Italian castle once used by Nazis on sale for £5m

Castello Gallenga Stuart, near Perugia in Umbria, has gone on the market for £5 million.

It's an impressive property, dominated by an octagonal tower - from which there are beautiful views of the surrounding area.

The ornate stonework on the outside is mirrored by equally impressive plasterwork inside. And all this costs roughly the same as a three-bedroom flat in Mayfair.

The Etruscan property was bought by a British and Italian couple in 1872 (he was a nobleman from Piedmont and she was from the Stuart royal family). They employed local artists, who worked for 20 years to turn the building into a stunning neo-gothic castle.

The buyers will not just get a 28 bedroom home, they'll also be buying a study with an impressive frescoed fireplace, an ornately-decorated reception room with coffered ceiling and bow windows, and a library with painted ceilings and plasterwork.

The former servant's quarters are less embellished, but it may be difficult to spot this, as from there you are treated to a beautiful view of the surrounding Italian countryside.

The property is one of the most impressive in the area, which is why during World War II, it was used by the Germans as a local command base - until Perugia was liberated in 1944.

You can take a look around here:

If you are tempted by this castle, there are just a couple of things to consider, the first is that the property is described as 'partially restored', so you'll need to budget a bit more cash for full restoration. The exteriors are now almost entirely complete, some of the interiors are finished, but other areas need further work (especially the attic rooms). If you plan to bring the stables and annexes up to the same kind of standard you'll be starting from scratch.
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With this level of embellishment and decoration, you'll also need fairly deep pockets for maintenance. And although the agents point out that there is the space for a pool, if you wanted any kind of millionaire trappings at all, you'd need to install them yourself.

So what do you think? Is £5 million a small price to pay for a unique and fascinating property, or would it just be the first drop in the ocean of money you'd end up spending on it?

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