PROPERTY: Seafront fortress designed by Leonardo to sell for €5-10m

A seafront fortress with imposing walls designed by Leonardo Da Vinci is up for sale for about 5-10 mln euros by premium realtors Lionard Luxury Real Estate of Florence. The fortress, located in Livorno, Tuscany, was briefly used as a dwelling by Da Vinci himself in 1502 and was later owned by Napoleon's sister, Princess Elisa Bonaparte, in the 19th century.

The fortress is just one of over 100 seafront properties in Lionard's portfolio, which includes villas and castles for sale in Italian resorts, with prices ranging from 2 to 45 mln euros.
Notable highlights in the portfolio include a tower home on the Amalfi Coast originally built to withstand pirate attacks and now transformed into a villa over three levels with private sea access, and a Coppede-style castle on the Ligurian Riviera. The property, built in the early twentieth century and surrounded by a historic park, measures 800sq.m., with interior space distributed over six levels.
According to Lionard, Tuscany is the most requested region for property, with Forte dei Marmi leading. The other seaside resorts which are highly requested are Capri and the Amalfi Coast, Portofino and the Ligurian Riviera, and Sardinia.
Among the 140 seaside properties featured on http://www.lionard.com is a Portofino-based villa overlooking the Ligurian sea which once housed Robert Kennedy during a visit, liberty-style villas along the Forte dei Marmi promenade and many more.