Facebook group aims to buy a Leopoldina farmhouse for cultural center

A Facebook group with over 13,000 members is crowdfunding to purchase a Leopoldina, an 18th-century farmhouse in Tuscany, at auction to transform it into a cultural center. The initiative was launched in May 2024 by Sergio Falciani, administrator of the group Valdichiana Forever Alò. The starting auction price was €106,000, which dropped after the property failed to sell in late June. Falciani proposed that each member contribute €8 to collectively buy the building, which would then be restored and used for exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and other multidisciplinary activities. The Leopoldine were built under Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo of Lorraine following land reclamation in the Maremma and Valdichiana regions in the 18th century. They are characterized by isolated block structures with hipped roofs, porticoes, loggias, and dovecotes. Many are now abandoned or auctioned. Since 2016, a protocol between ten Valdichiana municipalities and the Tuscany Region has aimed to protect these historic buildings. A 2000 study found that about half of the Leopoldine are abandoned, collapsing, or inaccessible. The group has already secured initial sponsors. The project also highlights the broader effort to preserve associated historical-architectural elements such as bridges, canals, and mills.