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ROME / BLOOMBERG
There are plenty of castles for sale across Europe, but few provide the opportunity for prospective owners to play the role of a feudal lord. It’s the difference between living like a prince and living as a prince.
Now a castle has come onto the market to let you do the latter. The Umbrian Castle di Sismano, which has been in the hands of the princes of Corsini (two became popes) for 1,054 years, is being sold, along with 850 hectares (2,100 acres) of farmland that comprises forests, fields, grazing pastures, and 18 acres of olive groves.
The estate, which sits in Italy’s center, an hour and a half’s drive from Rome, also comes with 17 farmhouses and a housing development with seven villas.
Not all of the village of Sismano, which hugs the castle walls, is included, but buyers stand to get a clock tower and gatehouse, two small residential houses, two garages, a warehouse, and the town’s
restaurant.
Not bad, if you yearn to start a personal fiefdom.
As for the actual abode: The castle is approximately 18,000 square feet, including an interior courtyard and an adjacent pool. Until recently, a direct descendent of the Corsini family used at least part of the castle building as a bed and breakfast, so prospective owners should be prepared to do some work in order to restore it to lordly
proportions.
Still, $8.3 million seems a small price to pay to pay for getting to act like a bona fide (and benevolent, one hopes) Italian prince.
This property is listed by Angelica Mera Schaefer and Jeffrey Feuer at Douglas Elliman.