Italy Sotheby’s International Realty
An historic estate formerly occupied by relatives of the noblewoman depicted in the “Mona Lisa” — arguably the most famous painting in the world — has hit the market.
Set in the countryside of Scandicci, a 50,000-person municipality just west of Florence, Italy, the more than 700-year-old villa once belonged to the family of Francesco del Giocondo, who commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint a portrait of his wife, Lisa del Giocondo. It has been on display at the Louvre in Paris since the late 1700s and, to this day, receives hordes of visitors who clamor for a quick snapshot of the tiny frame.
The property is seeking $19.66 million and is listed with Sara Castriota Scanderbeg of Italy Sotheby’s International Realty, Mansion Global first reported.
“The villa is of particular artistic and historical significance and is registered with the Superintendence for Architectural and Landscape Heritage,” Diletta Giorgolo, the head of residential at Italy Sotheby’s International Realty, told the publication. “The entire complex is in perfect maintenance condition and is currently used as a private residence” by a family of Florentine industrialists.
Built around 1300, the villa came to be owned by the Giocondo clan in 1498, shortly before da Vinci painted Lisa in the early 1500s. The Giocondos eventually passed the abode to the Antinori family. The address retains the Antinori name, and is officially called the Villa Antinori di Monte Aguglioni.
The manse has undergone numerous renovations over the years but still features many period details, including a polygonally planned private chapel which serves as a “clear example of seventeenth-century religious architecture,” the listing notes.
Other buildings on the 66-acre grounds include a caretaker’s house, an orangery, a greenhouse and “various buildings for agricultural use.”
The four-floor villa measures in at around 43,000 square feet and offers two entrances — the current main one and the original entrance, which leads through an iron gate into the cypress tree-lined path to the garden, as well as a service entrance. There’s also an entrance hall, five lounges, a dining room, a library and a fitness room. In all, the residence is listed as having 14 bedrooms and 15 full bathrooms.
Other highlights of the main house include staff quarters, an elevator, a second floor terrace called “dell’clock” that looks out on the Florence plain and a veranda built of antique iron.