Giorgio Armani’s Will Reveals Fate of His Extensive International Property Portfolio—Including Late Designer’s Exclusive Island Retreats

Designer Giorgio Armani left an incredible host of homes scattered across the world to his relatives and closest collaborators, his will has revealed.

The fashion legend, who passed away in Milan on Sept. 4, at the age of 91, had built an extensive collection of homes during his lifetime, including multiple island retreats that provided him with a private sanctuary where he could relax without the threat of prying eyes or ears.

After Armani's passing—which was announced in a statement posted by his eponymous company—questions were raised about what would become of his many dwellings, as well as his impressive array of priceless personal items, including artworks and antiques.

Now, Reuters has revealed the fate of some of the designer's most valuable items, including the many homes that he had amassed during his decadeslong career as a leading name in fashion.

The majority of homes, the will explains, will pass to Pantaleo "Leo" Dell'Orco, Armani's longtime partner and most trusted advisor, who will inherit the designer's beloved Saint Tropez abode as well as a New York City apartment.

Although Armani had many amazing homes in his portfolio, the Saint Tropez estate seems to have been one of the most significant dwellings that he collected over the years, with the designer retreating to the home over the summer while he was "rehabilitating" from an unknown health issue.

In addition to taking on ownership of those two properties, Dell'Orco was also bequeathed a portrait of Armani that was painted by iconic artist Andy Warhol, as well as the right to use the Armani residence in Milan, a home in St. Moritz, a property near the fashion star's birthplace of Piacenza, and the designer's island retreats in Antigua and Pantelleria.

However, ownership of the homes in Pantelleria, Antigua, and Piacenza remains with a real estate company that has been left to Armani's sister, Rosanna, his niece, Silvana, and his nephew, Andrea Camerana.

That same real estate company also retains ownership of another apartment in New York City.

In addition, Rosana was also left a Paris apartment, while Camerana will take over ownership of the property in St. Moritz.

Roberta, another of Armani's nieces, has been given the option to request use of the many houses in his portfolio, Reuters reports.

Among the more unique decorative items mentioned in Armani's will are a set of two elephant tusks, which were left to his sister, who also inherited a Henri Matisse painting, and a designer table and chairs.

Dell'Orco, meanwhile, will receive a collection of some of Armani's most interesting furniture and decor pieces, including a bronze bear, a bronze panther, multiple sofas and armchairs, a collection of Japanese rugs, and a designer desk and table.

Armani's vintage car collection appears to have been split between Dell'Orco and Michele Morselli, the head of the designer's real estate firm.

As for Armani's iconic brand, the designer—who did not have any children of his own—had previously revealed that he had a succession plan in place, which will see several members of his family, including his nieces and nephew, taking over the running of his company.

"My plans for succession consist of a gradual transition of the responsibilities that I have always handled to those closest to me," he explained to the Financial Times in August. "I would like the succession to be organic and not a moment of rupture."

It is currently unclear what will become of Armani's beloved superyacht, Main, which was built for him by the Italian company, Codecasa, and which is understood to have played host to a slew of Hollywood A-listers over the years.

According to reports, Armani spent around six weeks every summer sailing around the Mediterranean with his loved ones aboard the 213-foot vessel, which was launched in 2008.

In 2015, the design icon explained to Boat International that he'd made the decision to commission his own yacht after spending time aboard other vessels that simply didn't suit his own personal style.

"Sometimes they’d belong to people I knew, sometimes they were just chartered. Invariably they were not my style—too white, too much lighting, too much marble, crystal and mahogany," he said.

Armani noted that his love of life on the sea was also fueled by his desire to maintain his privacy—which saw him avoiding very public places like hotels, or densely-populated holiday hot spots.

"That’s why I’m not that keen on hotels. That and the décor—actually, big boats are often like hotel suites out at sea. So my own boat seemed to be the perfect solution," he said.

"I enjoy a degree of isolation—that’s what my home on Pantelleria is all about. However, it’s not just on islands that I like to isolate myself. I isolate myself in worlds that I create from what I love. I remove what I don’t like. You have to organize an atmosphere around yourself."

Armani certainly seemed to have a penchant for snapping up island properties, buying multiple villas and estates in a number of European locations during his lifetime, including an expansive property on Pantelleria, a little known Italian island where he owned a seven homes.

Known as Cala Gadir, the estate became one of Armani's most treasured homes—serving as a summer escape for the designer and his loved ones for years after he purchased it in 1979.

Widely referred to as the "black pearl" of the Mediterranean, Pantelleria was far from the luxurious and exotic paradise that some might have expected Armani to favor when he first purchased the home—with the designer revealing to Condé Nast Traveler in 2016 that there was no electricity on the island when he first arrived.

"I lived here when there wasn’t electricity on the island," he shared. "You had to pump your own water."

Still, Armani put his own lavish spin on the dwelling, overhauling all seven of the residences in his own unique way, although he explained to the outlet that he never tried (or wanted) to turn the island into something it was not, instead embracing the simplicity of the lifestyle that it presented.

"I feel like one of the locals here," he said. "Forget the jet set, the partying, the cool people, and the nights until the wee hours. They don’t exist. And no one wants them here."

Should he ever have lusted after something more starry, however, Armani had plenty of options to choose from.

In addition to his sprawling villa in Saint Tropez and his Italian island escape, the designer also owned an additional holiday home on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean.

The property is perched on a clifftop overlooking the ocean inside an exclusive residential community that is home to just 25 villas, each more spectacular than the next.

According to a 2020 profile in Forbes, Armani purchased the home for an unspecified price in 2006 after falling in love with Antigua, which he described as being "one of the most scenic islands in the Caribbean."

His expansive estate on the island is actually comprised of two villas, which he purchased around the same time and which are known as Villa Flower and Villa Serena.

Both homes feature their own swimming pool, gym, spa, and terrace, as well as stunning interior decor crafted by the fashion legend's own brand, Armani Casa.

Yet Armani could not escape city life altogether, a fact that he made clear in 2019 when he snapped up a stunning penthouse apartment in New York City for the jaw-dropping price of $17.5 million.

The four-bedroom unit, which is located at the top of a building on Central Park West, featured a very distinctive church-inspired aesthetic, complete with beautiful stained-glass windows that filled each room with a rainbow of light.

Spread across 3,000 square feet of space, the property came complete with an enormous terrace that offered sweeping views of Central Park.

The purchase of the home gave Armani a fair share of privacy, however, also gave him control over an entire floor of the condo building, where he already owned another unit adjacent to his new penthouse.

Five years after buying the unit, the designer strengthened his commitment to the Big Apple when he presented a new fashion show in Manhattan in order to celebrate the opening of his new building in the city.

At the time, Armani spoke out about his love of New York, describing it as being one of his greatest sources of style inspiration.

"New York, for me, has always been linked to the many films that have deeply shaped my imagination," he said, per Reuters. "Thinking of the city in the ‘30s and ‘40s never ceases to inspire me and I evoke that mood in the new collection."