Qatari royal buys real estate larger than Vatican City for $375 million in Italy, featuring remote-controlled erupting volcano, five swimming pools and a secret cave to hide from drones

One of Europe’s most famous private estates has entered a new chapter after being bought by one of Qatar’s wealthiest royal figures. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the billionaire former Prime Minister of Qatar, has completed the purchase of Villa Certosa, the legendary Sardinian estate once owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.Known widely by his initials HBJ, Sheikh Hamad is among the richest members of Qatar’s royal family.

His personal fortune is estimated by Forbes at nearly $5 billion. The purchase adds one of the Mediterranean’s most exclusive and unusual properties to his already extensive collection of luxury assets.According to Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, the 66-year-old billionaire paid around €350 million ($395 million) for Villa Certosa.

The deal came after a major price reduction, as the estate had originally been placed on the market for €500 million ($571 million).A $395 million estate that costs millions to maintainAlthough Sheikh Hamad bought the property below its original asking price, Villa Certosa remains extremely expensive to operate.

The sprawling estate requires around €8 million every year for maintenance and staffing.The running costs include a huge energy bill, with electricity expenses alone reportedly reaching around €1.3 million annually. The property also comes with a €94 million mortgage and requires its own private desalination plant to supply water across the massive grounds.Located on Sardinia’s famous Costa Smeralda, Villa Certosa covers around 120 hectares of land, making it larger than Vatican City.

The estate is roughly the size of 83 standard football pitches.The main residence covers around 4,500 square metres and contains 126 rooms. Designed by Italian architect Gianni Gamondi, the property includes several additional buildings, guest areas and greenhouses used to maintain rare plants.A mansion with pools, caves and an artificial volcanoVilla Certosa became one of the world’s most talked-about private estates during Berlusconi’s ownership.

Over the years, the former Italian prime minister added a variety of luxury and unusual features to the property.The estate includes a regulation football pitch, several tennis courts, bocce courts, a private golf course, a helipad, a spa and a Greek-style amphitheatre for entertainment.The water facilities are equally impressive.

Instead of having one traditional swimming pool, Villa Certosa has seven separate pools, including a special thalassotherapy area made up of five connected seawater pools.The grounds also contain artificial lakes known as Palm Lake and Bio Lake. These areas feature small artificial islands, resident swans and even a floating tiki bar where guests can enjoy drinks on the water.Some of the estate’s most unusual additions were created for privacy and security.

During Berlusconi’s ownership, a bunker was built on the property, including an anti-nuclear shelter and a hidden grotto carved into the seaside hillside.The secret cave allows guests to arrive by boat through an underground tunnel, helping them avoid attention from photographers and surveillance cameras.The estate also includes an artificial volcano.

A mechanical system allows the feature to create a simulated eruption, complete with special effects designed to make the experience appear realistic.A private botanical collection spread across 120 hectaresBeyond its buildings and luxury facilities, Villa Certosa also functions as a large botanical garden.The estate contains thousands of rare plants and carefully designed gardens.

It includes a cactus amphitheatre with around 2,100 succulents representing 500 species.The property also has a palm collection featuring around 1,200 individual trees, along with a Hibiscus Museum containing 5,000 plants across 850 varieties.Other parts of the grounds include a citrus grove with around 800 trees from 160 species and a Garden of Gethsemane featuring around 150 ancient olive trees.Maintaining such a large landscape requires a permanent team of workers responsible for caring for the gardens, buildings, guest areas and seven independent villas spread across the estate.From Berlusconi’s private retreat to a luxury resortSheikh Hamad does not plan to keep Villa Certosa as a private residence.

His company, Constellation Hotels, already owns luxury hotels and historic properties across Europe, and the current plan is to transform the estate into a high-end resort.The move could eventually allow visitors to experience the property’s architecture, gardens and unusual features without needing to own the hundreds of millions of dollars required to buy it.The purchase also represents a personal connection for Sheikh Hamad, who has spent more than two decades visiting the Sardinian coast.

His 436-foot superyacht Al Mirqab, valued at around $300 million, is regularly seen in the waters around Porto Cervo during the summer season.A former head of the Qatar Investment Authority, HBJ has built a reputation for investing in some of the world’s most valuable properties and assets.Ready to Make a Smarter Property Decision?

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