And in this home -- which, at $28.35 million, is the most expensive listing in Sarasota County right now -- we see how that dolce vita vibe can play out in interior design and architecture.
The lavish Italian-inspired estate is located at 1310 South Lake Shore Drive in the Oyster Bay neighborhood, located on Little Sarasota Bay.
The owner, local cardiologist Dr. Gene E. Myers, bought the lot in 1990 for $700,000, and clearly didn't have resale in mind. There are no impersonal greige design elements here. Rather, the home is surrounded by a 10-foot high wall and the custom wrought iron gates are finished with 23-karat gold leaf accents. Inside, there are Venetian plaster walls, hand-painted frescoes, arches and more gold leaf accents.
The design is all in the details -- many of which were imported from the motherland itself. It's hard to believe anyone ever dared to wear flip-flops on those gleaming Italian marble floors after coming home from a day at the beach; (after all, visitors aren't allowed to do that at the Duomo in Florence). Yet the homeowners raised their family in the more than 9,200 square foot home, which has another 4,185 square feet of air-conditioned garages and storage space.
But today, the four-bedroom, six-bathroom address on more than an acre is now lots of space for two, and the couple is ready to downsize now that their daughter is out of the home.
The home was built from the ground up to the Myers' specifications, and has been a work in progress for years -- construction just wrapped up in 2020. It was overseen by Andrea Gallo, a classically trained Italian architect, who drew inspiration from Gianni Versace's Miami home, Casa Casuarina.
Myers isn't Italian, nor is his Canadian wife -- you'll see American and Canadian flags out front -- but they dig an Italian holiday.
"The owners traveled [to Italy] with the architect to find features they liked," says Steve Wexler of Premier Sotheby's, who is representing them in the sale. According to Wexler, the Myers recreated the balustrades they saw at Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como in northern Italy and reproduced the exterior light fixtures they saw at Palazzo Avino On the Amalfi Coast in the south of the country. The roof tiles and marble are obviously imported, and the molding work is all custom-crafted.
Although the design is Old World fab, it's also outfitted with the latest tech and up-to-date on all the latest hurricane codes, with a built-in generator.
But does the custom design -- and that price -- pose a challenge for resale?
"It's going to appeal to a limited market not only for its price but its style," Wexler says. "I'd be surprised if someone wanted to rip it all out for a redo at this price point. We know the buyer will be someone who loves this type of architecture and can appreciate the details. We'll be marketing it not only locally but internationally."
Other perks include a dedicated entryway to the ritzy Field Club (although the new owners will still have to be invited by an existing member if they want to join), and the estate itself has multiple terraces, gardens and a sunset deck with views of Sarasota Bay and beyond. A dock has a 20,000-pound lift and jet ski lifts, and there's an outdoor kitchen with reclaimed Chicago brick plus a mosaic pool.
As for the general cooldown of a previously overheated real estate market, Wexler adds that luxury homes that are listed for more than $10 million remain outside of the trend.
"I'm not seeing a cooldown in luxury properties in Sarasota County," he says. "I would say they're maintaining their value and appreciation. Also, we don't know where the buyer will come from or how markets are where they're coming from."
If the estate fetches its full asking price, it'll beat the area's most expensive single-family residential sale of $20 million earlier this year. Wexler calls the home a "unicorn" and that its uniqueness makes it impossible to use local comps alone for pricing.
"You just don't find a ton of homes with gold leaf detail," he says.