No matter how nicely you ask, you can’t move into the Sistine Chapel. However, it is possible to live in Michaelangelo Buonarroti’s former home—although you will have to paint the ceilings yourself.
The eight-bedroom, seven-bath villa is tucked into the Tuscan hills between Florence and Siena, and is on the market for $8,395,836.
Purchased by the famed Florentine artist in 1549 for the hefty sum of 2,281 florins (roughly a little over $319,340 today, according to Hyperallergic), the nearly 13,000-square-foot property is known as Villa Michelangelo. The building is filled with wood-beamed ceilings, stone courtyards, built-in benches that Michelangelo himself may have sat on, wood burning fireplaces, and gracefully curved barrel ceilings.
To further your Under the Tuscan Sun fantasies, the property also includes an original oil mill, five acres of gardens, and both a lemon and olive grove. There’s a vineyard adjacent to the property, but it’s not currently for sale. While the Italian Ministry has understandably declared the home a historical landmark, making it almost impossible to change the architecture, the realtors note that, "the municipality may allow the construction of a swimming pool."
Listed through Handsome Properties International, the villa’s seller has the original documents and deeds to prove the home’s illustrious heritage.
Michelangelo’s family sold the villa in 1867, and since then the property has only been on the market a handful of times and underwent a restoration two decades ago, adding amenities like Internet access and heating. The Busoni family has lived there since 1973 and understandably hopes to sell the property to someone who will respect the home’s history.
The house has been on the market since July 2014, and considering its heritage, amenities, and Tuscan location, it’s surprising that the house is still available. We think it would make a fantastic little B&B.
