Casino dell'Aurora, a Rome villa that
hosts the world's only surviving Caravaggio ceiling fresco, went
up for auction for the second time on Thursday but again drew no
bidders.
Organizers said the offering price would now be lowered from the
current reserve of 282 million euros and a fresh auction set up.
The auction house said it would set another date for the auction
of what has been billed as "the world's most expensive home"
within 45 days.
The procedure to sell the Renaissance villa, whose artistic
jewels include Caravaggio's Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto mural,
lasted until Thursday afternoon, when the auction was declared
"deserted" again after an initial attempt to sell it in
mid-January.
The starting price at the first auction was 471 million euros
and the reserve was set at 353.25 million.
The villa is being auctioned off after the heirs of an Italian
nobleman, Prince Nicolo' Boncompagni Ludovisi, failed to reach
an agreement for the future of the residence following his death
in 2018.
His widow, 72-year-old Texas-born former actress, television
journalist, and real estate executive Princess Rita Boncompagni
Ludovisi, told Reuters that Bill Gates and a Qatari emir were
among those to have expressed an interest in the
2,800-square-metre property.
The princess, who once posed for Playboy, had failed to agree
with the prince's children on who should get ownership of the
villa.
The lavish building also features five rooms with frescoes by
Guercino, sculptures, statues and a splendid garden, although
much of the structure needs a makeover.
A petition has been launched via Change.org calling on Culture
Minister Dario Franceschini to intervene and take out its option
to buy the home and its artworks.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA