Villa Albergoni dates back to the 1500’s, and rests in the small Italian town of Moscazzano - just a hop skip and country stroll south east of Milan. Once a fortress, it was converted in the 17th century into a 14 room, 7 bathroom home and was the setting where Elio and Oliver, played by Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer respectively, meet and fall in love in the film Call Me By Your Name.
The entire estate is the stuff of which escape-to-an-Italian-villa dreams are made - magnificent in its unkempt, mottled exterior paintwork, ivied walls with weathered green shutters and sprawling grounds, with formal gardens and wide, sweeping stone staircases, tree-lined walks and cherubic statues.
Many of the features so fitting for the setting in the film are original to the home, which boasts coffered wooden ceilings upstairs and frescos downstairs. Original working stone fireplaces feature beyond incredible carved doors and sublime terrazzo flooring, not to mention the incredible library!
Italian director of Call Me By My Name, Luca Guadagnino, told Architectural Digest that he had once dreamt of buying the house, which perfectly played a its role in staging the film. "I had known that house for many years; I even dreamed of buying that house," Guadagnino said. "Once I realized that I couldn't afford it and didn't really want it for my life, I knew where I was going to set the action of the film—this place with faded, aristocratic charm, that a professor and his wife might have inherited but can't quite keep up."
The villa is on the market with House & Loft for EUR1.7million, which converts to just over AUD2.6million, so somewhat affordable, when you compare the rising cost of housing in our cities. It is something of a renovation project however and listed for its heritage value.
The director has let the house go in spirit, having filmed his work there but told Architectural Digest it would always remain with him, “I feel like I’ll own that house forever,” the director says. “I had the same sensation when I did I Am Love. I shot in this very important mansion in the center of Milan, and I never went back after the wrap but it’s mine. I’ll own that house forever."
Naturally it also has a cellar and, in case you’re wondering, yes, the chandeliers come with the house.
