In 2025, Lazio is not only the cradle of politics and history, it is also the headquarters of assets that would make anyone’s head spin.
According to the most recent official rankings (such as the prestigious Forbes Billionaires List and the updated data on incomes in 2025), there are names that recur with impressive constancy and maintain firm ties to the Lazio region.
We are talking about solid empires built on bricks, finance and diamonds.
Are you ready to find out who sits on the throne of regional wealth this year? Spoiler: there aren’t many, but they “weigh” a lot.
Let’s analyze in detail the profiles of the officially recognized billionaires who have made Rome and Lazio their kingdom.
Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone: the emperor of cement and finance.
When it comes to wealth in Rome, one name towers above all others, almost like the Colosseum in the cityscape: Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone.
Even in 2025, theEngineer (as he is often called) is confirmed as not only the richest person in Lazio, but one of the most powerful figures in the entire Italian economy.
According to real-time data and Forbes’ annual projections for 2025, Caltagirone firmly ranks in the Top 10 richest men in Italy, with an estimated wealth hovering around $8.2 billion (a figure that has seen considerable growth in recent years).
Why is he so rich?
His empire is a perfect mix of “old” and “new” economics, all managed with a strategy that many describe as chess-like.
- Bricks and cement: this is the historical heart of his business. Through companies like Cementir, the Caltagirone group is an international giant in building materials. If you see a large construction site, there’s a good chance it has a hand in it.
- Publishing: Caltagirone is the “landlord” of local information and beyond. He controls Caltagirone Editore, which publishes Il Messaggero (the daily newspaper of reference for Romans), Il Mattino and Il Gazzettino.
- Big Finance: herein lies the real leap forward in recent years. The Roman entrepreneur holds massive stakes in giants such as Assicurazioni Generali and Mediobanca. He is not just a spectator, but a key player influencing strategic decisions in national finance.
Caltagirone is the living example of Roman “relationship capitalism”: secretive, strategic and inextricably linked to the capital, where he resides and from where he moves the pawns of his global chessboard.
Nicola and Paolo Bulgari: the jewelers of the Dolce Vita
If Caltagirone represents the solidity of concrete, the Bulgari family embodies the sparkle of luxury and the eternal elegance of Rome.
Although the historic brand was sold years ago to French giant LVMH (owned by Bernard Arnault), brothers Nicola and Paolo Bulgari remain firmly in Forbes’ 2025 rankings of global billionaires.
Despite the sale of the brand, their personal wealth has remained intact and continues to bear fruit, keeping them in the Olympus of “paperoni” with a residence and very strong interests in Lazio.
The numbers of luxury
- Nicola Bulgari: with assets estimated by Forbes at around $2 billion, Nicola (who lives in Rome) is known to be the keeper of the brand’s history. In addition to diamonds, he is an avid collector of vintage American cars (he has a legendary collection, some of which is housed right in Rome) and actively supports cultural initiatives in the capital.
- Paolo Bulgari: His brother Paolo follows close behind, with an estimated wealth of about $1.7 billion. He too keeps a low profile but essential to the luxury economy.
A strong connection with Rome
The Bulgari’s relationship with Lazio is not only anagrammatic, it is “sentimental.” The family is famous for financing major restorations of the city’s iconic monuments, such as the famous Spanish Steps.
The Grottaferrata “case”: where do the rich people who don’t end up on Forbes live?
If Caltagirone and the Bulgari are the “giants” visible on the covers of international magazines, there is widespread wealth in Lazio that emerges from the official data of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) analyzed in 2025.
Where do the wealthy families reside who may not reach the billion mark but raise the regional average? Surprise: it is not always downtown Rome.
According to statistics on average taxable incomes by municipality released in 2025 (relative to the previous fiscal year), the “richest municipality in Latium” is not the capital. The primacy often belongs to Grottaferrata, in the heart of the Castelli Romani.
With an average income approaching and sometimes exceeding 30,000 euros per capita (an average figure that hides very high peaks of wealthy residents), Grottaferrata beats Rome, which has to settle for second place (or first only in specific neighborhoods such as Parioli or the Centro Storico).
This tells us something interesting about the geography of wealth in 2025: Lazio’s wealthiest families seek the tranquility, greenery, and privacy of villas outside the city limits, turning the Castelli Romani into a kind of Lazio’s “Beverly Hills.”