A Sebastopol estate with a lavender farm — one of the largest in northern California — is currently listed for sale. A four-bedroom, three-and-half-bathroom home on 14 acres with 38,000 lavender plants, an olive orchard, apiary and farm store are listed for $4,995,000.
The property, named Monte-Bellaria — meaning “mountain of beautiful air” in Italian — has been a beloved stop along the Sonoma County Farm Trails. The land, stewarded since 2002 by the late Dr. Bill MacElroy, has sloping rows of the hardy and fragrant Grosso lavender plant.
Yearly, MacElroy, along with farm manager and beekeeper Eric Silas, cultivated and harvested the lavender, from which he would distill the essential oils to create the property’s popular products: soaps, balms, hydrosols and a sumptuous lavender honey. The handmade goods, including olive oils made from the yields of their orchard, were sold at the on-site farm store. Monte-Bellaria became a popular site for visitors seeking tranquility, a bit of shopping and a swoon-worthy photo backdrop.
A walk through the grounds is a rich sensory experience. In addition to the immense fragrance during high bloom season, there’s a sound bath of buzzing from the bees hard at work pollinating the plants…