Governor Phil Murphy and his family will not be vacationing on the coast this summer, or anywhere in New Jersey.
The governor and his family are leaving for his multi-million dollar villa in Italy for the next 14 days.
His official schedule lists Murphy on “personal travel,” but his office confirmed to NJ.com that the family left on Tuesday for La dolce vita, the posh estate that Murphy bought in 2004 for $7.3 million using money he earned at Goldman Sachs.
The 23-bedroom mansion sits on a gated property north of Rome in a town called Parrano.
Often called the “green heart” of Italy, Parrano is a medieval town known for its green hills and very sparsely populated.
The villa estate has a stable, a swimming pool and a tennis court.
In 2018, Britain’s Daily Mail tracked down Murphy’s estate and posted pictures of the property.
Murphy has come under fire for blowing away at his posh villa for 10 days at the height of the COVID pandemic and at a time when the US State Department was urging Americans not to travel to Italy.
New Jersey taxpayers won’t have to pay the governor’s travel expenses, but will foot the bill for Murphy’s security details, including airfare, accommodations and meals.
The Governor has a shore house in Eatontown and access to a state-owned beach house in Island Beach State Park.
Controversy over state-owned property erupted after Governor Chris Christie and his family used the home during a government shutdown that closed Island Beach State Park to the public. Photos of Christie sitting on the beach have become the backdrop for countless memes.
Since then there have been calls for the state to close the house, sell it or rent it to the public.
Murphy will return to the United States on July 14 to attend the National Governor’s Association meeting in Maine, but will return to Italy until July 20.
Eric Scott is the senior policy director and anchor of New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at [email protected]
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