Villa Arabesque
Villa Arabesque is a house built by Baron Enrico di Portanova located in Acapulco.
History
The baron bought land in 1975 from Bruno Pagliai, at a place called Guitarron, at the bottom of the hill of Las Brisas. The work of the architects lasted two years before the work began, which was to last five years, from 1978 to 1983. 1,500 workers worked on this site at a cost of 5 million dollars [ref. necessary].
Only materials from the region were used, unlike other residences in Acapulco. Marble, for example, comes from the State of Guerrero on which Acapulco depends.
Mediterranean in style, this 6000 m2 house has 28 bedrooms and 26 guest bathrooms, it is the largest ever built in Acapulco at the time. It also has 4 swimming pools. [1]
The architect Aurelio Munoz Castillo, proposed to the baron to build a private discotheque within the villa itself (previously the baron organized all his parties at the Armando's club). The architecture of the discotheque takes on the aspect of the seabed, hence its name Poseidon disco (it can accommodate 200 people). The Poseidon Grill is attached and can accommodate 60 guests. The terrace overlooking the villa has a private helipad. Besides a huge ballroom for the sole use of the Baroness, the kitchens were as large as those of a 5-star hotel. [2]
On the original plans, the architects had planned rooms for 15 servants, but they were then modified to accommodate 40, necessary for the proper functioning of the house which was always full of world-famous guests like Roger Moore, Sylvester Stallone, Placido Domingo , Henry Kissinger ...
A private funicular was added towards the end of the work in order to connect the different levels of the house. All the furniture has been designed especially for the house. The cost of maintaining the house was $600,000 per year. The villa was also protected by a tower where armed security guards stood guard.
No angle is right, as the Baron wanted; the house seems to be in motion, a waterfall starts from the top of the house, crossing the property to the sea. A small private beach borders the bottom of the property.
During the pre-inauguration party, the marble floor still not having been laid, Sandra di Portanova had it completely covered with Bougainvillea, one of the very first parties was given in honor of Henry Kissinger and his wife Nancy.
World famous for its parties, the Villa Arabesque passed down to posterity as one of the main sets of the James Bond License to Kill. The Portanovas graciously offered the villa.
The house contains very rich murals of women resembling a harem; the long wall sofas were decorated with striped cushions and covered with leopard fur on many of them. To accompany the leopard decor, silver leopard statues resting on copper trees were placed on the floor where giant square cushions formed the basis of large circular glass tables that house a variety of statues, candle holders and trays. [3]
After the Baron's death in March 2000, followed by his wife Sandra a month later, Baroness Greg Hovas' brother inherited the villa. His wife Jana Jaffe, a renowned interior designer, has completely renovated the villa keeping the spirit of the Portanovas.
The villa is currently on sale for US $18 million [ref. necessary] [When?].
References
- ↑ Nemy, Enid (2000-03-04). "Baron Enrico di Portanova, 66, Flamboyant Member of Jet Set". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
- ↑ Nemy, Enid (2000-03-04). "Baron Enrico di Portanova, 66, Flamboyant Member of Jet Set". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
- ↑ "La historia de Arabesque en Acapulco". Revista Quién (in Spanish). Year 2 Vol 18: 110–112. October 2001. ISSN 1405-8634.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
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