LUXURY HOMES 41
He said : “ I always felt this was my forever home , which I would share with my wife Josie and our family . However , since the project first began three years ago , we realised we needed to be in the UK much more often than we had previously , so it made sense to put the villa up for sale .”
Named after the owner himself , Villa Ricotta II ’ s lofty position affords both , mountain and coastal views , including the Straits of Gibraltar . It is only ten minutes from Puerto Banus , the playground of Europe ’ s rich and famous .
All bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms , walk-in wardrobes , a lounge area , and private terraces .
Visitors are greeted by a portico of the world ’ s only seven-metretall one-piece marble columns . Mr Ricotta ’ s special touches for this one-off villa include entrance fountains modelled on those at the Bellagio resort hotel on the Las Vegas Strip , where the water jets ‘ dance ’ in time to music .
There is a huge barbecue area featuring a wood-fire pizza oven as well as a family main kitchen and an industrial-size kitchen . The garden is filled with tropical flowers , as well as an enormous swimming pool and children ’ s pool . Plus , in the basement , there is a 21-seater cinema room , two lane bowling alley , bar and games area , a large spa including a wave machine , hammam and sauna . There is also parking for 50 vehicles .
Mr Ricotta , who is handling the sale himself , said : “ I had lots of interest in the villa even while I was building it , but it wasn ’ t for sale at the time .”
Mr Ricotta has spared no expense on the property , which is situated in Sierra Blanca , one of Marbella ’ s most exclusive residential districts .
The mansion has 6,000 square metres of floorspace arranged over three floors , set in 11,000 square metres of grounds . Think of the White House ( 6,200 square metres ) situated on a site bigger than an average-sized football pitch ( 7,140 square metres )!
There is an elegant double sweeping staircase , overlooking the Mediterranean Sea from the ground floor .
For more information contact Joe @ marbella . co . uk
Issue 57 2023 THE ART OF LUXURY