus on the rebirth of that millennial place. It was a decision sealed by a wedding—her own—already scheduled for July 21 of that year, which she refused to give up, “even though I prepared in a container instead of the places I had always dreamed of.”
It was a bet on the future that paid off: in October 2021, the reborn Villa La Personala was inaugurated in the presence of many guests, starting with the President of the Emilia-Romagna Region. Today, it is synonymous with a flourishing company that has already established three distinct business lines: hospitality, the organization of complete corporate events, and the celebration of fully customized events, including experience tours in an area marked by originality and the offering of its finest products through the original brand “La selezione della Contessa.”
“It is precisely the geographical location of the Villa that, after ten years of commitment and hard work for its reconstruction, clearly showed me the way to enhance its value,” explains the descendant of the Ferri Personali counts, a Chartered Accountant by profession with Studio Alisei and mother of two boys aged nine and eleven.
“Our reality is set in a unique context,” she highlights, “characterized by the presence of the Motor Valley, with the best Italian car brands, the Food Valley, and the Biomedical district, as well as widespread artisanal expertise expressed in a multitude of directions, from textile production to fashion and small prestige productions.”
A unique environment with which Villa La Personala immediately “wanted to engage, connecting with the entire surrounding territory for mutual enhancement.” From this came the ability to intercept and foster an increasingly significant flow of tourists from abroad, the management of “turnkey” events for companies and, last but not least, the creation of personalized itineraries to discover the best of the region. “There are those who arrive with families whose members have different needs: those who want to experience the thrill of driving on racing circuits and those who want to explore the fashion companies in the area,” Ferri Personali explains. “We are able to realize any project, thanks to the extensive relationships we have cultivated over the years.”
Villa La Personala has already “imposed” its personality well beyond the borders of its 3,000 square meters, but the heir of the house still considers the current activity a “start-up,” busy as she is designing an expanding future. “The key to growth lies in the ability to network,” the accountant-entrepreneur emphasizes, “knowing how to enhance the uniqueness of our land. Only by creating a critical mass can we continue to attract and showcase the extraordinary peculiarities of the Modena area.”
