Shhh -- world’s biggest house now for sale
A CASTLE just east of Siena is thought to be the largest property in the world currently on the market, reports the Daily Telegraph. But the Italian market is as keen on discretion as the Mafia is on anonymity, so even the name of this prize piece of history is being kept firmly under the estate agent’s pillow.
It will probably sell to one of those in the top 1% of the richest people in the world — the ones who own roughly 99% of the planet’s wealth — so the purchaser’s name, too, is likely to remain hush-hush. The setting in Tuscany, the medieval courtyard with tower and chapel, the Italianate gardens with palms and box hedges, the interiors with marble floors and elaborate painted ceilings, make it so romantic that it is sometimes hired for weddings. It goes without saying that there is plenty of room for guests to sleep, and pools for them to swim in. The house is situated on 630ha planted with 1 500 olive trees producing awardwinning olive oil.
“It is exceptionally beautiful. There are many castles in Tuscany, but very few are medieval,” said estate agent John Jonk of Sotheby’s International. “The approach to it is wonderful and you go into another world. There are thousands of wild boar and roe deer, magical woods, vineyards, olive groves and grain fields . . . The castle was built at a time just before Giotto, when the Renaissance lay around the corner and Siena was at war with Florence.”
It is believed that Galileo Galilei stayed in the tower and must have gazed out upon the same night sky.
How does it compare to other global Godzillas of the property world? One of the largest newly built palaces is the 27storey skyscraper Antilia in Mumbai, India, which provides about 37 000m² of space, including six storeys of parking lots, a lobby with nine elevators and several lounges, a ballroom with crystal chandeliers, a pool, bar, yoga studio, ice room, four-storey garden and private sleeping areas for a family of five. It is thought to have cost $2-billion to build and is the home of Mukesh Ambani, head of the India-based petrochemical Reliance Industries.
According to therichest.com, the largest home is the Istana Nurul Iman Palace, at 200 000m². This is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei and has 1 788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, five swimming pools, a 110-car garage, and airconditioned stable for 200 polo ponies. Its estimated cost was £1.4-billion. — Staff Reporter