Villa Fontana may be pricey but it is also one of a kind. This grand, historic villa near Cortona, which comes complete with frescoed ceilings, chapel and lake, is available for sale for the first time in 500 years
It takes extremely deep pockets to buy Villa Fontana, just outside Cortona in Tuscany, but then homes with such a long history rarely come to the market.
Probably the site of an Etruscan settlement, the villa became a summer home of the Alfieri family in the 16th century. Towards the end of that century, it was sold to the current owner’s ancestors and, despite a brief occupation by German and, later, British troops during the Second World War, it always remained in the same family. Until now, when it has come to the market for the first time in nearly half a millennium.
“With past owners including the Knights of Saint Stephen and a Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, this is an exceptional opportunity to purchase a slice of Italian history,” says Rupert Fawcett of Knight Frank.
Villa Fontana as it stands today has the grandiose look of the 18th century, after the descendants of the first Renaissance buyers renovated the villa in 1760s.
A cypress-lined driveway ends in an oval lake at the foot of the villa’s stuccoed façade, which sets the monumental tone of the property.
The interiors are just as magnificent, with high frescoed ceilings, grand rooms and old terracotta floor tiles. There are 16 bedrooms, ten bathrooms and six receptions rooms, including what Knight Frank describes as “one of the most magnificent formal reception halls we have ever been privileged to see,” on the first floor Piano Nobile. Rather less opulent but equally special is the windowed tower on the fourth floor, which affords far-reaching views over the lake and the estate.
Outside, plenty of other ancient buildings pepper the 9.5-hectare grounds. There is a consecrated chapel at the back of the villa; a self-contained guest wing to the side of the chapel; an old stableblock with hayloft, which has partly been converted into additional guest quarters; a large limonaia which is used in summer for weddings and receptions but in winter reverts to its original function of storing citrus and other fruit trees; and spacious accommodation for staff.
All this immersed in lush gardens with century-old trees and unusual plants, barely broken up by the azure expanse of two swimming pools. “The villa is a striking example of the architecture of the period and would provide the purchaser with a grand private residence or the opportunity to convert in a luxury hotel complex,” says Fawcett.
Alas, the asking price is in line with Villa Fontana’s unabashed splendour—it is €8m through Knight Frank (+44 (0)20 7861 1058, or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/international).
