Inside The $395 Million Sardinian Estate A Qatari Billionaire Just Bought From Berlusconi’s Family

One of Europe’s most talked-about private estates has a new owner. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Qatar’s billionaire former prime minister known as HBJ, has bought Villa Certosa in Sardinia, the legendary property built up by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore reports the price at around €350 million, close to $395 million, a significant cut from the estate’s original €500 million ($571 million) listing. HBJ, whose fortune Forbes pegs at nearly $5 billion, already owns luxury hotels and historic properties across Europe through his company Constellation Hotels.

The scale of the property explains both the price tag and the upkeep bill. Villa Certosa covers around 120 hectares on Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda coastline, an area larger than Vatican City and equivalent to about 83 football pitches. Its main house spans 4,500 square metres across 126 rooms, designed by architect Gianni Gamondi.

Keeping the estate running costs roughly €8 million a year, including an annual electricity bill of about €1.3 million. Villa Certosa also comes with a €94 million mortgage and its own private desalination plant, since municipal water supply cannot cover a property this size.

HBJ does not intend to live there full-time. His plan, according to reports, is to turn Villa Certosa into a luxury resort, opening up a property that spent decades as Berlusconi’s famously private retreat to paying guests instead.