Geox president's luxe lifestyle
Shoes, sports cars and wine: Inside Mario Moretti Polegato's Italian estate
Geox’s success has made Polegato a billionaire and Forbes magazine ranks him as the sixth-richest person in Italy, with a net worth estimated at $1.5-billion (U.S.). While most of the wealth comes from Geox, he is not entirely a self-made man. He is a third-generation wine maker and his family's vineyard in Montebelluna is one of Italy’s most prolific wine producers.Antonio Giordano
Villa Sandi has been the family estate since Polegato's grandfather’s era. Built in 1622, it's a Palladian-style mansion regarded as a minor masterpiece of the Italian High Renaissance. Both neoclassical sculptor Canova and Napoleon have lived on the estate.Antonio Giordano
Polegato stands in the estate's gardens, which are surrounded by some 70 hectares of vineyards and has its own hydro generating station and consecrated chapel.Antonio Giordano
Polegato in the caverns beneath the mansion, which contain three million bottles of Villa Sandi wines.Antonio Giordano
Polegato has left the family wine business to his brother, Giancarlo, so he can devote his energies to Geox. But Polegato still has ties to the wine business - his latest invention is a double-walled glass wine bottle that, he claims, can keep chilled wines cool for hours.Antonio Giordano
Polegato with part of his collection of antique motorbikes at Villa SandiAntonio Giordano
Polegato, taking a phone call at Villa Sandi, believes the sports shoe front - currently dominated by giants like Nike and Adidas - is ripe for his company's breathable technology. “How can you wear sports shoes that don’t breathe?” he says.Antonio Giordano