Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Brad and Angelina Do It In Italy

For American superstars and global do-gooders Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt all of the world is a real estate stage.

The comely couple own a 5-ish acre compound in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, a contemporary estate perched on a high bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, an historic mansion in the French Quarter of New Orleans, a hilltop hideaway and 60,000 hectares of jungle in Cambodia, and a 1,000 acre estate in the South of France known as Chateau Miraval*.

Back in April of 2010, while the Pitt-Jolie clan was spending a few months in Italy while Momma Jolie filmed scenes for her upcoming thriller film The Tourist with fellow Hollywood ex-pat Johnny Depp, Daddy Pitt headed out into the I-talian countryside in search of some marble for some renovation project or another.

Mister Pitt became quickly smitten with the area and by mid-July all the celebrity real estate gossips around the world were reporting that the peripatetic pair and their 427 children were house hunting in the rustic and rolling hills in the north eastern viticultural region of Valpolicella near Verona.

Eventually their search led them to the 17th century Villa Costanza San Pietro in Cariano, an historic and slightly disheveled, Palladian style mansion with a reported asking price of €32,000,000, an amount that Your Mama's currency conversion contraption indicates translates to $40,792,000 at today's rates.

Most reports say the spectacularly rich couple coughed up somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000,000 but at least one report from July 2010 in an Italian publication indicates that the couple paid around €15,000,000–$19,121,200–for the property.

According to previous reports, hotel sized house weighs in at a titanic 18,000 square feet and includes 15 bedrooms, 7 poopers, 2 swimming pools, several spas and waterfalls, 1 movie theater, a home fitness room, stables for the ponies, and a damn vineyard.

According to the official website for Comune di san Pietro In Cariano, the "U" shaped Villa Costanza–also known as Villa Saibante-Monga–wraps around a central courtyard that contains six mythological statues, a couple of carved stone lions, and a well that dates to 1623. Among the many rooms in the villa there are two large rooms, one with a tiled floor, coffered ceiling and walls decorated with 17th century frescoes and another with walls painted with landscapes.

*Although Your Mama don't know a pine tree from a coffee pot, we are not convinced that Mister Pitt and Miz Jolie actually bought the Chateau Miraval property but it is where the comely couple and their 87 children have been living on and off since the spring of 2008.

photos: Vogue

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

for 20-40m you would think that they could have done better than a stenciled spray painted name... geez maybe the realtor did it before an open house...

Anonymous said...

Was it named after George Costanza from Seinfeld?

Anonymous said...

Boat, with hole. YIKES! This is a fixer upper. Brad must be in house heaven. Not to mention the grounds. A bell just rang for some lucky landscape architect.

StPaulSnowman said...

I love great houses as much as the next guy but why and how could any sane individual, or couple, want this many huge homes. There is an irreconcilable cognitive dissonance between this consumption and their much publicized concern for those with nothing.

Anonymous said...

I suspect they actually lease these monstrosities, not actually buy them.

Rosco Mare said...

Be careful Brad and Angie...this same type of splashy, splashy living got poor Nic Cage in trouble...

Jeannified said...

I agree with Anonymous (both of them)...I wondered why the name had to be painted on, too, although I think I have seen that sort of thing in europe before. It's interesting how people will splash out big bucks for rambling, falling-apart places. NOT that this place is falling apart, but it IS rustic! However, it is also very old. They seem to like "authenticity" though. ;-)


I'm sure they are loving living in such rambling places over in Europe, though, where the paps are at a minimum!

lil' gay boy said...

Ramshackle as it is, it's still a lovely structure. But Snowman is right on the money about the total disconnect that "Brangelina" broadcast to the world.

What on earth was she doing in Pakistan? Those poor folks didn't even know who she was; just another lookie-loo who only served to remind them that nothing is yet being done for them. Floods, bombings, corruption, etc. –– if nothing else, they are certainly resilient...

Baroness Rebecca said...

When they moved into the big French place, I read that they'd signed a 5 year lease. I think the asking price was something like $70 million. However, the euro was worth a lot more then. By the time the lease is up, the price may well be something more affordable for them. Or not.

I have huge love for great houses, but this one doesn't do much for me. I've seen much nicer ones for sale. I've also read, though, that friends of theirs - other celebrities I can't recall offhand - have homes in the area.

Anonymous said...

Angelina is in Pakistan to bring attention to the floods. And it's working. I hope what follows are donations. It would be helpful, if with every mention of her trip, a tag was added for donations by Palpal or phone.

I get the disconnect between the very rich and very poor, but at least she and Brad are looking back, and trying to help. That is more than you can say about most rich people. It's hard for a rich man to get into heaven, for a reason.

Anonymous said...

Here in Hawaii, older Oriental people of means will often buy a property for each of their children as security for their future.

If Brad & Angie are doing the same, the house shopping may continue for quite a while.

At least their taste is far & away better than Mr. Cage's.

Anonymous said...

The spray painted on name looks like those cutouts grifters use while door to door soliciting, offering to spray paint house numbers on curbs for a small "donation".

I have much more respect for those who do good deeds without the need for cameras, flattering poses and good lighting. Her dad's appearances on the Chabad telethons seem more heartfelt.

Perhaps Brad has been busy building/designing a solar powered private jet, or do they have a hot air balloon for eco friendly travel amongst all their high maintenance homes?

lil' gay boy said...

Village, I know why she went, I just can't see how it was productive –– I hope you are right. But from what I saw on the BBC, it seems a matter of too little, too late, even though the flooding has yet to reach the southernmost part of the country.

When in doubt of someone's good intentions I prefer to err on the side of goodwill; I just can't wrap my mind around the puzzled faces of those she visited, not knowing who she was, why she was there, or how her presence could possibly help.

I sincerely hope it does, because they need it now.

Anonymous said...

Given that these two are extremely well educated and learned scholars of history, especially Italian, it is perfectly logical that they would wish to live in an historic palace where they could keep their immense library of rare editions and other volumes which they peruse constantly, etc., etc.

Anonymous said...

Some of the comments sound malicious, mingled with envy.
Why won't you all mind your own business and leave Jolie-Pitt alone with theirs?
Quietly try to get as wealthy as these two have and lets see if you would do as much good as they have done. Remember, they are spending their OWN money not yours!!!!!!
GO GET A LIVE YA ALL!!!!!

Anonymous said...

What are you people talking about? The name is not spray painted on the house. Can't you see the shadows? They are raised block letters, probably not original. The house was likely named years after it was built.

Anonymous said...

Winery manager told UK media that they just leased the main house at Miraval until 2011. And some Italian sources say they did not buy this house, realtor is just trying to drum up business. This year alone they allegedly bought a villa on a Greek island as well as a seaside estate in Portugal. I highly doubt they actually bought any of these properties.

Anonymous said...

Spray paint letters I can see the person know nothing about historical palacios all over Europe falling appart maybe but remodeled will be something you cannot find anywere in America 200years old history all that 17 century mansion are so gorgeous with soul I hope they have the culture to appreciated that kind of property as well as the education who goes with it money do not mean class do they deserve that kind of property in the first place their charity are taxes purpose they are not low profile enought to feet there like previous owner for sure Italian aristocrat

Anonymous said...

LOL I highly doubt they purchased this piece of property either. I think Angelina and Brad names are used for promotional purposes. It's funny and sad that there is never any research done to check if there is actual paperwork with the city records showing such transactions.

Anonymous said...

Chateau Miraval was leased, not bought. It's possible that's the case here as well.

Anonymous said...

but is it GREEN ?
ie. Brad Pitts project for NO