The Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco might live mainly in The Hamptons these days, but she hasn’t forgotten about the house she bought in Italy in 2020 for a mere $1 price tag.
Bracco, who played psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi on the HBO crime drama from 1999 to 2007, recently spoke with the Wall Street Journal, where she revealed she still owns the property in Sambuca di Sicilia, a comune in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, where her father’s family is from.
The Emmy-nominated actress purchased the house in 2020 and documented her renovation of the rundown abode on the HGTV series My Big Italian Adventure.
“I still have my 200-year-old villa in Sambuca di Sicilia, in Sicily. I bought it for one euro in 2020,” she told the outlet. “The sparse town was hoping to attract residents. My renovation was featured on the TV series My Big Italian Adventure. The people there are so warm.”
Bracco had her reservations, noting, “There would have been a lot of reasons not to do it, but I was so intrigued. I said to myself, ‘what do I have to lose? What is the downside?’”
HGTV
As detailed on the show, Bracco gave herself and her team five months and a $145,000 budget to complete the project, which required a complete overhaul, including a brand-new roof. However, the project turned out to be a bigger undertaking than the actress had anticipated.
HGTV
Bracco, who had never visited Sicily until she bought the property, was expecting a townhouse, only to find herself surrounded by “three freakin’ rock walls.”
“I mean, it was a disaster,” she continued, explaining how the house had to be completely gutted, which meant a lot of time and expenses. She ended up going over almost double her budget, spending between $250,000 and $300,000.
Bertazzoni Official YouTube
While Bracco still owns the property in Italy, her focus right now is back home on Long Island, where she revealed she recently bought a new home.
“Today, I live in the Hamptons on Long Island. I moved into my first house out here about 20 years ago,” she shared. “At the time, my kids promised to come and stay all the time if I bought it. And they did. I recently sold it and bought another contemporary home.”