When Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and other members of the Rat Pack decided to make a night of it, Frank Sinatra's former home - which can sleep more than a dozen guests and comes with a two-storey, self-sufficient guesthouse and private helipad - was their party-pad preference
Villa Maggio was singer-actor Sinatra's sanctuary for a dozen years in the 1970s - at a time when he was taking a sabbatical from making music. Located and designed with privacy and entertaining in mind, the eight-bedroom, three-building property is set at an elevation of 4,300 feet on a granite plateau in the mountains above Palm Desert. This ensures that it is at least 20 degrees cooler than the desert floor below throughout the year.
The 10-acre estate was designed by Ross Patton and can best be described as a rustic chalet, with overarching elements of local stone, hardwood floors and multiple fireplaces. The five-bedroom main house has two kitchens, separate living and dining rooms and an enormous bachelor-friendly den. The guesthouse and pool house each consists of two bedrooms and a kitchen, while outdoor amenities include a pool, tennis and basketball courts and a patio with a fire pit.
A huge fan of cooking, Sinatra designed the kitchens at Villa Maggio himself. Current owner and longtime friend Naomi Ritz has retained a number of Sinatra's personal touches, including a secret doorway, parts of an optical-illusion wallpaper, the original dining and bedroom sets, a McIntosh stereo system and even his beloved Ronson Foodmatic. Plus, there is a wall full of photos and news clippings dedicated to Ol' Blue Eyes.
Sinatra named Villa Maggio after his Oscar-winning character Private Angelo Maggio in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity, and it is currently on the market for US$3.95 million (Dh14.5 million).
Listing agent Frank Jackwerth of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate, says the place "retains much of the colourful, late-1960s eclecticism that followed the subdued, minimalist aesthetic of post-war America".
pmunyal@thenational.ae
