The ordering process for superyachts is complicated, and in order to give buyers an in-depth understanding of every detail, the seller naturally recommends that they be present in person. An Feng considered that the cruise ship had also completed the trial voyage and the delivery was imminent, so he took Jim from Ocean Shipping and set off to do business and private affairs together.

The plane landed first in Rome.

Private jets do not have domestic transfer procedures, so they have to take a civilian flight to the seaport city of Genoa in northern Italy, which is Italy's largest commercial port and an important industrial center, which has been the yacht manufacturing area since Riva was acquired by yacht builder Faraday Group.

With a population of more than 700,000 people, Genoa is not small by European standards, surrounded by continuous mountains and wilderness, because it is difficult to open up mountain peaks to build an airport, and finally the Italians built the airport by the sea, and the plane is surrounded by the sea on three sides when it lands, which is particularly challenging for psychological quality.

Genoa is a standard mountain town, with a bit of pitiful flat land near the sea, and many buildings are built on the mountainside. On the way out of the airport, there is a busy harbor on one side of the view, with super cruise ships and countless yachts moored, and the sea water is not as black as the usual port, quite blue.

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

Going out without a taxi, he was directly taken by a translator to a hatchback version of the Audi A6 he drove, threatened by rising oil prices, Audi launched many hybrid models, but recently I am afraid that the hybrid will be phased out again, and it will start to change to pure electric, after all, GP's technology is too rebellious.

Got on the bus and went to the local hotel, there was nothing to see in the dense area of the city center, and decided to stay in a hotel halfway up the mountain. With a panoramic view of the magnificent bay and exceptionally good air, the interpreter dropped them off at the hotel, agreed to meet the next day, and then took their leave.

After a day on the plane, I was tired, and I went back to my room to reverse the jet lag.

The next morning. After lazily brushing my teeth and washing, and then eating breakfast, the interpreter finally arrived ten minutes late from the agreed time.

An Feng said with a smile: "It's better than what we met before, and it is estimated that the account manager who made an appointment with us is still sleeping at home at this time!" ”

Joanna laughed too.

But this time An Feng guessed wrong, the account manager was very punctual, and when they arrived, the manager had already reviewed the customer's information and simple requirements. In the office, the two sides meet, shake hands. The manager speaks some English. But if you are not proficient, you still have to translate it yourself.

Basically, the 122' Mythos yacht was discussed, and then the manager gave them a thick picture book with various optional decorations, as well as other customers' designs on the computer, and with the help of translators, to refine every detail.

The yacht is not small, and there are many details to consider. Italians are lazy, but they are meticulous in their workmanship. Every detail pursues perfection, so it is rich in literary and artistic youth. In addition, they have a strong concept of not working after work, and they don't talk about other things when they have dinner.

An Feng and Joanna had no choice but to follow the locals, go to a restaurant for an authentic Italian meal, and then let an interpreter take them on a tour of the local area. Experience some of the local customs. Since the translator is not Genoese, the introduction is called a vivid and incisive, and the most classic is "slamming the door".

The translator said: "If you want to save money on learning, the Italians will definitely recommend Genoa, they are notoriously "stingy". They can break money in half and spend it! If a man is stingy, the Italians will say to him: 'How are you like a Genoese?' ’。 ”

An Feng said in surprise: "Really? ”

"Of course." The interpreter affirmed.

The translator goes on to say that some Genoese people "drink water to satisfy their hunger if they don't have enough to eat", "it doesn't matter if you wear something at home", and so on. In fact, it's not that they are poor, but they are picky by nature, live in a house of three or four hundred square meters, and have a lot of antiques at home, but they are still proud of saving money!

After feeling the awesomeness of the locals, I came back in a circle, and when it was time to go to work, I continued to talk about things. The content of yacht selection is basically selected, in order to pursue maximum comfort, and then consider that they do not necessarily live on the yacht, so there are only three rooms.

The design of the other decks is all about luxury, with clean lines in every detail, creating a timeless, ultra-natural elegance. Of course, this is also the soul of Riva Yachts, and the negotiations between the two sides went well, and the final contract price was 15.5 million US dollars.

As the end of work is approaching, 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 the Finnish side that night that they could send someone to check the details, and they would be able to officially make the first flight empty in about six days. Anfeng arranged for Jim to go to Finland the next day, and they would leave the day before they set sail.

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

Since they were going to Finland in a few days, An Feng and Joanna had no plans to return to the United States, not to mention the cost of a private jet back and forth, An Feng didn't care, but the frequent jet lag was not good for his health. Especially women, Joanna is afraid of abnormal physiological sleep and dark circles.

They decided to play in the local area, and the translator worked part-time 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, but the rich man was a good person, and he would not care about the difference between five times more and five times less.

Locals have a lot of good advice on what to do in Italy, with Venice and Milan in the north and Sicily or nearby Sardinia in the south. The translator speaks highly of Sardinia, clean and fresh, and the area with the least number of thieves in Italy.

"I like the sunny beach, it's quiet and the temperature is right," says Anfeng. ”

"Sardinia is a great place to go, the biggest names in Europe and the United States like to go on vacation, and the attitude of the local residents towards celebrities is very common, because they have seen a lot of them, and there are even European royal families. Princess Diana and her lover came here for a vacation. ”

Listened to the recommendations of the translators. An Feng became interested.

The interpreter continued: "You can experience sunny beaches in the south, and there are private islands open in the north, or even you can buy a private island. ”

"Private island?" An Feng asked.

"That's right." Seeing that he was interested, the interpreter added a little more, "Since the government was in debt, they sold the buildings, palaces, beaches, islands, and forts to private individuals. In exchange for the repayment of the national debt, you are allowed to buy it if you like the local environment. ”

"Is it free to develop or can you only use the original buildings on the island?" An Feng asked, some islands are nominally sold, but in fact you can't touch a single grass or tree on the island, and you have to apply to the government to expand your house, so it doesn't make much sense to buy this kind of island.

"Of course, you can develop it freely!" "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 is very interested.

The translator tells the story that the Italian government is terrible, just as lazy as they were, and that the financial crisis a few years ago left them with a debt of up to two trillion euros! The government is struggling, and since 2010, there have been strange things such as the sale of buildings, palaces, islands, etc.

Sardinians declared online that they were willing to be "sold en masse" because the Swiss government was interested in Sardinia. Wanting to add an overseas canton, locals are flocking to Switzerland's top benefits. So one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer, but unfortunately after the incident was reported, it has not been settled until now.

An Feng was speechless when he heard it, there really is such a "flexible" government! According to the translator, the country's economy has been sluggish again recently, and the debt is high. Officials are considering finding uninhabited islands to sell to the rich. Anfeng came at a time when there were islands for sale in northern Sardinia.

An Feng looked at Joanna: "Let's take a look?" ”

Joanna agreed, and owning a private island sounded like a beautiful thing.

They make appointments with the local government. The sale of the islands was an act of the government, which was answered in the affirmative, and they departed by plane the next day. After bringing an interpreter and meeting with two officials, they decided to take a look at the scene and set off in an Italian-made 15-seat AW139 helicopter.

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

Some of them were bought by travel companies and transformed into exclusive tourist attractions. The neighborhood is very popular and crowded with tourists, so you won't get bored staying here. Government representatives recommended several islands, some large and some small, the small ones are only about 400 meters long and wide, and they are only in their early 10 million.

The big ones are two or three kilometers away, and the price is hundreds of millions. Several islands in Anfeng are watched one by one, although the island is cheap, but the conditions on the island are not too good, bare, there is not much vegetation, and they are mostly hillsides and rocks, the coast is good, but unfortunately it can't make up for the whole.

Eliminate small islands in poor condition and go to the bigger ones.

The interpreter said: "They asked you what kind of island environment you liked. ”

An Feng communicated with Joanna and said: "It is better to have plains, but also greenery, and then a natural harbor, which can moor a yacht of a certain tonnage, and it is better to be able to park cruise ships, and there must be a natural beach, and the sea water must be good enough...... That's it. ”

I thought that good conditions would be difficult to find, but one of them pointed to the plane somewhere nearby.

The interpreter explained: "This is Spalaji Island, the longest point is 2.3 kilometers, the widest is 2.1 kilometers, the prime location, it meets your requirements." ”

An Feng looked at the island below, there are indeed plains and greenery, and there are beautiful golden white beaches, 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 in it, it is not bad to develop it into a scenic spot.

But the price is definitely not cheap, and after An Feng asked, the translator replied: "They said it would cost $250 million." (To be continued......)