Isola Santa Cristina

Is Isola Santa Cristina for sale, and how much does it cost?

Isola Santa Cristina is a 72 acres private island in Venetian Lagoon, Italy. It is currently offered for sale: €24,000,000. Tenure is freehold. Foreign ownership is permitted subject to local approvals. This is an editorial profile drawn from public record, clearly attributed, not our listing.

Summary

One of the rarest offerings in European property, Isola Santa Cristina is a fully realised private estate in the northern Venice lagoon, brought to market in 2026 by the Swarovski family trust after more than forty years in single ownership. At roughly seventy acres it combines a substantial nine-bedroom villa, a farmhouse, a chapel and a boat house with working vineyards and olive groves, all within a short boat ride of Venice itself. Guided at twenty-four million euros through Venice Sotheby's, it is a turnkey heritage holding for a buyer seeking absolute privacy on the doorstep of one of the world's great cities.

Land & Waterfront

The island's seventy-odd acres are richly cultivated, carrying a private vineyard, olive grove, orchards and extensive formal gardens and terraces that lend it the character of a mainland estate set improbably within the lagoon. Sheltered lagoon waters surround it, and a boat house with private mooring anchors the estate to the water. The setting is serene and horizontal, defined by tended landscape and open sky rather than dramatic topography, with the productive agricultural land a genuine and unusual amenity at this scale so close to Venice.

Access & Utilities

Access is by private boat — the estate also has a helicopter landing platform, with Venice a short run away and Marco Polo airport reachable by water transfer. As an established estate it is fully serviced, with a heated saltwater pool, mature gardens and the domestic infrastructure of a long-inhabited property, including staff accommodation in the farmhouse. Because the island has been held and maintained continuously for decades, a buyer inherits a functioning household rather than a restoration project, though the lagoon's heritage and environmental oversight will govern any future changes to the historic fabric or grounds.

Ownership & Use

FreeholdOutright ownership of the land itself, indefinitely — the strongest form of title. title passes cleanly to foreign buyers under Italian law, with EU capital-movement rules easing acquisition for EEA purchasers. The natural use is as a private residence of the first rank, with the vineyard and olive production offering a genuine estate lifestyle and a degree of self-sufficiency unusual for a lagoon island. Any works to the villa, chapel or protected landscape will engage the Soprintendenza, so alteration plans should be tested with counsel early. For the right owner it is less a project than a ready-made legacy holding beside Venice.

Provenance

Santa Cristina hosted a Benedictine convent (first recorded 1185, renamed for Saint Christina in 1325) until its last nun left in 1432; the Donà family held it by the late 1700s, it fell abandoned again by the mid-20th century, and Austrian industrialist Gernot Langes-Swarovski bought and restored it in 1986, holding it until his 2021 death — after which his family trust listed it for sale in June 2026 at €24 million, the first sale in over 40 years.

Specification

Status	Available
Offering	For sale
Region	Mediterranean · Venetian Lagoon
Country	Italy
Size	72 acres · 29 ha
Tenure	Freehold
Access	boat, helicopter
Nearest airport	Venice Marco Polo (VCE), a short boat transfer
Power	connected
Water	connected
Communications	broadband
Structures	nine-bedroom villa, farmhouse, chapel, boat house
Foreign ownership	Permitted (see notes)

Price record

Documented public figures over time — asking prices, reported sales and reductions, each attributed. This record is maintained editorially and may lag the market.

The full traced record — ownership lineage and every dated event back to the earliest public mention — is in The Ledger, for members.

Legal & Ownership Notes

Italy grants full freehold to foreign buyers with no nationality bar; EU capital-movement rules apply

Zoning: Lagoon and heritage context brings Soprintendenza oversight on works to historic fabric and landscape

• confirm heritage/landscape consents for any alterations
• verify lagoon environmental designations
• review private mooring and access rights

Satellite reference: ESRI World Imagery / Google Earth — Isola Santa Cristina, Venice Lagoon, Italy.

Common questions

How much does Isola Santa Cristina cost?

Isola Santa Cristina is profiled at: €24,000,000. Figures reflect public record at time of writing and may change; the profile keeps a dated price record.

What tenure does Isola Santa Cristina have?

Isola Santa Cristina is held on freehold tenure. Always confirm the exact instrument and any remaining term on the title.

Can a foreigner buy Isola Santa Cristina?

Foreign buyers may own property here subject to local approvals. Italy grants full freehold to foreign buyers with no nationality bar; EU capital-movement rules apply

How do you get to Isola Santa Cristina?

Access is by boat, helicopter. Nearest airport: Venice Marco Polo (VCE), a short boat transfer.

How big is Isola Santa Cristina?

Isola Santa Cristina is approximately 72 acres (29 hectares).