One of the most distinctive properties in the world has gone on the market - a fortress turned luxury villa, designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, the famous Italian artist and inventor who painted Mona Lisa. The building, in Livorno, Italy, is currently on the books of property firm Lionard Luxury Real Estate and is expected to sell for between US$ 5.6 million and US$ 11.2 million. Perched on top of a cliff, the property overlooks the Mediterranean Sea in Tuscany, Livorno, Italy, about 56 miles from Florence, where the painter stayed while he worked in 1502. The prestigious residence is part of a larger complex built as a fortification for the defense of the city of Livorno in the mid - 1400s by a well-known Florentine architect. Da Vinci designed the great walls surrounding the historic estate and gardens while working as a military engineer and, later, in the 19th century Napoleon's sister, Princess Elisa Bonaparte, became the owner. The main villa features a total floor surface of 773 square meters over four floors and a basement level. It is constructed of stone and brick, with terracotta flooring and copper eaves. On the ground floor, which is connected to the upper levels by an internal staircase, there is a hallway that opens onto a living room with a view of the sea, a dining area, three closets, a passageway, a bathroom and changing room, kitchen and larder. The mezzanine mainly features closets while on the first floor are the sleeping quarters with five bedrooms, each with in-suite bathrooms. The top floor, traditionally used by staff, features a kitchen/diner, a bathroom and a bedroom. The basement, which includes a closet, is reached by an internal staircase on the north side of the villa.

A whopping Italian estate with a 12th-century medieval castle and a sprinkling of Tuscan farmhouses in the ground, is on market for US$ 29,3 million. According to The Telegraph, 14,3 thousand square meters mansion has 115 bedrooms, 100 bathrooms on the side. This castle just east of Siena, wrapped in 630 hectares planted with 1,500 olive trees producing award-winning olive oil, is thought to be the largest property in the world currently on the market. The setting in Tuscany, the medieval courtyard with tower and chapel, the Italianate gardens with palms and box hedges, the interiors with marble floors and elaborate painted ceilings, make it so romantic that it is sometimes hired for weddings. It goes without saying that there is plenty of room for guests to sleep, as well as pools for them to swim in. "It is exceptionally beautiful. There are many castles in Tuscany but very few are medieval," says the agent John Jonk of Sotheby's International "The approach to it is wonderful and you go into another world. There are thousands of wild boar and roe deer, magical woods, vineyards, olive groves and grain fields. On the estate it is always silent. The castle was built at a time just before Giotto, when the Renaissance lay around the corner and Siena was at war with Florence." From the 1400s it had been in the hands of the Piccolomini family until the current owners bought it more than 30 years ago. "The price is unusually low considering it provides 14,3 thousand square meters of accommodation. But this reflects the market in Europe at the moment." It is believed that Galileo Galilei stayed in the tower and must have gazed out upon the same night sky. How does it compare to other global Godzillas of the property world? One of the largest newly built palaces is the 27-storey skyscraper Antilia in Mumbai, India, which provides 37,1 thousand square meters of space, including six stories of parking lots, a lobby with nine elevators and several lounges, a ballroom with crystal chandeliers, swimming pool, bar, yoga studio, ice room, four-storey garden and private sleeping areas for a family of five. It is thought to have cost nearly US$ 2 billion to build and is the home of Mukesh Ambani, head of the India-based petrochemical Reliance Industries. According to therichest.com, the largest home is the Istana Nurul Iman Palace, at 200 thousand square meters. This is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei and has 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, five swimming pools, a 110-car garage, air-conditioned stable for 200 polo ponies, banquet hall, and a mosque large enough for 1,500 worshippers. Its estimated cost was US$ 2,08 billion.