Count Luca Padulli di Vighignolo owns nearly as much Norfolk property as King Charles
For centuries, vast swathes of Norfolk have been owned by the aristocracy and landed gentry, with some families holding on to their seats for nearly 1,000 years.
But more recently, an elusive character from Italy has emerged as one of the biggest landowners in the county.
Little is known about Count Luca Padulli di Vighignolo, a super-rich nobleman who has been buying up stately home and country estates over the past three or four decades.
But research has shown he is one of Norfolk’s biggest landowners, with almost as much property here as King Charles III – and he is reportedly still buying up more.
His land holdings now stretch to at least 14,100 acres – according to researchers who run the website Who Owns Norfolk? – and includes some of the most impressive stately homes in the county.
The ex-hedge fund manager, who was born into a noble Italian family from Milan, is one of the top three private landowners in the county, behind only King Charles III (who owns 20,100 acres) and aristocrat Lord Thomas Coke, the 8th Earl of Leicester, of Holkham Estate (25,000 acres).
The count’s empire, which is managed by his property firm Albanwise, includes Saxlingham and Gunthorpe Estate (5,000 acres), in North Norfolk, Barton Bendish Estate (4,600 acres), the Wimbotsham Estate, near Downham (1,200 acres) and Hackford Hall Farm in Reepham (900 acres).
Smaller landholdings include part of Manor Farm in Crimplesham (590 acres), Kempstone Lodge Farm in Litcham (450 acres), Dunham Lodge Park (380 acres), all in the west of the county, and 160 acres of land at Bawdeswell, near Dereham.
The count, believed to be aged 69, is understood to have started buying up land in Norfolk in the 1990s, purchasing homes once owned by ancient gentry families.
His property empire is not limited to the county, however.
He is one of the largest landowners in the country and has bought entire villages, such as West Heslerton, in North Yorkshire, and has recently purchased the 5,000-acre Lugalla estate in Ireland – worth at least £28million – from the Guinness family.
He has made a home at Barton Bendish Hall, where villagers say he is active in the community, opening up his gardens each summer and organising fireworks displays.
As well as owning farmland and country estates, his companies also own the freehold of about 100,000 properties in the UK.
According to Companies House, Albanwise made an operating profit of £43.4million in 2023.
Count Padulli is also a keen art collector, whose impressive collection came to light in 2017 after the Getty Museum paid an estimated $100million for drawings by Goya, Degas, Rubens and Michelangelo.
The aristocrat’s Milanese family members are thought to have been exiled by Italian dictator Mussolini.
He went on to study economics and moved to London to work in finance, later becoming a director of the Camomille Associates hedge fund, which at one time was reported to have assets of £2billion.
The findings about his Norfolk assets come at a time when ownership of farmland and freehold properties is under the spotlight amid the Government’s plans to reform taxation and leaseholder’s rights.
New legislation is due to ban the granting of new leasehold houses, making it easier for leaseholders to extend or buy their freehold.
COUNT PADULLI’S NORFOLK STATELY HOMES
Barton Bendish Hall
Count Padulli bought this 16th-century hall and estate in 1992 and has since made it his home.
It has a medieval moat and dog kennels.
Gunthorpe Hall
Gunthorpe Hall, near Holt, was built in 1789 and is surrounded by impressive wild and formal gardens and a lake.
It is advertised as holiday accommodation, costing £4,250 for a weekend stay.
Dunham Lodge
This Georgian property is located in the village of Little Dunham, between Swaffham and Dereham.
Its claim to fame is that it is said to be the highest mansion in Norfolk, at 96m above sea level.
Hackford Hall
Hackford Hall is a Grade II-listed Georgian mansion, although the original home was built in the 16th century.
Like Gunthorpe Hall, it is being offered as holiday accommodation for up to 28 people.
Staying there for a week would cost £10,500.
