This beautiful volume explores eight European estates that, despite war, taxes, and the passage of time, have remained in the same families for centuries. The photographs are redolent in atmosphere and the text is revealing, due to the author’s long friendships with the owners of these great houses. Offering an inside view of a highly refined way of life, Private Splendor reveals the secrets that kept these homes in private hands. The houses include Seville’s Casa de Pilatos, owned by Spain’s most illustrious grandee; Harewood House in Yorkshire, owned by a cousin of Queen Elizabeth; Germany’s Schloss Regensburg, occupied by the flamboyant Princess Gloria von Thurn and Taxis; and the Palazzo Sachetti near Vatican City, whose enormous Sala dei Mapi is entirely frescoed by Francesco Salviati (1510–1563).

Alexis Gregory is a publisher, author, art collector, and deputy chairman of Sotheby’s advisory board. He lives in New York and Paris.

Marc Walter is a photographer and graphic designer. His recent books include Dream Palaces. He lives in Paris.