The American tycoon Bill Gates, through the Four Seasons company, purchased Villa San Giorgio, known as the Portofino Castle. The property, 1200 m2, is now divided into 12 mini apartments with a private lift that leads to the small beach below. The Microsoft founder would have purchased the castle with the aim of making it a luxury hotel, for his “Four Seasons” chain acquired in 2021 for 2.2 billion dollars by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The news of the sale had been circulating for a few days as well as the purchase price: between 50 and 60 million euros. The now former property of the Castle, which belongs to a Genoese insurer, had confirmed its intention to sell and the advertisement for an extra luxury real estate agency with offices in Santa Margherita, Camogli and Genoa is still online. In the past the property had been owned by Baroness Jeannie Watt Mumm, widow of Baron Mumm, still remembered today in Portofino as “the lady of the Castle of San Giorgio”.
The ‘Castle’ of Portofino
Apart from Piersilvio Berlusconi’s villa which is being restored, in recent months there have been the acquisitions of Dolce and Gabbana, Jacquemuse and Louis Vuitton without forgetting the tycoon Bernard Arnault who purchased the Splendido hotel (20th position among hotels according to Condé Nast Traveller) plus the Splendido Mare and the Fiore baths and the Langosteria in Paraggi. To transform the Castle into an ultra-luxury hotel, the need for a change of intended use of the property will have to be taken into account. The castle of Portofino is in fact for “residential” use and to change its destination you will need the green light from the Municipality and the Portofino Park Authority.
And on this the mayor Matteo Viacava clarified: “The master plan is very clear and only a villa for residential use can go there. I imagine that Bill Gates knows this. We are happy that such an important person has shown interest in Portofino. But rules are rules and must be respected by everyone.”
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2023-10-04 21:49:00
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