A princess living in a villa in Rome that contains the only ceiling fresco ever painted by Caravaggio has said she would “vigorously defend” her right to stay in the sprawling property after a judge ordered her eviction.
The US-born Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, the only occupant of the 16th-century Villa Aurora, has been embroiled in a long-running inheritance dispute with the three sons of her late husband, Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi, who was the property’s last owner.
In his will, the prince, who died in 2018, gave his wife the right to stay in the property for the rest of her life and, if sold, the proceeds were to be split between her and his sons. However, the sons disputed this, immediately prompting a legal wrangle.
Both sides eventually agreed to put the home up for sale, but the princess has been told to leave within 60 days just as the villa failed – for the fifth time – to attract any bidders at auction on Thursday.
A judge in Rome ruled the property, where Caravaggio’s Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto fresco was painted on the ceiling of a small room tucked away on the first floor, wa not being properly maintained after the collapse of a wall that led to the closure of an adjacent street. The judge also accused the princess of organising some unauthorised tours, which she denied.
“I intend to vigorously defend my right of use” said Princess Rita. “I’m trying not to be bitter, but it’s difficult.”
Villa Aurora, which is hidden by high walls close to Via Veneto in central Rome, was off the radar to the public until 2010, when it opened following a restoration project inspired by the princess after she saw it for the first time in 2003, the year she met Prince Nicolò. Until his death, the villa hosted students of history and small private tour groups. Princess Rita put together a digital archive of 150,000 documents that shed even more light on the history contained within the home, including letters by Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI.
“I loved my husband very much, and he loved me,” she said. “I have lived here for 20 years, and dedicated all my time and resources to this villa. It really didn’t have to be this way.”
Villa Aurora was first put up for auction in January last year with an opening bid of €471m (£417m), a price tag mostly due to the undisclosed value of the Caravaggio fresco. The price was dropped to €145m for the latest auction, but still failed to attract any offers.
The princess said there was interest, but people did not “want to step into this mess”.
The next auction is planned for April. Since the site is protected by Italy’s ministry of culture, once a bid has been accepted the state will have the chance to buy the property at the same price.
Vittorio Sgarbi, an undersecretary at the culture ministry, said Princess Rita ought to be allowed to stay in the property as its custodian until the villa was sold.