Hungarian investors in Italy: Mysterious Hungarian company buys €4.3M villa once owned by fashion royalty!
Last summer, a remarkable sale took place in the picturesque town of Varese in northern Italy. A luxury villa of over 1,000 square metres—featuring panoramic views, a vast garden, swimming pool, and internal lift—was sold for €4.3 million. What makes this sale particularly intriguing is that the buyer was not a Middle Eastern billionaire or a well-known international investor, but a Hungarian company, founded just a few months prior to the transaction.
According to the Italian website Domani, the villa was originally owned by Margherita Maccapani Missoni, heiress to the iconic Missoni fashion house, and her husband, racing driver Eugenio Amos. The property was acquired in December 2023 by Praedium Property Ltd, a Hungarian company established in November of that year. At the time of purchase, 10% of the price was immediately deposited, with the down payment coming from an account with Gránit Bank in Hungary.
Change of company and the mysterious background
Although the initial contract was signed by Praedium Property, the final sale—completed in July 2024—was officially carried out by another company, Influentia Ltd. Both companies are linked to Triple Hill Capital, an asset management firm with close ties to Árpád Habony and Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, as reported by Telex. Moreover, both companies are registered at the same Budapest address: 6 Dorottya Street.
Praedium was represented by Renáta Tiszolczi, a former employee of the Aegon Group who has also been involved in Habony and Szalay-Bobrovniczky’s investment ventures in Croatia. Influentia was fronted by András Balogh, a former senior executive at Magyar Telekom, who has since appeared in various government-related projects, including the Hungarian Vagon railway company and the business interests of István Garancsi.
The hidden owner
The Italian press raised questions about how Hungary’s private equity fund system enables the real identity of investors to remain undisclosed. While the European Union has long sought greater transparency in this area, Hungarian regulations currently allow private equity funds to obscure the identities of their actual beneficiaries. As a result, the ultimate owner of the villa remains officially unknown. However, given those involved in the purchase, speculation points to someone within Árpád Habony’s close circle.
In connection with the purchase—referred to by some in the Italian press as the “Orbán Villa”—Hungarian outlets, notably 444.hu, emphasised that it is unlikely Prime Minister Viktor Orbán personally owns the property. It is more plausible that individuals from business circles close to the government acquired it. Influentia Ltd. declined to comment on the Italian media reports.
This case offers a clear example of how politically connected business circles operate internationally and the techniques used to avoid asset transparency. A luxury property is not merely a prestigious acquisition; it also exemplifies how substantial assets can be transferred in ways that obscure the true ownership from public view.
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