Are you looking for an opulent residence in Rome and have half a billion euros to spare? Look no further: Villa Aurora, a jewel of art in the Italian capital, is for sale.
Spanning 2,800 square meters that includes a lush garden, it houses the only known ceiling mural by Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio.
The village is what remains of a country retreat established in the 16th century by Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte and later sold to its current owners, the noble Ludovisi family.
It will go up for auction on January 18 with an initial bid of €471 million.
The sale is the result of an inheritance dispute that has continued since the death of its former owner, Prince Nicolo Boncompagni Ludovisi, in 2018 and involves his third wife.
Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, who was born and raised in the US state of Texas but has lived in the village for 18 years, told Reuters that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was interested in buying the property, as was an emir of Qatar. .
“I just pray and hope that whoever buys it loves it as much as we do,” she said in an emotional voice.
In 1597, Cardinal Del Monte commissioned Caravaggio, then in his twenties, to paint the ceiling of a small room on the first floor that he used as an alchemy laboratory.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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