For sale: Rome villa restored by Texas princess auctioned

By FRANCESCO SPORTELLI and NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — A villa in the heart of Rome that features the only known ceiling mural painted by Caravaggio is being put up for auction by court order. The Casino dell’Aurora, also known as Villa Ludovisi, was built in 1570 and has been in the Ludovisi family since the early 1600s. After Prince Nicolo Boncompagni Ludovisi died in 2018, the villa became the subject of an inheritance dispute between his children from his first marriage and his third wife, a Texas-born princess, Rita Jenrette Bomcompagni Ludovisi. A judge recently ordered the villa put up for auction, which is scheduled for mid-January. The value is estimated at 471 million euros ($533 million) and the starting bid set at 353 million euros ($400 million).