LISTING OF THE DAY
Location: Rome, Italy
Price: €57 million (US$66 million)
Frescoes, gilded globes and immersion into 16th-century architecture are some of the highlights of Rome’s centrally located Palazzo Sacchetti. Constructed as part of one of the city’s first urban planning projects, the late Renaissance building is located on the cobblestoned Via Giulia near the banks of the Tiber River.
According to the listing, the entire second floor of the building has a long corridor that allows access to the 12 noble halls that were painted in the period’s most significant cycles of mannerism.
"The palazzo has a long history of wealthy Roma families who used the halls for entertaining," said listing agent Diletta Giorgolo Spinola of Italy Sotheby’s International Realty. "This may be one of the city’s most important historical aristocratic buildings, but it needs some attention to become a modern home."
The previous owner, renowned French tycoon and enthusiastic art collector Robert De Balkany, passed away shortly after purchasing the property in 2015, according to Ms. Spinola. "He bought it in order to make it his private home in Rome, but he was not able to start the renovations," Ms. Spinola said.
"International art collectors and philanthropists from all over the world have expressed interest in the property," she said.
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Stats
The property encompasses a total of 32,291 square feet; the main building comprises 21,796 square feet, which currently includes two finished bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two staff rooms. An attached three-story building includes five small apartments, each with its own bathroom, which could be used to house staff.
Amenities
Visitors to the property could spend hours strolling the 12 noble halls that feature original marble statues, ornate ceilings, stained glass windows and frescoes painted by notable Renaissance artists, including Francesco Salviati, Pietro da Cortona and Jacopino del Conte.
There is also a small nymphaeum (a grotto dedicated to nymphs) adjacent to an Italian garden in the courtyard as well as an office space in the attached building.
Design pedigree
According to the listing, Palazzo Sacchetti is named after the Marquis Sacchetti of Florence, who purchased the property during the second half of the 17th century. "Its original construction in 1542 was a project of Sangallo, the architect of Palazzo Farnese who assisted Raffaello in the construction of St. Peter's Basilica," Ms. Spinola said.
"Sangallo built it for himself, dedicating the last years of his life to make it the ‘perfect building.’ In 1608, the Archbishop of Naples bought the property and added the chapel, which has frescoes by Agostino Ciampelli," she said.
More:Modern Amenities, 17th Century Details Combine in This Tuscan Villa
Neighborhood notes
With its prime location in the Eternal City’s historical center on the half-mile-long cobbled street known as Via Giulia, the palazzo is quite close to many of the city’s most famous attractions, including the Piazza Navona, the Vatican and Saint Peter’s Cathedral, and the Pantheon.
Agent: Diletta Giorgolo Spinola of Italy Sotheby’s International Realty
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