LUXURY LEONARDO: Leonardo Da Vinci’s vineyard and former residence in Milan’s city center has a latest luxury mogul owner, one who knows a thing or two about winemaking.  

In line with press reports, industry titan Bernard Arnault, the chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has bought a storied constructing often known as Casa Degli Atellani in Milan from its previous owners, the descendants of the Conti and Portaluppi families. 

The worth of the transaction or the aim of the acquisition weren’t disclosed and LVMH representatives didn’t reply to requests for comment Friday. 

Built around 1490, the landmark was donated by Ludovico “Il Moro” Duke of Milan to Da Vinci in 1498 while he was on the town to color his masterpiece “The Last Supper.” After changing hands and ownership over time, the Milan residence positioned on tony Corso Magenta was acquired in 1919 by senator and entrepreneur Ettore Conti, whose son-in-low, famed architect Piero Portaluppi, was tasked with restoring it. 

The fifteenth century townhouse hides a verdant courtyard that’s home to Da Vinci’s vineyard, currently the one existing wine-producing estate in the middle of a metropolis. Neglected and destroyed, the 16-row, or around two-acre, vineyard was fastidiously restored in 2014 and eventually unveiled to the general public in the course of the 2015 international Expo held in Milan.  

Since its reopening the landmark has welcomed visitors and tourists and boasts six for-rent apartments. It has hosted various private events, including fashion shows and presentations, and cocktail receptions.

The news was first reported by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. 

Arnault, whose net price was estimated at $181.8 billion as of December, in line with Forbes, is among the many world’s richest men, often competing for the highest spot with entrepreneurs including Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.

Along with controlling fashion brands corresponding to Dior, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy, amongst others, LVMH owns 26 firms within the wines and spirits category, including Ruinart, Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. It also boasts a hospitality division, under the opposite activities moniker, which incorporates luxury operators corresponding to Cheval Blanc and Belmond. 

In 2013 the French group took a majority stake in storied Pasticceria Confetteria Cova Srl, owner of the Cova brand and of the Cova Montenapoleone Srl firm that manages considered one of Milan’s most trendy and iconic coffee houses, positioned on Via Montenapoleone.