- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reportedly selling 68-room retreat on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda
- Lavish holiday home where Tony and Cherie Blair, Vladimir Putin and George W Bush have all previously visited
- Saudi royals reportedly interested in estate which boasts six swimming pools, amphitheatre and artificial volcano
The 168-acre estate called Villa Certosa, which includes six swimming pools, an amphitheatre and even an artificial volcano, is situated on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda.
It is the lavish holiday home where Berlusconi, 78, has hosted many a high-profile guest including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is reportedly selling his 68-room lavish holiday home on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda to the Saudi royal family for a staggering £350million. The plush retreat features six swimming pools, an amphitheatre and an artificial volcano
The 168-acre estate, called Villa Certosa, comes with its own amphitheatre (pictured), as well as an underground cave leading to the ocean
Berlusconi (pictured left arriving in Sardinia by private jet earlier this month) has hosted many a high-profile guest at the retreat including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie (pictured right during their 2004 stay), George W Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin
Guests can enter the billionaire's luxurious retreat by sailing from the Mediterranean through a gated entrance and into a semi-submerged cave.
They can then climb a stairway leading directly into the villa, which also boasts a large collection of Mexican cacti.
According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Berlusconi recently gave Prince Mohammed bin Nayef – the Saudi prime minister and first in line to the throne – a five-hour tour of the estate.
The newspaper suggests that Prince Nayef might be making a purchase on behalf of his uncle, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Said, who cut short his holiday to the French Riviera earlier this month after complaining he did not have exclusive use of the beach.
While no sale has yet been completed, it is rumoured Berlusconi is offering the luxury property – near Porto Rotondo - for £350million, having put it on the market three years ago for £325million.
The flamboyant retreat - which has a mosaic of Poseidon, the god of the sea, holding a trident tiled on the floor - has been known about since 2004 when opposition politicians objected to a series of changes at the property.
In 2012, photographs emerged of an underwater chamber at the villa, which apparently leads right out to the sea meaning the owner and guests can secretly pass in and out.
At the time, it was reported that alterations to the secret cave and estate were implemented without proper planning permission.
While no sale has yet been completed, it is rumoured Berlusconi is offering the luxury property – situated near Porto Rotondo on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda and which he has owned since at least 2004 - for £350million, having put it on the market three years ago for £325million
Berlusconi reportedly gave Prince Mohammed bin Nayef – the Saudi prime minister and first in line to the throne – a five-hour tour of the estate recently. It is believed that Prince Nayef might be making a purchase on behalf of his uncle, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Said
The estate is made up of a number of rooms and comes with its own separate villa (pictured) which overlooks the Mediterranean
The estate also comes with tennis courts and an orange grove (pictured), as well as a whopping 168 acres of land and tamed gardens
The estate, which boasts 68 rooms, 168 acres of land, six swimming pools and an amphitheatre, also comes with its very own lagoon
It was claimed that Berlusconi was advised to make changes to the mansion by the secret services after receiving threats to his life.
'It was the secret services who asked me to carry out the work, after I had received 38 death threats,' Mr Berlusconi said when the cave came to light.
However, he said he had sought design advice from cabinet colleague Pietro Lunardi, who was then the minister for infrastructure, and insisted that no planning regulations had been broken.
As well as being known for its famous guests, the villa has also attracted some unwanted attention for Berlusconi in the past.
The former prime minister ended up taking Italian photographer Antonello Zappadu to court after he snapped scantily-clad girls at his estate with a long-lens camera.
Berlusconi argued that the photographs taken of him surrounded by women were an attempt to make his home look 'like a harem'.
The pictures, published in glossy Italian magazine Oggi, showed Berlusconi walking hand in hand with the women who were described as 'Berlusconi's Angels'.
They also showed some sitting on his lap and in one snapshot he was pictured with his eyes closed and his hand inside a woman's T-shirt.
The images were printed over eleven pages and ran under the headline: 'Berlusconi's Harem.'
Another selection of images, taken by Zappadu on a different occasion, showed Berlusconi alongside Tony and Cherie Blair, wearing a bandanna having just undergone a hair transplant.
The flamboyant retreat has been known about since 2004 when opposition politicians objected to a series of changes at the property. In 2012, photographs emerged of an underwater chamber at the villa (pictured), which allows guests to secretly pass in and out of the villa
The secret underwater cave has a mosaic of Poseidon, the god of the sea, holding a trident tiled on the floor and leads out towards the sea
The former prime minister said he was advised to modify his underwater chamber by the secret service after receiving 38 death threats
The images were taken during the Blairs' stay with Berlusconi in the summer of 2004.
At the time, they were treated to a spectacular fireworks display which ended with the words 'Viva Tony' lighting up the night sky.
Berlusconi complained that all of the images taken by Zappadu 'deliberately excluded images of male guests because the photographer was looking for a sale.'
He added: 'To take the pictures that he did he would have to have come onto the property - it would not have been possible any other way.
'My staff found that branches and flowers in the area where the photographer was had been broken and trampled of.
'The grounds and garden of villa Certosa are wonderful - I have the largest hibiscus in the world and there is also a working pizzeria, ice cream parlour and fairground. People who are my guests leave very reluctantly.'
After a lengthy court battle, Italy's highest appeal court ruled that Zappadu had violated Berlusconi's privacy but that it was too late for any sanction.
When Tony Blair visited the villa in 2004, he was treated to a spectacular fireworks display which ended with the words 'Viva Tony'
The estate also boasts a very large Mexican cacti collection (pictured), as well as a dock which grants full access to the Mediterranean
It did, however, add that the magazine editor who published the images was entitled to do so if his only motive was to boost circulation.
The rumoured interest in Berlusconi's Sardinian mansion comes just a week after he signed a pre-sale agreement to sell 48 per cent of AC Milan football club.
The Serie A soccer club is owned by Fininvest, Berlusconi's family holding company which also controls Italian TV broadcaster Mediaset and publisher Mondadori.
On August 2, he agreed to sell nearly half his share of the club to a group led by Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol.
Berlusconi, who bought AC Milan in 1986, will retain a 52 per cent of the club, when the deal is finalised by the end of September.
