Governments sell off iconic european properties

It's always been common practice for governments to sell off excess land as an easy way to raise public funds. But with the new age of austerity and European debt particularly in the media spotlight, more high-profile pieces of national real estate than ever are being sold off to private investors across both the Continent and the UK.

In France, the Hotel de Seignelay, overlooking the Seine and in one of Paris's most fashionable districts, is for sale or long-term lease by the French government. An expansive 18th-century mansion of the type that tourists to the capital would no doubt love to gawk at, its 1200 square metre manicured gardens are home to the solemn grave site of Queen Marie-Antoinette's dog.

In Britain, parts of Nottingham's lush Sherwood Forest, once allegedly home to bandit and mythical hero Robin Hood, are also on the market. Locals and celebs alike are up in arms at the planned sale, with around 90 prominent figures including Judi Dench and Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox having signed an open letter of protest in last weekend's Sunday Telegraph.

Over in Italy, government sources are sounding out offers for a lush villa on the shores of Lake Como, just down the road from where George Clooney famously maintains his summer home. There's also an entire island for sale off the Coast of Venice - Certoso, where monks once dwelled in solitude until the early 19th century.

Spokeswoman for Italy's Public Real Estate Agency Patrizia Vasta said the recent glut in public property sales across Europe was a rational response to growing post-GFC debt alarm. "They [the governments] can use it for increasing their money - selling them, using them, giving concessions to private people to use them for tourism, anything else", said Vasta. "We are talking about very different kinds of property; it can be just a piece of ground, it can be a castle."