With her marriage to property developer Edoardo ‘Edo’ Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Beatrice – the Queen’s fifth eldest grandchild – becomes part of one of Italy’s oldest aristocratic families.
As well as becoming a ‘Contessa’ (a purely symbolic title in post-war Italy) Her Royal Highness’s husband will also inherit the family’s grand residence – a large neoclassical palazzo widely regarded as one of the finest in Italy.
The palace sits in Ponte San Pietro, a small town in the province of Bergamo. Around an hour’s drive from Lake Como, it has reportedly been part of the family estate since the 13th century.
Villa Mapelli Mozzi is an hour’s drive from Lake Como
Back then, the Mozzis were a powerful merchant dynasty emanating from their namesake town in Bergamo. They owned numerous large properties across the region, including a castle in Ponte San Pietro that became the family seat.
The castle was converted into the current palace sometime in the 18th century on the orders of then-owner Count Enrico Mozzi.
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