Villa Certosa, the extravagant Costa Smeralda estate that served as the late prime minister’s playground for politicians, billionaires and Bunga Bunga parties, has found a buyer three years after Berlusconi’s death. The Qatari Al Thani royal family has made the winning bid.
Villa Certosa, the legendary Sardinian retreat of Italy’s late four-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, has been sold for €350 million to a company linked to Qatar’s ruling Al Thani dynasty, it has been confirmed.
The celebrated seafront estate on the Costa Smeralda was acquired through Constellation Hotels Holding Ltd SCA, a Luxembourg-based investment vehicle that functions as the European and global real estate arm of the Qatari royal family — and in particular of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, who served as Qatar’s foreign minister and prime minister between 2007 and 2013.
Immobiliare Idra, a company within Berlusconi’s Fininvest group, confirmed on Wednesday that it had accepted a binding offer for the sale of the property.
3-year search for a buyer
The Berlusconi family had originally placed the sprawling 120-hectare estate on the market at €500 million. Since Berlusconi’s death three years ago, the names of the Sultan of Brunei, Arab billionaires and major international hotel chains had all circulated as potential purchasers. However, it is the Qatari royal family that has ultimately secured the prize, at a significant discount on the asking price.
What €350million buys
Overlooking the Gulf of Marinella, Villa Certosa is less a villa than a self-contained world. Set within extensive parkland, the estate features seven outdoor swimming pools, a spa, guest villas and cottages, football and golf courses, fairground rides, a helipad, an atomic bunker, and an artificial volcano.
During Berlusconi’s tenure as prime minister the property served as an informal seat of diplomacy, hosting heads of state and senior political allies. It also became infamous as the setting for the Bunga Bunga parties that generated years of legal and tabloid notoriety for its owner.
The purchase deepens an already substantial Qatari footprint in the area. The Al Thani family’s previous investments in the Gallura region include interests in the Costa Smeralda through the Qatar Foundation, as well as the Mater Olbia Hospital — formerly known as San Raffaele — making Villa Certosa a consolidation of existing regional ties as much as a new acquisition.
