This Roman Villa Could Be The Most Expensive Home Ever Sold At $532 Million | Forbes
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- Опубліковано 11 гру 2021
- If Villa Aurora sells for $532 million-the price established by an Italian court-it would set the record for the most expensive home ever sold, topping the 2017 sale of a $361 million apartment complex in Hong Kong.
Villa Aurora, as it is widely known, sits near the highest point within Rome’s Aurelian Walls, near where some historians believe Julius Caesar hosted Cleopatra at one of his homes. The 32,000-square foot villa and surrounding garden are all that’s left of a once 86.9-acre estate owned by the Ludovisi family since 1621. In 1885, most of the property was redeveloped into smaller lots to create Via Veneto, one of the world’s most glamorous streets.
A statue of the Greek god Pan long attributed to Michelangelo greets visitors in the garden, and on the ceiling in the main reception hall, Guercino painted a fresco of the goddess Aurora from whom the villa takes its name. Caravaggio’s only ceiling mural, “Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto” watches over a foyer, painted while the artist was still in his early twenties, before he killed a man in a duel and fled Rome. One art history expert hired by the court to appraise the ceiling, Sapienza University’s Alessandro Zuccari, estimated that the mural alone is worth about $350 million of the house’s astronomical price.
After all, paintings by Caravaggio are extremely rare. There are about 90 known works attributed solely to the artist, and some have reached nine figures in private sales. When Caravaggio’s Judith and Holofernes was up for auction in 2019, for instance, it was estimated to be worth as much as $170 million, but two days before the sale, it was announced the painting had been sold for an undisclosed amount to a customer who put in an offer that “could not be ignored.” The New York Times reported the buyer was billionaire hedge fund manager J. Tomilson Hill.
Rita Jenrette scandalized Washington in the 1980s when, as the wife of a disgraced congressman, she posed for Playboy. After reinventing herself as a New York real estate broker and eventually marrying into Italian nobility, she’s now saying arrivederci to the historic villa that’s been in her late husband’s family for 400 years.
For years, Villa Aurora has been at the heart of a vicious inheritance struggle between the Texas-born Principessa and members of her late husband’s family that she says makes the drama on HBO’s Succession look like “child's play.” She has now resigned herself to auctioning the home on the orders of an Italian court ruling after years of legal battles since her husband’s death in 2018. And if the villa sells for the court’s price, it would set the record for the most expensive home ever sold, topping the 2017 sale of a $361 million Hong Kong apartment complex on the Peak. Though she calls losing the home “devastating,” Villa Aurora marks another colorful chapter in Princess Rita’s dolce vita.
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I hope whoever owns this house going forward has the same enthusiasm for it as this lady does. That would be priceless.
I could also be a litle enthusiasm for 532m
it’ll go to a Saudi prince who’s gonna put taxidermied tigers and gold plated finishes everywhere.
It's just a house. It literally doesn't matter if you think about important things in life
@@hassaanawan9606 no. There are some of the finest pieces of all italian history of art (and consequentially, also of the entire world not only italian). It’s not as superficial as you’re saying
It's idiotic to pay so much money a house. Rich people should better use their ones on more productive things especially when there is so much income inequality.
The State must buy it, and make of this a beautiful museum.
So much art, history and culture should be shared, so it can continue. Belongs to people, and Italian people first.
I agree .. this is such a historical place and should be preserved
Exactly
I was born and raised in Italy and trust me when I tell you that place would be left to fall apart if it happened to be in the State's hands
@@gabrielkusi2803 I trust you, in Brazil we do have the same problem... So I guess it would be better if it was a kind of non gov institution supported by entrepreneurs?!
@@gabrielkusi2803 it's a shame ..people don't respect their own heritage and culture.. if I were billionaire ..I would have bought this house and turned it into a Museum and made it accessible to public.
The burgundy book she flick through it is rather famous. It is the Grandeza de España. A title which comes with that book aka a certificate. Very rare as that implies a first class. There is a second class but given only in the 19th century to about 400 families. The first class is an honour given to handful of families in Spain and even fewer outside of Spain. Simply put, It means that the the family is an equal to the King of Spain.
Sounds like the Social Register in New England.
@Trevor Mwendwa I hope so, it is an interesting instrument of government used by the King of Spain and from 19c, by the state itself. I held one of those books in my hands, very special item.
I loved how she was passionate about the history of the property and how so many people contributed to it. She could be considered even a historian.
for $532 million, i would even tour the mansion in chinese if needed.
@@abdelhadielkettani9054 you're right, she's just selling it
for 500 mil , i can tell u whatever u want to know
dude she is just promoting for the sale. nothing more
She's selling something her husband's family has owned for 500 years. She took the liberty of learning as much as she could so she could get media companies like Forbes to come and promote it, and giving her a better chance of selling the place
“I think my future is going to be good” (laughing in 500 million dollars)
City of Rome should buy it and make a museum.
They've already got too many of those, and museums are expensive to run and not profitable. Italy is so full of ancient treasures that if private people don't get involved it's impossible for the state to care for them all.
@@Metal0sopher Ok got it, still though this is extra special house.
@@Metal0sopher Theres already dozens of Palazzo that hardly anyone visits that are even more remarkable than this. Those ceilings are beautiful but not really museum worthy... I mean they are 'worthy' but it won't garner enough actual visits to warrant a 500 million dollar sale to the city. The Palazzo Doria Pamphilj which is massive and contains some of the most amazing paintings doesn't even get many visitors and its got a hall of mirrors...
I did some research. Apparently, she's the third wife of the Prince. Her real name is Rita Jenrette and she's a Texan actress and real estate agent. She sued the three children from his first marriage for forging their dad's testament. She was once married to a democrat who was later convicted for corruption. She later posed for Playboy magazine twice. Not judging, just noting that she probably got where she always wanted to get.
This is important background. Never trust everything you watch on UA-cam. And it's interesting too that no other extended family was involved in this.
This need to be pinned.
Kinda hard not picking up the pretty young blonde marrying the old bald guy, it was a total giveaway haha. And then selling family heritage as well for that extra layer of obvious. But reading the comments it seems many didn’t notice somehow.
Rita Carpenter
Gender: Female
Birth: November 25, 1949
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, United States
A true lady
For the first three minutes I couldn't understand the price, but then came the Caravaggio...
80% of the valuation is the artworks. But I still can't imagine who would buy it at that price.
@@shenanigans3710 If auction houses like Sothebys united to buy the house just to re sell the artwork they would make 10 times the value with a third of the artwork.
@@Nostalg1a omg dont give them ideas :D
The art is 99% of the price
A property that size in the middle of rome is extremely rare
2 acre of land in the most expensive neighborhood of Rome (more expensive than the centre itself), which is already one of the most expensive capitals in the world for buying houses. The art is valuable but it's not 99% of the price.
"I think my future is going to be good" - Said the woman who is selling her 532 million dollar house
It should just be turned into a museum or a tourist attraction cause the house is priceless 🤷🏾♂️
Smart of her to sell this before the proletariat revolts
typical communist lol
@@trajanaurelian4113 have you forgotten the French Revolution and what had happened in Versailles?
@@trajanaurelian4113 yepppp
I think the state should buy it, so much history and beauty, it should be enjoyed by everyone :)
As a person who has been interested in art and history for a very long time the phrase "Ludovisi throne" rang a bell -then I looked it up and discovered that this beautiful ancient Greek sculpture was discovered in the original grounds of this villa in the late 1800's and is now in the Palazzo Altemps in Rome and the sculptures matching piece is in Boston.
Italy is selling its soul - piece by piece.
Blame the man who married the woman who would disinherit his children
Ma che cazz centra l'Italia, é colpa del tipo
My future would be good if I could sell someone else's house for $500m and keep the money
Beautiful house. Although it must be difficult to live in such a place with so much history. Also, can we acknowledge the beautiful change in focus at 6:23?
I'm so sorry that a contentious relationship is causing the sale of the villa...it would have continued to sit in obscurity if the Prince and Princess hadn't moved in and began renovating it, revealing it's true treasures to the world...I hope someone wonderful buys the property ...
You would never know the house was worth anything without the fancy music playing in the background.
especially with her associated with it.....
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR SAVING AND RESTORING THIS ROMAN HOME. SHE CAME OUT SO GORGEOUS!!!! TOTALLY AWESOME RESTORATION.
It’s a total work of art, a piece of art history. Worth the astronomic price.
My upmost respect and admiration for what you’ve accomplished. A grain of sand that history will value infinitely.
Nice for someone. I prefer something minimal and quiet on the beach. Outside inside. The best way to live.
This is having a sugar daddy on steroids.
Disgusting that this woman steal the house from the rightful sons.
This is the 21st century. Women - wives, daughters, sisters - have rights of ownership. They can and should be heirs to estates. What’s “disgusting” is your attitude, which is from the same era as the Villa Aurora. 🤯
Double standards, if a woman gives up her house for marriage no one bats an eye ;)
Wow! What a house! What a Lady!
Just a tremendously inspiring video: thank you so much for it.
Thank you for sharing. What a beautiful story rich in history. It made me smile. I wish her well.
I love her pride for history
I do to not many people do
For those call her a gold digger, she had a 7 figure career herself….. more then all of you have amounted to….
She loves the house and has been giving private tours contineously
Love this kind of content
$500+ Million for 2acres😑.. I'll Pass✌
Middle of Rome though, and the area that surrounds the villa is very expensive to live in too.
shouldn't this be a part museum instead of real estate?
I hope they get it preserved
It’s a toss up when giving it over to the government as a museum. Look at what they are doing to the Norte Dame cathedral. Whatever happens to it, hopefully it gets preserved
@@INICK84 the are preserved by law, even if you own it you can't modify anything, and every reparation need to be approved by the government
When is the sale?
This could be a public museum or gallery or performance space.. it’s so rich in history it would be a shame to see it crumble away
Geez, her bio is crazier than a Hollywood movie.
With the success of the House of Gucci movie, I would like to see a movie about her... Princess Playboy (not a dig actually, I find her fascinating).
That's not a villa, that's a museum. Who would ever want to live there ? You probably can't add or move furniture without the state getting involved. Hard pass.
lol no taste
@@overman2306 lol no literacy.
@@TheNefastor i cAnt MoVe iN mY IKEA fUrNiTuRe
@@overman2306 Your taste must be from the same time period this house was built in.
@A H that's the problem with historical property : you never really own it. For example they would never let you raze it to the ground and build something else on the land. In France, in some places, the front of your house cannot be modified in any way without getting permission from the state. You may even be forced to keep it in good condition at your expense. Most people stay away from that kind of property.
Would have been nice to actually see the home instead of the owner banging on about artwork.
The artwork is more impressive and more important than the house!
@@pc239 yes, agreed, BUT the video was supposed to be about the property not this woman's history or that of the artwork. If that was the aim then it should have been made into a separately titled video.
@@tomedward8652 But these works come with the property. These are frescos--painted walls and ceilings, not individual pieces hung on the walls that are going to leave when the house is sold. The Caravaggio and the Guercino Aurora (after which the house is named) are VERY important Baroque paintings.
Who do I see to enquire about purchasing ?
If I would have that amount of money I would’ve totally bought this home!
you'd need a lot more to keep it lol
@A H 10 billionaire +
Antilia: That's cute!
Was a no sale. Apparently no one was stupid enough to honor the *starting bid* of €417m.
Wow what an amazing villa
wowwwww mama's facelifts lasted for centuries 🤯
That's why she's wearing a hat, no make up can cover up all those scars
creepy
She's such an actress.
Forbes: “Hello peasants take a look at history”
$532 Million can make any one HAPPY ....
Gorgeous
Bezos will buy this property like buying bread on the road.
I’m sorry why does she think she’s entitled to the home? This is like Buckingham Palace being given to Camila after Charles dies.
she's enthusiastic because she wants $532M, its sad that the house meant so much to him but after he died she just wants the cash.
@2:49 is it me or is that the Death Star? 🤔
so after draining her late husband's wealth, she's now selling his family villa passed down through the generations for centuries? that b ain't loyal
Have you guys seen THE ONE, in ca.?
Time to create a DAO to buy this.
It’s heartbreaking that they have to sell it
It's a beautiful house
didn't know that Caravaggio painted the Death Star
Lovely story
It's all about the Caravaggio.
feels more like a museum than a home. interesting reading the comments, she apparently had to sue for her right to sell the house rather than passing it down the family (which also feels wrong). i think it should be owned by the city or something given all of the historical value.
nevertheless, very poor video for failing to show both sides and even mentioning all that took place. very misleading video
Even if I had the money, who tf wants to live in a gigantic stuffy museum? It doesn't look warm and inviting, it just looks ostentatious and cold, like you're walking through some fancy museum, not somebody's home.
Artists in general, historians, archaeologists, fashion designers, art collectors and connoisseurs … and most importantly painters and sculptors . Please speak for yourself. What makes a home warm and inviting is the host first then the rest. Not everybody fancy Ikea style. Think about it
i'll take it!
Nice house 🏠
Maybe show it to Wes Anderson before selling it? She would be perfect for his movies,too.
Villa de 2973 m² part of a former 35.16718 Hectars state
Meanwhile i am not sure how to pay the next electricity bill here in europe...
Ill buy it
This is why many people despise the rich.
Am imagining Jefree Star buying this house and painting everything pink 🤭
🤔 when were the sprinklers systems invented?
when your mom texts me at 2am
I’d dump it for 200 million instead of waiting 15 years for it to sell
Nice
Who gets the proceeds of the sale?
me
Why do you think she is selling it in the first place ? 😝😛😜🤣🤣🤣🤣
your mom. thats why i keep coming over at 2am when she texts me
The Vat
@@davidanalyst671 : You sure its not your mom after the whole town goes to town on her? lol get it town lol lol
Why sell it ?
I need something bigger and more lavish.
The house lives up to its hefty price...
In middle ages Cardinals used to own prime real estate
I wish the pronunciation of Italian names by these two ladies was less horrible.
She is adorable.
Her husbands family think differently.!!
I was hoping she's going to say that the building is too big for her, and that she want's to move away from the place that brings the memory of the man she loved, and him growing weaker and weaker and then passing away. Her future will be good also if she sells the home just for the value of the land it stands on. Or the Caravaggio. Pfui.
Name dropping hard
She is a sweet lady. I enjoyed this
For 550 million dollars I'm sure your future is going to be great this is the condescending part of me but at the same time a glimpse into what you ask for it may be given to you how long are you willing to wait for it I asked for something and I asked got it yes it's an absolute honor so I believe her because when you ask for something from your heart and you get it everything else seems like a drop of water in the ocean
Definitely not worth that. Maybe $50 million because of the art.
500+ million? Nope. Not even close to worth that much. Get real.
I am in love w this woman. She cares about the preservation of the building so much 💕
why is she selling though?
Me with $ 3,000 annual family income can't understand why am I watching this?😅😅
Pluto is God of Underground, henny
I'd just paint the roof white.
Why sell it
? Appear priceless with the history alone …
She needs cash for her multiple plastic surgeries
This house should go to a male heir of thier household if thier is. Sad the house will be sold and not stay in the family.
Let's hope it's not going to be bought by any Arabian/Chinese/Russian billionaire or this place will never be seen by any normal person.
Why doesn't the Italian government settle her debt by just taking the house and open the place to the public. This is heritage that belongs to all the Italian people.
HAHA cope harder
$532 Million can left hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty instead of buying a piece of concrete that “supposedly meaningful piece of art”.
*"If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can't hear them..."* If you are reading this, I hope you have an amazing day!
Monstrous, a price like that.
She is 72 and I am 23. And she still looks younger than me. Money really can do magic.
Bella Fortuna
19: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Matthew 6:19-20
Easy there, Forbes. Even if it's in Italy, if it was built in the 16th century it isn't "Roman". I think the word you're looking for is "Romanesque"