A luxurious Roman villa that was
the 1950s home of Italian producer Carlo Ponti, who was married
to Sophia Loren, is on the market for 19 million euros.
Located on the via Appia Antica, the villa hosted countless
cinema luminaries, including directors Federico Fellini,
Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini, as well as Hollywood
stars such as Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas.
Roman actor Alberto Sordi even shot the opening scene of his
movie "A Taxi Driver in New York" at the villa.
The property is 1,300 square metres overall, and has two
rooms with ancient Roman mosaic flooring.
It also includes a 1.5-acre park and a heated pool.
It is being listed by Lionard Luxury Real Estate of Florence
(http://www.lionard.it/villa-di-lusso-con-piscina-roma-1.html).
The villa is described as a sort of "paradise" concealed
within a bordering wall.
The listing said Ponti used to receive his guests through the
most modest of the three doors accessing the property, beyond
which he would show them a room whose walls and ceiling were
made of enormous tufa limestone blocks and whose floor had a
Roman mosaic with the head of Medusa, all of which are still
there.
The property includes the main villa, which is two floors and
680 square metres, and a separate 600-square-metre residence
(which is available for separate purchase as well).
The main villa was built in the 1800s on the remains of an
ancient basalt quarry that was used in construction of the via
Appia Antica, the queen of Roman roads.
It was modified several times in the 1950s, and was
completely restored by the current owner, who bought it from the
Ponti family in the 1980s.
The property's park includes tall trees and ample green
space, as well as the pool, a parking area, and some apartments
with independent entrances.
One of the entrances to the main villa, at the garden level,
leads to another room with an ancient Roman mosaic on the floor
and a concrete ceiling, on the same level as that of the room
with the Medusa mosaic.
On the upper level (which is also accessible by elevator),
there are five bedrooms and bathrooms, a library, and a romantic
winter garden.
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