World's Smallest Apartment on Sale in Rome

World's Smallest Apartment on Sale in Rome - A former porter's closet measuring five square metres (55 sq ft) has gone on the market in Rome at £43,000. The property, which is being described as the world's smallest apartment, lies in the heart of the Italian capital, which has become of the world's most expensive cities for property, but is barely large enough to contain a single bed.

The owner of the bijou property says he has been inundated with queries since putting it on the market a few days ago.

Presented as a "compact bedsit", it is located on Piazza di Sant' Ignazio, a picturesque square overlooked by an enormous Renaissance church.

One report described it as "little bigger than a wigwam" while Il Giornale, a daily newspaper, commented: "In Rome, people now live like rats".

The flat consists of a ground floor bathroom with a shower, sink and lavatory and a ladder leading to a sleeping platform just big enough for a single bed. There is a single window, but to open it you have to climb over the bed.

It lies just behind Palazzo Grazioli, the imposing mansion which is rented by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, as his private residence in the capital.