You don't have to serve a lord nor be a peasant, you pay for the use of "their" land. This happens in many other places in Italy. One example that comes to min

You don't have to serve a lord nor be a peasant, you pay for the use of "their" land. This happens in many other places in Italy. One example that comes to mind is a part of the money collected from fishing permits on Lake Maggiore (tragically famous lately for the Stress cabin disaster) going to the pockets of an aristocratic family who "owns" the lake and the fishing rights. Disgusting to say the least, but that's law.