What can $88 million buy in a city where nearly everyone living there is wildly rich? Let’s take a tour of the 12-acre Villa de Verano to find out. 

In the rarified Bay Area enclave of Hillsborough, mansions often sport lofty titles. Sometimes the names honor the homes’ famous owners, as in the case of the Crosby Estate (that of Bing Crosby) or the Koshland Estate, former home to Daniel Koshland of Levi Strauss & Co. Other times, these sprawling estates take on titles that evoke their inspiration. There’s also the Western White House, inspired by the more famous original in D.C., but even among these multimillion-dollar mansions, 3000 Ralston Ave. — aka Villa de Verano — is a standout property. 

Set on more than 12 acres, Villa de Verano, at 3000 Ralston Ave. in Hillsborough, Calif., was inspired by the opulence of Lake Como.

Set on more than 12 acres, Villa de Verano, at 3000 Ralston Ave. in Hillsborough, Calif., was inspired by the opulence of Lake Como.

Built in 2013, the mansion evokes Italian luxury in design, with its soaring ceilings and honey-toned wood paneling atop cream marble columns that flank hand-carved arched openings. In the primary suite, a wraparound glass wall opens to a wide stone patio that looks out toward the Bay. The home is the result of a collaboration between two of Architectural Digest’s top 100 architects........

© SFGate