Sophia Loren’s husband Carlo Ponti promised her the ‘most beautiful house in the world,’ after they married.
But before they moved to their iconic 50-room mansion, the late Italian producer lived in an equally stunning Roman villa, frequented by the films stars of the era.
The magnificent villa, 1,300 square metres of luxury just 10 minutes from the Colosseum, is currently for sale with luxury real estate company Lionard for a staggering £17million (19 million euros).
Ponti lived in the opulent estate in the 1950s with his first family, before his 1966 marriage to the silver screen legend.
The film mogul, who was married to Oscar-winning Sophia until his death in 2007, famously entertained the biggest film stars of the day including Antony Quinn and Kirk Douglas at the property.
He hosted many influential guests from the world of cinema, from directors Federico Fellini, Vittorio de Sica, Roberto Rossellini to actors like Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano,
The villa is located in the Appian Way Park, one of the Eternal City’s most beautiful and prestigious areas, and is surrounded by a centuries-old park.
The extravagant property features stunning elements dating back 2,000 years, and the late producer delighted in showing his guests around.
The estate is composed of a two-storey main villa measuring 680 square metres, and a 600 square metre independent outbuilding.
It is being sold by Lionard Luxury Real Estate for 19 million euros, but the two properties may also be bought separately.
The main villa was built in the 19th century on the ruins of a basalt quarry which was used, from 312 BC, to extract the material used to make the most famous Roman road, the Appian Way.
It was then modified several times in the 1950s and completely restored by its current owner, who bought it from Ponti’s first family in the 1980s.
The property is surrounded by a centuries-old park, covering 1.5 hectares and featuring tall trees and spacious lawns.
The park is also home to a heated swimming pool, a garage, and several independent apartments.
One of the three accesses to the main villa from the garden level leads to a room with a concrete vault and ancient Roman mosaic floors.
Alberto Sordi decided to set the initial scene of his movie Un Tassinaro A New York in the grand Roman room.
The main living quarters, accessible via a lift, is composed of five bedrooms with their own bathrooms, and a library complete with romantic winter garden.
Sophia and Carlo met when Sophia entered a beauty contest at the age of 14.
Although she didn’t win, her beauty and wit captured the attention of Ponti, who was around 22 years her senior, and they married seven years later.
During her successful career Sophia won 50 awards including being the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for a non-English speaking role.
She was even nicknamed Sofia Lazzaro, as it was joked that her stunning appearance could have raised Lazarus from the dead.
Unlike many of her peers who jumped from playboy to playboy, the pair remained married until his death in 2007.
Allegedly when asked if she would ever marry again, she replied: ‘No, never again. It would be impossible to love anyone else’.
