Strategic Real Estate Investors to Watch in Rome

Rome may be a city steeped in history, but its real estate investment landscape is anything but stuck in the past. Italy’s capital is evolving into a strategic destination for institutional and private capital. With €13 billion in commercial property transactions in Italy in 2023—30% of which flowed into Rome—the Eternal City is finally getting the investor attention long dominated by Milan. What’s driving the shift? Strong tourism fundamentals, underutilised public buildings being converted into luxury or mixed-use assets, and a tightening residential market ripe for BTR, student housing, and short-term rental scale-ups.

Whether you’re structuring a co-living platform near Trastevere, redeveloping a post office in Ostiense, or digitising the management of mixed-use blocks in EUR—Rome is a city where smart capital is now playing long. Below is a curated list of the most active real estate investors in Rome across sectors, strategies, and capital profiles.

• CDP Immobiliare – The real estate investment and development arm of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Italy’s state-backed investment bank. CDP is behind some of Rome’s largest urban transformation projects, including the redevelopment of the Flaminio rail yards and the former military barracks in Via Guido Reni. Focused on mixed-use, ESG-aligned, and city-defining regeneration.
• COIMA SGR – While better known for its Milan footprint, COIMA is expanding in Rome. The firm recently acquired strategic assets in EUR and has partnered with local developers to co-invest in urban repositioning. Backed by sovereign funds and pension capital, COIMA is interested in long-term rental, hotel, and tech-driven office assets.
• Hines Italy – A major player in the Italian real estate market, Hines has entered Rome with a clear focus: student housing, logistics, and large-scale redevelopment. Their €200 million acquisition near Tiburtina station is being redeveloped into a mixed-use campus combining PBSA, retail, and green public spaces.
• Cromwell Property Group – This pan-European fund manager has been targeting core-plus logistics and office repositioning across Italy, with recent acquisitions near Rome’s ring road and industrial belts. Known for hands-on asset management and smart ESG retrofits.
• DeA Capital Real Estate SGR – With €11+ billion in AUM, DeA Capital manages over 50 real estate funds. In Rome, they own residential and commercial properties near Piazza Bologna and Prati, and they co-invest with banks and insurance companies in hotel conversions.
• Prelios SGR – One of the most active Italian asset managers, Prelios manages real estate and credit-backed assets. They’ve been involved in transforming state-owned office blocks into student housing and BTR units across Rome’s inner ring suburbs.
• Generali Real Estate – The real estate investment platform of Generali Group has significant exposure to Rome. Assets include flagship office properties, high-street retail near Via del Corso, and luxury hospitality conversions. Known for blending legacy holdings with new ESG standards.
• Castello SGR – A specialist in hospitality, health care, and education real estate, Castello owns hotels in central Rome and is converting former educational buildings into long-stay accommodation. Works with international capital and family offices.
• Ardian Real Estate – The French private equity giant owns logistics and urban redevelopment assets in Rome. Their Italian fund has targeted underperforming commercial blocks in southern Rome and repositioned them for medical and tech tenants.
• IAD Group – A fast-growing property platform investing in Rome’s fragmented rental housing market. The firm focuses on acquiring small portfolios of rent-controlled and vacant apartments, then repositioning them as co-living or mid-market rentals.
• Revalo – While not an investor per se, Revalo is the go-to asset management platform for international funds operating in Rome. They provide underwriting, leasing, and tenant experience services and are plugged into most of the top investors on this list.
• Invimit SGR – A state-backed fund manager focused on monetising and redeveloping public real estate assets. In Rome, Invimit is active in converting disused government buildings into housing and hotel formats. Open to public-private JV structures.
• BNP Paribas REIM Italy – Institutional player with holdings in Rome’s prime office corridors. Recently partnered with local developers to explore life sciences and healthcare campus investment. Strong ESG lens and long-term holding patterns.
• PAREF Group – A French real estate group expanding into Rome through indirect investments in hospitality and logistics. Known for their focus on asset-light structures and club deals with local operating partners.
• Bluestone – A boutique real estate private equity firm specialising in luxury residential and hotel conversion in Rome’s Centro Storico. Funded by European HNWIs and Middle Eastern investors, Bluestone recently acquired a portfolio of historic palazzi near Campo de’ Fiori for adaptive reuse.
• Private Investors – Gruppo di Palazzo del Sole – A syndicate of Italian and Swiss family offices developing ultra-prime residential apartments near Villa Borghese. Focused on discreet execution and long-hold generational assets. Uses SPV structures and design-led delivery teams.
• ArtInvest Group – A Milan-based investor expanding into Rome’s PBSA sector. Their new fund has acquired two student housing assets near La Sapienza University and is exploring partnerships with UK and Dutch operators.
• Redo SGR – Impact-driven investor originally based in Milan but now targeting affordable housing projects in Rome. Backed by foundations and patient institutional capital. Open to public tenders and conversion of obsolete public assets.
• RealStep – A logistics and last-mile investor acquiring brownfield and edge-of-centre industrial assets near Rome’s GRA ring road. RealStep works with e-commerce tenants and is focused on sub-€10M deal sizes. Fast to transact and open to JV structuring.
• Altarea Cogedim – A French urban developer exploring Italian expansion through partnerships. They’ve made strategic moves in Rome through options on urban regeneration zones, particularly in Tiburtina and San Lorenzo. Likely to co-develop with local firms.

Rome’s proptech scene is nascent but growing, with startups like Realisti.co (virtual tours), Casavo (instant home buying), and Homepal (peer-to-peer lettings) beginning to influence investor workflows. International capital is increasingly evaluating Rome not just for its trophy assets, but for its urban evolution, youth housing needs, and repositioning upside.

Rome isn’t just about heritage anymore. It’s a city in transition—politically, socially, and architecturally. The smart money isn’t just buying buildings here. It’s investing in Rome’s next chapter—and if you’re aligned with that vision, there’s more capital than ever ready to back you.