Berlusconi’s “love nest” and Co.: Swiss chocolate heiress stresses out in her villas

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Lavinia Jacobs doesn’t want to be the center of attention. But the limelight continues to look for the 43-year-old, mostly unexpectedly. It’s inevitable when you have a name as famous as his: the name of his father, Klaus Jacobs, who made his fortune from coffee, chocolate, and casuals. The Jacobs family ranks 16th among the 300 richest people on the “balance sheet”, their assets are estimated at 11.5 billion francs.

But first of all: Last year Lavinia Jacobs bought a villa called Francesca Pascale in the northern Italian municipality of Rogoredo, between Milan and Lake Garda. The 1900 square foot property was known as the “love nest” of Pascale and her recently deceased ex-lover, Silvio Berlusconi. The entrepreneur and legal politician is said to have bought the property for 2.5m euros in 2015 and refurbished it for 30m euros. Then he gave it to his girlfriend as proof of his love.

Silvio Berlusconi death brought a lot of attention to Jacobs’ real estate deal

Information about who took over the property was not initially made public. Until “Il Fatto Quotidiano” newspaper announced Jacobs as the new owner of “Villa Maria” this week just a day before “Cavaliere”‘s death. His death also drew attention to the long-completed real estate deal, especially in Switzerland. “20 Minutes” and Blick reported on the business, which probably upset Jacobs.

How Jacobs plans to use the property in northern Italy remains his secret. Besides how much you paid for it.

But a Jacobs property isn’t just making headlines in northern Italy. This was also the case in London, where Jacobs lived, at least for part of the time, as “The Evening Standard” reports.

«Brutalist» with 1100 square meters pool

In south-west London, Lavinia Jacobs bought a three-story, six-bedroom 1930s home for £15m in 2016. It was previously leased to artist Damien Hirst. However, Jacobs had it demolished and replaced it with a modern 1100 square foot villa. She built a pool in the basement, she.

The plans were met with anger from neighbors and neighborhood groups. Jacobs was accused of constructing an “award building” that did not fit the environment and did not take the neighborhood into account. A competitor of the project described it as “brutal”. The cutting of various trees on the property also caused resentment.

But one thing is certain: the villa was built and the neighbors’ objections were largely rejected.

Lavinia Jacobs is first and foremost a philanthropist.

In the widely branched world of the Jacobs family, Lavinia Jacobs is president of the Zurich Jacobs Foundation, one of the largest charities in Switzerland. At the end of 2022, the foundation’s assets were CHF 6.3 billion. It primarily supports educational projects.

The family’s philanthropic activities are financed from dividends from companies currently collected under Jacobs Holding. These include a large stake in chocolate maker Barry Callebaut, several dental chains in Europe and the USA, and a group of private schools. Lavinia Jacobs’ brothers Philippe and Nicolas Jacobs are actively involved in the holding company.

Entrepreneur Klaus Jacobs, who died in 2008, laid the foundation for the family’s wealth in the coffee business and later in the job placement service (Adecco).

Source :Blick