Aste Bolaffi is pleased to present the auction of the paintings and furniture from grand hotel Realis Villa La Suvera near Siena (Turin, 21 October 2021). Like an unusual museum, the furniture embellished the noble floors of this historical residence with its suites, each dedicated to an historical figure, from Marie Antoinette to Napoleon to the Duke of Genoa. The name "Suvera" derives from the contamination of the French term "souveraine", the sovereign. The origins of this place date back to the early Middle Ages and its first owners were the Ardengheschi but towards the middle of the 16th century it became the property of Pope Julius II della Rovere, a man of arms but also an art lover, incarnation of the Renaissance prince, patron of artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo and Bramante. It was he who entrusted the task of adapting the austere fortress to the taste of his time to the famous Sienese architect Baldassarre Peruzzi who transformed it into a Renaissance villa surrounded by a large park. From Niccolò della Rovere, grandson of Julius II, the property then passed to the Chigi of Siena and, after a series of successions, was in the possession of Luchino Visconti from whom it was acquired by the Marquis and Marquise Ricci Paracciani who were the last owners. To the Marquis Giuseppe and his wife, Princess Eleonora Massimo, we owe the transformation of the villa into a luxury hotel where respect for the history of this ancient building was combined with the illustrious memories of their ancestors. Among the many distinguished guests of the hotel, there were world famous chef Alain Ducasse, singer Lucio Dalla and fashion designer Ralph Lauren who slept in the Emilio Farina suite. Hollywood stars who recently stayed at Suvera include Greg Kinnear, Zoe Saldana, Robert Zemeckis and Diane Kruger. In 2014, the English director Micheal Winterbottom dedicated a chapter of his film “The trip to Italy” starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon to Relais La Suvera. But perhaps the most illustrious guest of the hotel was Joseph Ratzinger who stayed there 3 times as a Cardinal. In which room? In the Pope's suite!



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