Chapter 318 Buying an Island

   The ordering procedure for super yachts is complicated. In order to let buyers understand every detail deeply, the seller naturally recommends them to be present in person. Considering that the cruise ship has also completed its trial voyage and the delivery is imminent, An Feng took Jim from Ocean Shipping and set off to handle business and personal affairs together.

  The plane first landed in Rome.

There is no domestic transfer procedure for private jets, so you have to change to a civilian flight and go to Genoa, a seaport city in northern Italy. It is the largest commercial port and an important industrial center in Italy. Since Riva was acquired by the yacht manufacturer Faraday Group, this place has become Yachting area.

Genoa has a population of more than 700,000, which is not small by European standards. It is surrounded by continuous mountains and fields. Because it is difficult to open up mountains and build an airport, the Italians finally built the airport by the sea. When the plane lands, it is surrounded by the sea on three sides. , especially challenging the psychological quality.

  Genea is a standard mountain city, the area near the sea is a bit poor flat land, and many buildings are built on the mountainside. On the way out of the airport, one side of the view is a busy harbor, where super cruise ships and countless yachts are moored. The sea water is not as black as ordinary ports, but quite blue.

   At the airport, I encountered a sign waiting for their interpreter. Genoa is not a popular tourist city, so speaking English may not be easy, and I need the help of a local interpreter. The translator is very enthusiastic. Of course, you get what you pay for, and An Feng will not be stingy in exchange for low-level services.

I don’t need a taxi when I go out, and I was directly taken by the translator to a hatchback version of the Audi A6 that he drove. Threatened by rising oil prices, Audi has launched many hybrid models, but recently I am afraid that they will phase out the hybrid and start to change to pure electric Yes, after all, GP's technology is too heaven-defying.

Get on the bus and go to the local hotel. There is nothing to see in the densely populated area of ​​the city center. I decided to live in a hotel halfway up the mountain. You can have a panoramic view of the magnificent bay, and the air is very good. After the translator sent them to the hotel, they agreed to meet the next day time, and then say goodbye.

  We were tired after flying for a whole day, so we went back to our rooms to beat the jet lag.

  The next morning, I brushed my teeth lazily and washed up, and then had breakfast. Ten minutes later than the agreed time, the interpreter finally arrived.

  An Feng said with a smile: "It's better than what we met before. I guess the account manager who made an appointment with us is still sleeping late at home!"

   Joanna laughed too.

   But An Feng guessed wrong this time. The account manager was on time. When they arrived, the manager had already reviewed the client's information and simple requirements. Both parties meet in the office and shake hands. The manager can speak some English, but he is not proficient, so he still has to translate it himself.

Basically discussing about the 122' Mythos, the manager gave them a thick picture book with various optional decorations, and other customers' designs on the computer, with the help of translators , refine every detail.

  Yachts are not small, and many details are considered. Although the Italians are lazy, they work meticulously and pursue perfection in every detail, so there are many young artists. In addition, they have a strong concept of not working after get off work, and they don't mention other things when they have dinner.

  An Feng and Joanna can only do as the Romans do, go to a restaurant to eat authentic Italian food, and then let the translator drive them to travel to the local area to experience some local customs. Since the translator is not from Genoa, the introduction is very vivid, and the most classic one is "stingy".

The translator said: "If you want to learn how to save money, the Italians will definitely recommend Genoa. They are famous for being "stingy". They can spend their money in half! Say to him: 'How do you look like a Genoese.'."

  An Feng said in surprise: "Really?"

   "Of course." The translator said with certainty.

  The translator went on to say that some Genoese people "drink water to satisfy their hunger if they can't eat enough", "it doesn't matter if they wear a little at home" and other allusions. In fact, it is not that they are poor, but that they are stingy by nature. They live in a house of three to four hundred square meters. There are many antiques in the house, but they still take pride in saving money!

  After feeling the power of the local people, turn around and come back. When it’s time to work, continue to talk about things. The content of the yacht selection is basically selected. In order to pursue maximum comfort and consider that they do not necessarily live on the yacht, there are only three rooms.

  The design of the other decks leans toward luxury, with clean, clean lines in every detail, creating a style of timeless, supremely natural elegance. Of course, this is also the soul of riva yachts, the two sides negotiated very smoothly, and the final contract price was 15.5 million US dollars.

  Due to the close of get off work, the contract needs to be signed the next day.

  An Feng and Joanna spent another night in the local area, and received a notice from Finland that night, saying that they could send someone to check the details, and the maiden voyage could be officially launched in about six days. An Feng arranged for Jim to go to Finland the next day, and they set off the day before the voyage.

  The next day, he took the hired lawyer with him, checked the contract documents, An Feng signed his name on it, and paid 10% of the fee first, and finally it took 15 months to manufacture, that is, one year and three months. After signing the contract, the two parties shook hands and drank champagne to celebrate, and then went their separate ways.

  Because they are going to Finland in a few days, An Feng and Joanna have no plans to return to the United States. They will not mention the cost of the round trip by private jet. An Feng doesn't care, but frequent jet lag is not good for health. Especially for women, Joanna is afraid of abnormal physiological sleep and dark circles under her eyes.

They decided to play in the local area, and the translator took a part-time job as a tour guide. In fact, he was also very happy, because An Feng paid the translator's money, and this job was five times higher than that of the guide. Care about the difference between five times more and five times less.

  The locals can give you a lot of good advice about traveling in Italy. Going north is naturally Venice and Milan, and going south is Sicily or the nearby Sardinia. The translator spoke highly of Sardinia, clean and fresh, and the region with the fewest thieves in Italy.

  An Feng said: "I like places with sunny beaches, it's quiet and the temperature is right."

"Sardinia is an excellent choice. European and American celebrities like to go there for vacation. The local residents have a very common attitude towards celebrities, because they have seen a lot of them, and there are even European royal families. Back then Princess Diana and her Lovers come here for vacation."

  After hearing the translator's recommendation, An Feng became interested.

   The translator continued: "You can experience sunny beaches in the southern area, and there are private islands open in the north. You can even buy a private island."

   "Private island?" An Feng asked.

"That's right." Seeing that he was interested, the translator added a little more, "Since the government is heavily in debt, they sell buildings, palaces, beaches, islands and forts to private individuals in exchange for funds to repay the national debt. If you like the local environment If so, it is allowed to buy."

"Can it be developed freely or can only use the original buildings on the island?" An Feng asked. Some islands are sold in name, but in fact you can't move the plants and trees on the island, and you have to ask the government to expand the houses. Applying, it doesn't make much sense to buy this kind of island.

   "Of course it can be developed freely!" said the translator. "A few years ago, the government almost wanted to sell Sardinia to Switzerland, let alone these small islands!"

   "What's going on, tell me about it?" An Feng was very interested.

  The translator said that the Italian government is terrible, just like their laziness. The financial crisis a few years ago made them owe up to two trillion euros in national debt! The operation of the government is difficult. Since 2010, there have been strange things such as the sale of buildings, palaces, and islands.

The Sardinians declared on the Internet that they are willing to "be sold collectively", because the Swiss government is interested in Sardinia and wants to add an overseas state, and the locals are eager for Switzerland's top benefits, so one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer. It's a pity that after the incident was reported, it has not been settled until now.

  An Feng was speechless. There really is such a "flexible" government! According to the interpreter, the country's economy has been sluggish recently, and the debts are high. Officials are considering finding uninhabited islands and preparing to sell them to rich people. An Feng came at the right time, as there were islands for sale in the north of Sardinia.

  An Feng looked at Joanna: "Shall we go and see?"

  Joanna agreed, owning a private island sounds like a beautiful thing.

  They made an appointment with the local government, and the sale of the island was a government action. They got an affirmative answer, and they set off by plane the next day. Bringing an interpreter, after meeting with two officials, I decided to take a look at the scene. They set off on a 15-seat AW139 helicopter made in Italy.

  The destination is very close to Sardinia, no more than five kilometers away, surrounded by more than a dozen large and small islands, the sea is as clear as the sky, and there are yachts sailing everywhere. According to the translation, most of the islands are for sale, and some have been sold for private use.

   Some of them were bought by travel companies and transformed into exclusive tourist attractions. This neighborhood is very popular, and there are a lot of tourists, so you won't feel bored if you stay here. Government representatives recommended several islands, some big and some small, the small ones were only about 400 meters long and wide, and only a little over 10 million.

  The larger ones are two to three kilometers long, and the price is hundreds of millions. I watched several islands in Anfeng one by one. Although the small islands are cheap, the conditions on the islands are not very good. They are bare, there is not much vegetation, and there are mostly hillsides and rocks. The coast is good, but unfortunately it cannot make up for the whole.

  Exclude small islands with poor conditions and go to see larger ones.

   The translator said: "They asked what kind of island environment do you like?"

An Feng communicated with Joanna and said: "It is best to have plains and green plants, and then a natural harbor that can park yachts of a certain tonnage, and it would be even better if it can park cruise ships. In addition, there must be natural beaches, sea water And good enough ... that's all."

  I thought it was difficult to find good conditions, but one of them pointed at the plane, and the plane arrived somewhere nearby.

  The translator is responsible for explaining: "This is Spragi Island, the longest point is 2.3 kilometers, and the widest is 2.1 kilometers. It is a prime location and meets your requirements."

An Feng looked at the island below. There are indeed green plains and beautiful golden-white beaches. It is not far from Sardinia. The yacht can be done in ten minutes at full speed, and the helicopter can be done in two minutes. It looks really natural and livable. , even if you don’t live there, it’s not bad to develop it into a scenic spot.

   But the price is definitely not cheap. After An Feng asked, the translator replied: "They said it would cost 250 million U.S. dollars."

  (end of this chapter)