Qatari Billionaire HBJ Buys Berlusconi’s Villa Certosa For $395 Million: Plans To Turn It Into A Resort

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Qatar’s billionaire former prime minister known widely as HBJ, has completed the purchase of Villa Certosa, the Sardinian estate once owned by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reports the 66-year-old paid around €350 million, roughly $395 million, well below the estate’s original €500 million ($571 million) asking price.

Forbes estimates HBJ’s personal fortune at nearly $5 billion. The deal adds Villa Certosa to a growing collection of European luxury assets held through his company, Constellation Hotels, which already owns luxury hotels and historic properties across the continent.

Located on Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda, Villa Certosa spans around 120 hectares, roughly the size of 83 football pitches and larger than Vatican City. The main residence alone covers about 4,500 square metres and contains 126 rooms, designed by Italian architect Gianni Gamondi.

Running the estate does not come cheap. It requires around €8 million a year in maintenance and staffing, with electricity bills alone reportedly reaching €1.3 million annually. The property also carries a €94 million mortgage and needs its own private desalination plant to supply water across the grounds.

Rather than keeping it as a private residence, HBJ plans to convert Villa Certosa into a high-end resort, following the model of his existing hotel portfolio. The move would eventually let paying guests experience a property that, until now, only Berlusconi’s inner circle ever saw up close.