Attard, Malta
Endless blue skies over the sparkling Mediterranean, a grand white-columned palazzo, and shirtless actor Matt Smith. I'm referring, of course, to the Netflix series The Crown and their references to Malta, where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip lived between 1949 and 1951.
This week, their former home Villa Guardamangia in Pietà was listed for $6.7 million. Don't expect it to look like a million bucks, however. It's said to be in a "dilapidated state," and the pictures seem to bear that out.
As for interior photos, we'll just have to be satisfied with these screenshots from The Crown, because any other documentation or pictures seem to be non-existent. Believe me, I wanted to find them!
So, in lieu of appreciating the palazzo interiors, let's go about 13 minutes inland to Attard and peek at a palazzino instead. Parts of it date to the 17th century. I'm guessing this grand hall is one of those parts:
Let's find inspiration in another 17th century house, Villa Centinale. It's the Tuscany residence of the Earl and Countess of Durham, and has been decorated by Camilla Guiness.
Villa Centinale is a good match for our palazzino. The Malta living room:
The Malta kitchen, which a little someone custom decorated:
And Villa Centinale's:
A bedroom at Malta:
And at Villa Centinale:
"[Malta] is a country of long-standing traditions. Houses are noted by names rather than formal addresses, and locals put an emphasis on owning, not renting. ... Contemporary seafront complexes are rising in prime areas, some built on historic sites. Restored older town homes known as "houses of character" are sought by those who value homes with stories to tell." {source}
Here's hoping that our buyers value these houses of character!
The Villa Guardamangia listing is here.
The Attard palazzino listing is here.
Villa Centinale is available for private rentals, here.
