Brad Pitt 'to Buy an Italian Vineyard'
He is best-known for his role as the battered brawler Tyler Durden, but now Brad Pitt is to move from the underground world of Fight Club to elite wine club as he becomes the latest film star to express an interest in owning a vineyard.
Pitt, 42, the star of Ocean's Twelve and soon to be a father with his girlfriend, the actress Angelina Jolie, has viewed two estates in the Italian countryside during a secret visit. He was shown around the 20-acre properties, which both have vineyards and produce their own wine, while he was in Italy last month for the Winter Olympics.
Pitt was in Turin for the end-of-games party thrown by the American magazine, Sports Illustrated, and the brewer, Budweiser, which was held in a glass pyramid on the banks of the Po.
Before the event, he stayed at the Fontanafredda estate at Serralunga - a 45-minute drive from Turin - which is set in 100 acres of land. It is surrounded by vineyards which make some of Italy's most famous wines - reds, such as Barolo and Dolcetta D'Alba, and the classic white, Gavi. Jolie was not with him for the brief stay.
He spent the night in the royal suite - the estate was owned by the King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, who started the tradition of wine-making there more than 130 years ago.
Monica Tavella, a spokesman for the estate, said: "Brad's visit was kept very secret, and only a handful of people knew that he was staying with us. He had asked for utmost secrecy.
"He stayed over a weekend which is usually quiet, so he was able to see the vineyard and the cellars, where the wine is aged.
"He was very interested in the whole process of wine-making, right from the vine to the bottle, and he was also very knowledgeable." She said Pitt asked to be shown two working vineyards, near Fontanafredda, which were for sale. "He seemed to be interested in buying," she added.
Although staff at Fontanafredda refused to discuss which estates Pitt had seen, local officials were more forthcoming. The actor viewed Cascina Cucco at Serralunga, according to the town's mayor, Luigi Cabases, and then looked at Poderi Aldo Conterno at nearby Monforte - both of which are worth more than ?6 million (?4.2 million).
The estates are 90 minutes' drive from Lake Como, where Pitt's close friend and Ocean's co-star, George Clooney, has a waterside villa at Laglio - where it was rumoured recently that Pitt and Jolie were to be married.
Pitt is not the first celebrity to be bitten by the wine-making bug in Italy. Mick Hucknall, the singer with Simply Red, owns a vineyard at Sant'Alfio in Sicily. The rock star, Sting, also produces wine from the vines on his estate near Florence, while the film actor, Gérard Depardieu, makes wine at his villa in Sicily.
近段时间，布拉德·皮特秘密造访意大利乡间葡萄园，并对购买当地葡萄园表现出浓厚的兴趣。皮特有可能成为又一位对意大利葡萄园情有独钟的演艺人员。
皮特造访意皇家葡萄园
据《每日电讯报》4月2日报道，不久前，42岁的皮特秘密前往意大利乡下参观了两处正在出售的葡萄园。上月在参加都灵冬奥会的闭幕式前，皮特特地造访了位于都灵附近的丰塔纳弗里达庄园。被葡萄园环抱的丰塔纳弗里达庄园面积100英亩，是意大利最负盛名的红葡萄酒和白葡萄酒的产地之一。丰塔纳弗里达庄园属于意大利第一位国王维托里奥·埃马纽埃尔二世名下的产业。埃马纽埃尔二世在130多年前就开始酿制葡萄酒。
皮特此次造访皇家庄园并未见女友安吉丽娜·朱莉随行。皮特在庄园过了周末。该庄园发言人塔维拉透露说：“布拉德的造访很隐秘，仅有极少数的人知道他来这儿了。他要求我们尽量替他的行踪保密。他在这儿过了一个安静的周末，并参观了葡萄园和珍藏着陈年老酒的地窖。”塔维拉还说：“他对整个酿酒过程十分感兴趣，从摘葡萄到将酒装入瓶中，而他对这些都十分在行。”塔维拉还透露，皮特还要求参观位于丰塔纳弗里达庄园附近的两处正在出售的葡萄园，“他似乎有购买的兴趣”。
中意的葡萄园价格不菲
尽管丰塔纳弗里达庄园的工作人员拒绝透露这两处葡萄园的详细信息，但当地官员还是兴奋地透露出皮特的秘密，不但指出了葡萄园所在的具体地址，还指出它们的售价都将超过420万英镑。
报道说，皮特已不是第一位对意大利葡萄园和酿酒业感兴趣的人。英国乐队红合唱团的主唱麦克·赫克纳尔在西西里岛拥有一座葡萄园；爱尔兰摇滚歌星斯汀在佛罗伦萨的家中自己酿酒，而法国影星杰拉尔·德帕迪约也在西西里岛的家中酿酒。