All the money in the world: Billionaire heirs Rosetta and Balthazar Getty treat guests to horse races, dinner under the stars, and fireworks at their Fourth of July party in Tuscany
- Wealthy couple hosts annual party at their 17th century Tuscan villa
- Models, actors, and designers descended on their Italian home for 4th of July
- Elizabeth Olsen and her boyfriend Robbie Arnett were among guests
Actor and DJ Balthazar Getty and his designer wife Rosetta opened the doors to their 17th century Tuscan villa earlier this week for their annual summer party.
It has long been an annual tradition of the couple's to welcome their jet set crew of models, actors and designers to Italy each summer in celebration of the Fourth of July.
This year, guests included Elizabeth Olsen and her boyfriend Robbie Arnett, models Michelle Hicks, Jamie Bochert and Ava Hawk McDean and DJ Mia Moretti.
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Rosetta Getty and Balthazar Getty (left) attend the third annual Tuscany weekend at Villa Cetinale on June 30. Elizabeth Olsen (right) was one of the A-list guests
It has long been an annual tradition of the couple's to welcome their jet set crew of models, actors and designers to Italy each summer in celebration of the Fourth of July
The couple were also joined by their own two children and their friends children for the weekend's events
Guests could spend the day by the pool, touring the beautiful gardens of the estate or climbing to the chapel on the property
Villa Cetinale is a a 17th-century Baroque villa that is located a little over five miles from Siena
Its first owner was Pope Alexander VII, who commissioned the building of the villa and then had work halted when he was made leader of the Catholic church
'I started coming to the Palio with my husband, Balthazar, about 20 years ago. If you’ve never heard of it, the Palio is one of the oldest horse races in Europe—for two days each summer, the central piazza in Siena, Italy, is transformed into a track, and neighborhood teams compete to win a painted flag, "the Palio,"' explained Rosetta in a piece for Vogue about the weekend.
'Since the first Palio of the summer happens right around the Fourth of July, Balthazar and I have gotten into the habit of inviting people to Tuscany to celebrate both events. A little of the Old World, a little of the New.'
The couple were also joined by their own two children and their friends children for the weekend's events.
Guests could spend the day by the pool, touring the beautiful gardens of the estate or climbing to the chapel on the property.
'The story goes that the original owner of Villa Cetinale was a priest or maybe a bishop, but not a very well-behaved one, so the chapel was put all the way up on the hill, accessible by a very steep climb, as a form of regular penance,' said Rosetta.
Bathazar Getty, Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Giovinardi pose for a photograph at the party
Robert Koinjic and Freddie Thorp (left) were also among the guests, as were Lena Evsafyeva and Mark Barker (right)
From left to right: : Elizabeth Olsen, Michele Hicks, Rosetta Getty, Sofia Sanchez de Betak and Jamie Bochart
Valentina Bicego and Marco Bicego are seen left while Jen Atkin and Steph Shepherd are seen right
Hayden Dunham (left) and Fuschia Sumner (right) were also in attendance
Gia Coppola and James Wright were also among the famous faces to attend
Villa Cetinale is a a 17th-century Baroque villa that is located a little over five miles from Siena.
Its first owner was Pope Alexander VII, who commissioned the building of the villa and then had work halted when he was made leader of the Catholic church.
The guests began arriving on Sunday for this year's Getty bash, and soon the event was underway.
'On Monday afternoon, we bussed into town, split our group in two, and half the gang went to the trackside bleachers with Balthazar- that’s where you go if you really want to the race - and the other half came with me to our balcony suite over a gelateria,' said Rosetta.
'The balcony is where you go if you want the view, the totality of the event. It’s crazy to look up and see people hanging out windows at the top of medieval buildings, and look down and see thousands of people pressed into the heart of the Campo, at the center of the track.'
It all ended on Tuesday with a farewell dinner and fireworks for the Fourth.
'Balthazar was back on the decks—with our daughter Violet assisting this time—and lots of folks were back out on the dance floor,' said Rosetta of the final meal.
'I think what’s nice about this event, and this is the third time I’ve hosted people as a "Rosetta Getty" thing, is that it’s authentic to me and my family. We have roots here, we’ve been coming here forever, and we’ve even been throwing these parties since forever, they’ve just grown organically.'
The 'Rosetta Getty thing' is a reference to the fact that the designer used the event to also showcase her new capsule collection, which was inspired by Italy.
And the country does hold a special place in the hearts of most Gettys, despite it also being the site of one of the family's darkest chapters.
The guests began arriving on Sunday for this year's Getty bash, and soon the event was underway
It all ended on Tuesday with a farewell dinner and fireworks for the Fourth
The above image shows a general view of the Palio di Siena during the annual Rosetta Getty Tuscany weekend in Siena on Monday
The Palio di Siena is a horse race that is held twice each year, July 2 and August 16, in Siena, Italy
Balthazar's grandfather J. Paul Getty III was just 16 years old and living in the country when members of the mafia grabbed him off the street on July 10, 1973 as he returned home from a night out with friends.
He was thrown in the back of the van and taken 300 miles south to the mountains of Calabria, with his captors soon informing the teenager's family that the boy would be safely returned after they paid a $17 million ransom.
The boy's mother, Gail Harris, and father, J. Paul Getty Jr, had been cut off from the family fortune, and so they asked J. P Getty if he would be willing to cover the amount of money demanded by the kidnappers.
At the time, J Paul Getty was worth a little less than $2 billion, making him not only the richest man in the world but also the wealthiest man in history.
That is when the already shocking incident took the most bizarre twist of all, with J Paul Getty refusing the pay the ransom money.
J Paul Getty said at the time that if he agreed to the demand made by the kidnappers for the return of his grandson, there was nothing to stop financially-motivated individuals from abducting his other grandchildren.
'If I pay one penny now, I’ll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren,' he told reporters at the time.
He was known at the time as much for his oil fortune as for his frugality, and some believed at first that J Paul Getty III may have staged the entire kidnapping to get money from his grandfather.
Rosetta Getty hosts guests for her third annual European weekend in Tuscany
J Paul Getty Jr had been cut off after his drug addiction led to him leaving the family business and wife Gail, who was quickly cast aside by the Getty family.
It was Gail however who pushed back on her former father-in-law, and used the press to launch subtle attacks that eventually shamed the man into paying the ransom.
That took four months however, and after the kidnappers showed just how far they were willing to take the negotiations.
A package was delivered on November with a note that read: 'This is Paul's ear. If we don't get some money within 10 days, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits.'
Inside was the teenager's ear, and a request for $3.2 million if the family wanted to see him come home safe and not returned in 'little bits.'
This forced J Paul Getty to the negotiating table, and he agreed to pay $2.2 million for the return of his grandson while loaning an additional $700,000 to his son which would have to be paid back with interest.
The money was quickly handed over to the kidnappers, who had been keeping their captive in the tiny village of Cicala, and on December 15 J Paul Getty III was dropped off at a gas station in Potenza, just north of where he was being held in the mountains.
Nine people were ultimately arrested for the kidnapping but only two were convicted, and the ransom money was never located despite police efforts.
There was also no great reunion between grandfather and grandson, with J Paul Getty refusing to take a phone call from the recently released captive when he called from Italy.
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