Silvio Berlusconi’s luxury villa in Sardinia, Villa Certosa, hosted a final gathering on Tuesday to mark what would have been the media mogul and three-time Italian prime minister’s 90th birthday. The event brought together some of Berlusconi’s closest family members, long-time associates, and notable figures, reflecting on a site synonymous with his controversial public and private life.
Villa Certosa, which has recently been sold to a Qatari buyer for €350 million, served as a backdrop for decades of Italian political and social history. During Berlusconi’s lifetime, the estate welcomed numerous international leaders, including George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin, and Tony Blair, as well as numerous guests famous for the infamous “bunga bunga” parties. Attendees at Tuesday’s event included Berlusconi’s ex-wife Veronica Lario, his much younger girlfriend Marta Fascina, who inherited around €100 million from him, and his youngest son Luigi Berlusconi, who organized the commemorative gathering.
Marcello Dell’Utri, a Berlusconi confidant who has served jail time for connections to the Sicilian mafia, the Cosa Nostra, described the villa as having witnessed “at least 20 years of the history of Italy.” The assembly also provided a final opportunity for some of Berlusconi’s circle to experience the villa’s unique features, which include dozens of bedrooms, seven swimming pools, a nuclear bunker, and a secret underground cave with a sea dock. Among the estate’s more eccentric touches are a large collection of Mexican cacti, a fake Roman amphitheatre, and an ice cream stand where Berlusconi was known to personally serve his favorite flavors.
The villa, known for its lavishness and occasional controversies, drew media attention over the years for incidents involving high-profile guests. These included photographs of Berlusconi’s female guests engaged in provocative behavior, and a scandal involving a candid image of a former Czech prime minister in an explicit situation with young women around a pool. The artificial volcano on the property, which sparked alarms among neighbors when first activated, remains an unresolved feature for the new owner, reported to be Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, a former Qatari prime minister.
Berlusconi’s political career ended amid personal scandals, including allegations of affairs with a teenage beauty queen and an exotic dancer. His estranged wife, Veronica Lario, publicly criticized him and sought a divorce, highlighting the strain of his lifestyle on his family. At the recent event, Lario and Fascina reportedly shared a table after a memorial mass, in a gesture seen as symbolically significant by Italian media.
Tuesday’s gathering marked the closing chapter for Villa Certosa under Berlusconi’s legacy, signaling the end of an era that intertwined Italian politics, international diplomacy, and notorious social excesses. The new ownership will determine the next phase of the estate’s history, concluding a defining part of Berlusconi’s complex public persona.