In a region where scale and spectacle are practically part of the zoning code, an $88 million estate in Hillsborough is still managing to turn heads. You are looking at a property that folds an amphitheater, a massive saltwater aquarium, and resort-style grounds into a single 12 acre compound, then aims to set a new benchmark for Silicon Valley luxury. The listing is not just chasing a headline number, it is testing how far the appetite for ultra customized, experience driven homes can stretch in one of Northern California’s wealthiest enclaves.
The record-setting ambition behind an $88 million ask
If you follow high end real estate, you know that pricing is as much a statement as it is a spreadsheet exercise, and this Hillsborough estate is making a very deliberate one. At $88 million, the sellers are signaling that the property belongs in the top tier of Silicon Valley trophy homes, positioning it as a potential record setter in a town already accustomed to eight figure trades. The figure is not an accident, either, with the repeated use of $88 and $88 m tapping into a numerology that often resonates with global buyers while underscoring just how far above the local median this compound sits.
That ambition is grounded in the way the estate is being framed as a once in a generation opportunity rather than just another large house in the hills. Marketing materials describe a Hillsborough estate that aims for the stratosphere with an $88 listing Price, a pitch that leans heavily on the property’s scale, privacy, and bespoke amenities to justify the number. In a market where Silicon Valley wealth has already pushed values to rarefied levels, the owners are effectively asking you to see this as a category of one, a move that is reinforced by the way the home is presented as a singular compound at 3000 Ralston Avenue.
Villa de Verano and the Lake Como inspiration
To understand why this property is being pushed as a one off, you have to start with its identity as Villa de Verano, a name that telegraphs both European aspiration and California ease. The owners did not simply commission a large house, they set out to recreate the feeling of a grand lakeside retreat, drawing directly on their travels to Lake Como to shape the architecture and landscape. That choice matters because it explains the emphasis on long sightlines, layered terraces, and water features that feel more like a resort than a suburban estate, all of which are meant to transport you emotionally as much as physically.
The Lake Como thread is not a casual reference, it is central to how the sellers describe their vision for the property. Kruttschnitt has spoken about how repeated visits to Lake Como were always special, and how those trips informed the decision to build a California version of that experience in Hillsborough. When you walk the grounds, the intention is that you feel echoes of those Italian villas, from the way the main house sits above the landscape to the way the gardens step down toward more intimate spaces. That narrative is woven directly into the listing, which presents Villa de Verano as a Lake Como inspired estate that, in the words shared with Mansion Global, captures what Kruttschnitt and family loved about their time abroad.
A tree-lined arrival that sets the tone
Your first encounter with the property is designed to reset your expectations before you even see the front door. Beyond the tree lined driveway that winds up from the gated entrance, the approach is choreographed to build a sense of anticipation, with mature landscaping and carefully framed views that hint at the scale of what sits above. By the time you reach the cypress trees that flank the entry, you have already been nudged into thinking less about a single family home and more about a private resort, which is exactly the psychological shift a seller chasing a record price wants you to make…