Sotheby's to sell contents of Versace's villa

Sotheby's will sell the contents of late Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace's weekend villa by Lake Como on Wednesday, and expects to raise between €2 million to €3 million.

The 550 objects range in price from around €100 to 100,000, and the auctioneer has recreated some of the rooms in the villa, which, according to reports, was sold to Russian millionaire Arkady Novikov last year for €26 million.

"I have been trying to recreate as much as I could," said Mario Tavella, deputy chairman of Sotheby's Europe. "Gianni's bedroom is almost as it was in the villa and the two dining rooms are recreated almost precisely," he said.

Versace, who was murdered outside his Miami home in 1997, used to entertain some of the world's most famous people at Villa Fontanelle, including Princess Diana, Elton John and Madonna. "I have visited the villa. It was immaculately kept - a villa where the guests were really entertained in the most perfect way," Mr Tavella said.