An ex-Playboy model-turned-self-inspired Italian princess has been evicted from her $533 million Roman villa after a bitter inheritance dispute with her stepchildren.
Princess Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisi was forced to pack her four Bichon Frize dogs into a taxi on Thursday after being evicted from the historic property, which contains the only known ceiling painted by Caravaggio.
The 73-year-old said she was “brutally evicted” from her home and moaned that she had “lovingly tended to the building” with her husband Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi for the past 20 years.
She married the prince in 2009, but after his death in 2018, his children from his first marriage accused them of stealing their inheritance and letting Villa Aurora on the swanky Via Veneto fall into disrepair.
Princess Rita, her husband’s third wife, has been evicted after a court ruled she let down an outer wall of the world’s most expensive estate.
Princess Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisi, née Rita Carpenter, married Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi in 2009, but his children from his first marriage accused their stepmother of taking their inheritance
She was evicted from the historic estate, which contains the only known ceiling painted by Caravaggio
The Texas-born former Playboy model, formerly known as Rita Carpenter, was escorted out of the property by Carabinieri police, with locksmiths changing the locks.
Shortly before her eviction, she posted a video saying, “It’s illegal. I think it’s a farce, this is a brutal ending and unnecessary.
“It shouldn’t have happened like this, I don’t understand it. Someone said it’s because I’m a woman and American
“It’s so illegal it’s incomprehensible what they’re doing. It’s obviously all about the money.”
The Boncompagni Ludovisi are perhaps best known for supporting Pope Gregory XIII. to have produced according to the Gregorian calendar.
But lately they have attracted more attention with the inheritance dispute and the court-ordered auction of their famous villa in the heart of Rome.
One of her dogs escaped as she left the property, and as she held one, she told reporters, “I feel like I’m in a surreal movie, like Sartre’s ‘No Exit’.”
The Casino dell’Aurora, also known as Villa Ludovisi, has been owned by the Ludovisi family since the early 17th century.
This stunning property – a former hilltop hunting lodge that was once occupied by Julius Caesar’s palace – has what real estate agents would say has tons of potential (pictured).
In the photo, taken in November 2021, Princess Rita shows her home and the priceless paintings and artifacts to a group of journalists invited to the estate
The Casino Boncompagni Ludovisi, also known as Casino dell’Aurora. Pictured is the ornate ceiling showing the countries, with side panels painted by Guercino, Paul Bril, Domenichino and Gian Battista Viola
The children have argued that the house, built in 1570, is theirs, that their grandfather intended them to inherit it, and that their late father abused them and mismanaged his fortune.
They launched a multi-pronged legal campaign to gain control of the property so it can be sold, but attempts to lower the $353 million price tag still failed to move it.
Roman judge Miriam Iappelli issued an eviction order in January, accusing the princess of violating an earlier order that banned her from giving tours of the property.
Rita said the tours were necessary to raise money for the villa’s upkeep. In addition, the judge found that the princess had failed to keep the house in a “good state of preservation” after an outer wall collapsed.
One of the heirs, Prince Bante Boncompagni Ludovisi, was present at the villa on Thursday to watch “this woman”, as he calls his father’s widow, leave the property.
He said: “This house needs renovation. The water pipes need to be restored and the frescoes are in danger.
Shortly before her eviction, she posted a video saying, “It’s illegal. I think it’s a farce, it’s a brutal ending and unnecessary’
“This is a country: we have our police, we have our judges, and you must respect our country and our laws if you stay here.”
It’s not clear who will now take over the work on the home, which requires at least 11 million euros in renovations to bring it up to date.