Rome’s serene skies and stately buildings often serve to salve the wounds of its history. Layers of monuments and ruins conceal centuries of struggles and triumphs. Through its many rebuildings, the Eternal City seems to declare “Tomorrow’s another day.”
Villa Ludovisi Aurora is a case in point. Tucked away behind the grand hotels of the Via Veneto on the Pincian Hill, this little oasis shows little trace of the dramatic events and remarkable characters that have trod its grounds.
The Villa Aurora. (Courtesy of HSH Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi)
Yet in 2021, the villa was catapulted into the global spotlight when it was announced that the building, grounds, and its unique mural by celebrated Baroque artist Caravaggio would be put up for public auction. Inheritance wars, art thefts, and family drama all came to light as attention was trained on the villa with its asking price of 471 million euro (approximately $521 million) and a lineup of rumored prospective buyers from Bill Gates to the Sultan of Brunei….