#villaaurora

#villaaurora

No One Wants to Buy this Lovely Italian VillaThe amazing 16th-century Villa Aurora in Rome is for sale. The 2,200 square meter (more than 23,000 square feet) historical home contains priceless works of art by Guercino, Pomarancio, Michelangelo, and the only ceiling painted by Caravaggio. The villa failed to sell at auction in January, when the list price was €471 million. It failed to sell again in April, when the price was dropped to €377 million. Among people who can afford it, why hasn't this home had a buyer? The reasons are many. 1. The ceiling by Caravaggio is estimated to be worth 100 million, but it cannot be removed or sold separately, so what is it really worth to its owner? The same can be said for the ceiling by Guercino. 2. The house is listed with Italy's Ministry of Culture, and they have a right to buy it. Even if they don't, required restoration is expected to cost €10 million. 3. The sale is a court-ordered mandate resulting from a family inheritance dispute (widow vs. the late owner's offspring). The price will drop until someone buys it. You might also guess that there is a lack of Russian oligarch customers these days as they are busy losing their yachts. But since a judge ruled that the villa must be sold, it will go up for auction again in June for €301 million. Read the story of the sale and the current state of the estate at The History Blog. -via Strange Company#realestate #Caravaggio #Italy #Villa #Aurora #Painting #Guercino #VillaAurora #auction

An Italian Villa with the World's Only Ceiling Mural Painted by Caravaggio is for Sale for $547 MillionA court in Rome has confirmed that a 16th-century villa in the center of Rome will be auctioned in January at a starting price of 471 million euros ($547 million). The Villa is home to the world's only ceiling mural by Italian painter Caravaggio.While most of Villa Ludovisi's infrastructure was demolished in the 19th century, the 16th century house known as "Villa Aurora" is the only part of the larger Villa Ludovisi that has survived. The structure is considered "one of the world's wonders," according to art historian Claudio Strinati in a column published in the daily Repubblica.Villa Aurora is surrounded by a garden and several garages totaling 2,800 square meters. It's a six-story structure houses a variety of artworks, including a ceiling mural ascribed to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.Caravaggio's painting, titled "Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto" depicts the three Roman gods surrounding a celestial sphere in which the Sun revolves around the Earth. The mural is valued at more than 310 million euros ($360 million) and has been called "priceless, being the only mural by one of the greatest painters of the modern age."Image: Villa Aurora - image: Lalupa/Wikimedia