Benito Mussolini’s villa to be sold by cash-strapped Greek government

Maria Petrakis/Bloomberg
The Villa de Vecchi, originally built as a retirement home for Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, stands in Rhodes, Greece, on July 21, 2014. The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund, charged with raising money from state sales to reduce debt, is pitching the abandoned Villa de Vecchi and 13 other long-disused properties as prospective small luxury hotels, selling three while offering leases of between 50 and 99 years for the rest, hoping to build on appetite for real estate and Greek tourism. Photographer: Maria Petrakis/Bloomberg
Maria Petrakis/Bloomberg
Graffiti is seen on the wall of a room inside the Villa de Vecchi, originally built as a retirement home for Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, in Rhodes, Greece, on July 21, 2014. The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund, charged with raising money from state sales to reduce debt, is pitching the abandoned Villa de Vecchi and 13 other long-disused properties as prospective small luxury hotels, selling three while offering leases of between 50 and 99 years for the rest, hoping to build on appetite for real estate and Greek tourism. Photographer: Maria Petrakis/Bloomberg
AP PHOTO/FILE
Dictator Benito Mussolini was killed in 1945 by Italian partisans: His villa is now up for grabs by the Greek government.

By New York Daily News | NYDN@medianewsgroup.com

PUBLISHED: August 17, 2014 at 8:46 a.m. | UPDATED: January 9, 2019 at 7:43 p.m.

It was built as a vacation home for a dictator.

But now a villa designed for Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, is being sold off by the cash-strapped Greek government.

The house, built in 1936, is on the Greek holiday island of Rhodes.

Mussolini planned to use Rhodes as a naval base to push Italian power in the region, but he never set foot in the home.

Greece’s government is now trying to sell off the mansion and is offering a 50-year lease on the two-story building.

The villa is one of many buildings being offered for conversion, reports The Telegraph.

Athens is desperate to sell-off thousands of properties in a bid to recover the billions it owes after being bailed out by the International Monetary Fund and European Union following the Euro currency crisis.

Mussolini was killed in 1945 by Italian partisans.