The Times
Buying property in Venice
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The Casa d'Annunzio is probably the most unusual property for sale in Venice, and has such a rare combination of features that it may sell for anything up to €20 million. Not only is it a complete villa, set in its own private garden - extremely unusual for the centre of Venice - facing the Grand Canal and with its own boat mooring, but it is opposite the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, one of the city's best museums. The rooms are small and have been decorated with slightly shrunken furniture to fit, giving one the impression of being in a doll's house. The walls in the ground-floor rooms are lined with pale yellow silk and the his-and-hers bedrooms are like old-fashioned Hollywood dressing rooms. The house, which was built in 1897, is named after Gabriele d'Annunzio, a writer who later became a right-wing politician.
For something more affordable, but with comparably illustrious associations, flat-hunters could look at the Gothic Palazzo Contarini, in the Castello quarter. Open to the public for the first time as part of the biennale, it contains 17 flats of various sizes that are for sale. The whole place is in unusually good condition for a building of this age in Venice and the functionality of the flats should make them eminently rentable. They have previously been let out as holiday flats.
The palazzo, which centres around a romantic-looking courtyard and has a walled garden with a central fountain, was built by the Contarini family in the 16th century. The entrance hall, which has both boat and street entrances, is cool and dark; the British artist Terry Duffy is exhibiting a series of paintings in the space. The prices of the flats range from €240,000 to €2 million. The four-bedroom piano nobile flat has an unusual square ballroom with 6m-high ceilings and a sun-catching terrace overlooking the garden, which has its own Gothic staircase.
An extremely grand (but totally rundown) palazzo flat has recently become available in Palazzo Mocenigo Ca'Vecchia, which is famous for being the Venice home of the Romantic poet Lord Byron from 1818 to 1819. It was bought by a German couple only six months ago but, because of “family matters”, the owners are selling again. The guide price is €5 million as it is or €7.5 million after restoration. The couple have a full refurbishment plan ready and are willing to oversee the work - with any adjustments requested by the new owners - and sell it in mint condition. Byron enthusiasts interested in buying might enjoy a viewing in its present state - it feels moody and, entering from the water, it is impossible not to picture the poet on one of his night-time swims.
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