Qatar’s Constellation Hotels to buy Berlusconi’s Villa Certosa

A Qatari company has agreed to purchase an infamous villa owned by the late Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in one of Italy’s biggest-ever private real estate sales.

Berlusconi’s heirs have agreed to sell Villa Certosa in the Costa Smeralda region on the island of Sardinia to Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani’s Constellation Hotels Holding for about $395 million, Reuters reports.

Often used to host heads of state, billionaires and celebrities, the villa was also the setting for Berlusconi’s notorious “bunga bunga” parties, which were the subject of multiple investigations.

Set on 300 acres overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the property includes 126 rooms, an amphitheater, a rare cactus collection and a James Bond-style underground grotto for boats to dock.

UAE to invest $40 billion in Italy following MBZ’s state visit

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s state visit to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome produced a range of deals aimed at strengthening both business and security ties between the two countries.

Emirati officials signed deals on Monday to invest $40 billion in Italy across projects ranging from artificial intelligence to undersea cables and renewable energy.

“This collaboration underscores the importance of Italy and the UAE as strategic partners for innovation, sustainable economic development and technological exchange,” the countries said in a joint statement.

Sheikh Mohamed’s trip was the first by a UAE President to Italy. Meloni visited Abu Dhabi in January.