Donatella Versace Has a New Storied Lakeside House
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Donatella Versace has just secured a new house for her summer escapes.
The designer has bought a 15,069-square-foot villa in Meina, a small hamlet in the Piedmont region, and overseeing Lake Maggiore. The purchase price was about 5 million euros.
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The four-story house, which is known as La Verbanella, belonged to the Mondadori family, which acquired it in the Twenties, and has hosted a range of international guests over the years including Walt Disney, George Simenon, Thomas Mann and Eugenio Montale. Arnoldo Mondadori, the forefather of the namesake publishing company, reportedly had his guests leave a signature on the wall above the fireplace in the living room.
Counting around 50 rooms, including 20 bedrooms, the house certainly won’t disappoint any of Versace’s friends should they ever drop by for a visit. They include Luke Evans, who was recently tapped to front the Versace eyewear campaign, and Lady Gaga, with whom the designer shared the stage at Stonewall Day’s celebrations in New York last June.
Painted in a dusty pink shade, the house, which reflects the local style, is surrounded by a lush garden and features an outdoor swimming pool, in addition to a pond and private access to the lake.
Versace is returning to a lakeside location after the family sold Villa Fontanelle in 2008 for 35 million euros. The villa was one of Gianni Versace’s favorite retreats on Lake Como for more than two decades.
The La Verbanella sale was handled by the Engel & V?lkers real estate agency.
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