1 Private Island Near Venice, Italy

Private island near Venice, Italy, a phrase so rare it almost sounds mythical. How many times have you heard the expression "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity"? Too many. It is a tired promise, worn thin by repetition. But every so often, maybe once in a generation, a property comes along that makes that expression feel small. I turn down the vast majority of the international properties I am asked to sell. Most are interesting. A few are beautiful. But every now and then, there is one you do not turn down, one you cannot. Welcome to a private world less than 50 miles from Venezia, floating in the quiet magnificence of the Grado Lagoon. Eight-point-seven acres of untouched history, shimmering water, and wide-open horizon, a world suspended between sea and sky, waiting for the next person bold enough to claim it. This is a place that does not tell a story. It asks to become one. A freshwater artesian well rests beneath the surface. Solar arrays drink in the sun. Two restored lagoon houses rise from the land like sentinels, providing shelter, character, and endless possibility. The island is fully self-sustaining. The future here is off-grid, independent, effortless. There is nothing to compare it to, and nothing that prepares you for it. This is not a home. It is not even an escape. It is an heirloom, a legacy destined to be held, protected, passed on. For the visionary, the dreamer, the builder, the preservationist, the romantic...