Feeling rich? Try buying the most expensive home in Rome Italy. (As of 11 July 2024, please ignore this post while we verify the accuracy of this post)
The most expensive home in Rome is the Palazzo Sacchetti costing at least $57 million euros. It contains 15 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, and has an interior of 3,000 square meters. It is still available for sale in Sotheby Auction with its price available upon request.
The Palazzo Sacchetti named after Marquis Sacchetti of Florence, had a long history with multiple ownership changes.
- In 1542, the Vatican Chapter sold the palace and land to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger the palace and land. He was the architect of Palazzo Farnese who assisted Raffaello in the construction of St. Peter's Basilica.
- It was one of the three properties of the architect on Via Giulia. The building was designed and owned by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and completed by Nanni di Baccio Bigio or his son Annibale Lippi.
- After Antonio's death in 1546, his son Orazio inherited the building for 3,145 Roman scudi.
- On 23 July 1552 his son Orazio sold the property to Cardinal Giovanni Ricci di Montepulciano, who had the palace extended to its current dimensions by the architect Nanni di Baccio Bigio.
- In 1557, due to economic difficulties, he sold the palace for 25,000 Roman scudi (almost 8x the original price) to his friend Tommaso Marino di Terranova, a rich Genoese financier who in the same period had the Palazzo Marino built in Milan. Marino allowed the Cardinal to live there.
- In 1568, he sold it to the Cardinal's nephew Giulio Ricci.
- In 1574, when the Cardinal passed away, his nephew Giulio sold it to the Pisan banker Tiberio Ceuli.
- In 1608, the Ceuli family sold the Palace to Cardinal Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona, whose coats of arms still decorate the chapel of the palace, built by him. The chapel was frescoed by Agostino Ciampelli.
- In 1649, the Acquaviva family sold the building to Cardinal Giulio Cesare Sacchetti, a member of the noble Florentine family. With him the palace acquired great importance, hosting a picture gallery rich of almost 700 paintings.
- In 1748, his heirs sold part of it to Pope Benedict XIV while still having the main possession of the palace.
- In 2015, part of the palace corresponding to the entire piano nobile inherited by Giovanna Zanuso, spouse of the deceased Giulio Sacchetti, was sold to the banker Robert De Balkany.
- After Robert De Balkany's death, it has been put on sale again by Sotheby's.
- In 2017, Mansion Global informed that the palace was listing was worth $57 million euros. It is still listed as available in 2020.
Interior of Palazzo Sacchetti
The entire second floor of the building has a long corridor that allows access to the 12 noble halls that were painted in the period’s most significant cycles of mannerism.
"The palazzo has a long history of wealthy Roma families who used the halls for entertaining. This may be one of the city’s most important historical aristocratic buildings, but it needs some attention to become a modern home.", said listing agent Diletta Giorgolo Spinola of Italy Sotheby’s International Realty.
The last owner, the renowned French tycoon and enthusiastic art collector Robert De Balkany passed away shortly after purchasing the property in 2015.
"He bought it in order to make it his private home in Rome, but he was not able to start the renovations," Ms. Spinola said. "International art collectors and philanthropists from all over the world have expressed interest in the property," she said.
Ms. Spinola also said to the New York Times that about 80 percent of Italians are homeowners, and politicians are reluctant to raise taxes on primary residences.
In comparison,
- In luxurylaunches, a palace Palazzo Orsini owned by Iris Origo was up for sales in 2013 for 40 million euros. It is an 11,000 square foot palace that includes frescoed staterooms, a ballroom, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a library, a dining room, a terrace, a separate penthouse, and cellars. It features an outdoor theatre, which could seat 20,000 people, was begun by Julius Caesar but it was completed in 11BC by the emperor Augustus.
- In homesoftherich, a 5 story mansion was the most expensive home costing $30 million euros consisting of 20,989 square feet of living space with 8 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, foyer with double staircase, formal living & dining rooms, gourmet kitchen, library.
- In Sotheby, the most expensive home with a known price is a villa at Via Di Valle Delle Camene costing $10 million euros. It had 10 rooms, 5 bathrooms, and an interior of 1,000 square meters.
Photos are courtesy of Sotheby.
