At first glance, there is little to link Rome's art house cinema to a national charity, or a four-star hotel to some campaign headquarters.

But a closer look at the history of these buildings in the Italian capital reveals a past which reads like something out of a Hollywood script.

Because once they all belonged to the mafia.

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Impressive: The mafia have owned some of Rome's most beautiful buildings over the years

Property empire: Italy's gangs have always understood the value of owning property in the capital

Seized: But the authorities have started fighting back, and have been reclaiming buildings for almnst 20 years

Revitalised: So now the buildings have been transformed - although what they would think of their new incarnations as jazz clubs, hotels (pictured) and charities dedicated to stopping the mafia can only be imagined

Italy's mafia has always invested in Rome's luxury real estate and for one obvious reason: it's the best way to launder dirty money and keep a relatively low profile.

It meant these beautiful buildings were actually hellish lairs where mobsters trafficked in drugs and arms, met to talk business, conspire against rivals, invite politicians prone to be corrupted or simply have fun.

They were places where the worst of sins were committed - from torture, to murder and kidnapping.

Yet now they are some of the most sought-after places to be seen in Rome: luxurious guesthouses, fabulous bars and popular music venues, all seized from the grasping, criminal fingers of their former owners.

NUOVO CINEMA AQUILA: UNDERWORLD PORN THEATRE TO ART HOUSE New start: This popular cinema was once a porno theatre, owned by Rome's most notorious gang Crime free: The Nuovo Cinema Aquila has been given a second life after being seized in 2011 from the grasp of the Banda della Magliana, linked to the criminal underworld and the far-right movement Those visiting the elegant Nuovo Cinema Aquila, in the lively Pigneto neighbourhood of Rome, to enjoy the latest in arthouse cinema would be hard push to guess at its far more seedy - and dangerous - past. Yet this cinema was once a lucrative porn theatre, controlled by the Banda della Magliana, the powerful criminal clan linked to far-right groups which ruled over the capital for more than 20 years. They were even linked to the 1978 assassination of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro - although that has never been proved. From the behind the Art Deco facade, the Banda plotted their criminal dealings throughout the 1980s. Disrepair: It had been abandoned when it was taken by Roman authorities more than a decade ago Dirty cash: But it acted for years as a front which they could launder money through Profits - made through the sale of weapons, drugs, robberies, murders and kidnappings - were made 'clean', laundered through the theatre. It was eventually abandoned by the group, and in 2004 seized by Roman authorities which thought about turning it into a supermarket. But luckily for film-lovers, it was decided to keep its original function, and it is now one of the capital's most popular venues, screening a mix of live performances, films and documentaries. Advertisement

Casa del Jazz: The mafia's opulent playground

Popular: The Casa del Jazz attracts musicians from around Europe to play in its sumptuous surroundings

But it looked quite different when it was taken from the Banda della Magliana's cashier in 2001

The Casa del Jazz, which stands on the ruins of an ancient castle, today welcomes accomplished musicians from all over Europe into its grand house and lavish gardens.

But for years it was the base of one of the Banda della Magliana's cashier Enrico Nicoletti - a place where the music was only played for a select few.

It was a den of iniquity from where this particularly powerful boss entertained partners, politicians and businessmen, impressing them with his golden bathrooms, marble floors and anicent statues.

No expense spared: When they entered the home the authorities discovered a lavishly decorated property

Meetings: The 10million euro property had been used to impress business associates and politicians

Extravagent: Some of the bathrooms were gold-plated, while there were also huge jacuzzis and statues

Religious: This alter was also discovered - perhaps somewhere for the mobsters to atone for their sins

Music: The building and grounds have been utterly transformed in the 14 years since they were recovered

But the manor house, originally built for a banker, was also the scene of some of the wildest parties, thrown to celebrate trafficking deals and illegally-won profits.

And when Rome's authorities finally grabbed the 1930s property in 2001, they discovered king-size jaccuzzis - as well as a private altar, possibly so the criminal mastermind could atone for his sins more easily.

Now the property, close to the archaeological area of the Aurelian Walls, which had an estimated value of £7.3milllion (10million euros), stands as a monument to mafia victims, with a tombstone at the entrance listing a number of names.

GRAND HOTEL GIANICOLO: HOW THE MAFIA USED RELIGION TO MAKE MONEY Pious history: The Grand Hotel Gianicolo started life as a convent, but was sold to entrepreneurs in 2001 Underworld: Unbeknownst to the nuns, the businessmen were linked to the 'Ndrangheta mafia gang - the powerful criminal group which earned more than McDonald's and Deutsche Bank combined last year Visitors staying at the four-star Grand Hotel Gianicolo couldn't fail to be impressed by the superb view down the hill to the Tiber River and St Peter's Cathedral. This former Baroque convent, set inside impressive grounds, is the perfect place to escape the busy streets of Rome. But the glamorous exterior and pious past hides a more sinister secret: when the nuns decided to sell at the turn of the century, it was to entrepreneurs tied to 'Ndrangheta, the powerful Calabrian mafia which last year made more money than McDonalds and Deutsche Bank combined. Indeed, it is now one of the world's most powerful mafia groups, with interests in every field of organised crime - fromd rugs, to extortion, to arms. Top of the range: No expense was spared in transforming it into the four-star hotel it remains today Advantage: Twelive years after they bought the property, in 2013, it was seized by the authorities - who have kept the hotel mostly the same as it was during the mafia years They snapped up the entire estate, and turned it into a deluxe hotel - hoping to capitalise on religious tourism in Rome, while also creating a front to launder their ill-gotten gains. Money was no object when creating the luxurious feel they were trying to achieve: banks allegedly under mafia control supported the purchase. And they apparently had good taste: since city authorities seized the hotel in 2013, they've not changed much. Rooms - which cost up to 188 euros - sill offer a glimpse of the past splendour, while weddings are now celebrated the gourmet restaurant, La Corte degli Archi, ranked as one of Rome's best. Advertisement

LIBERA ASSOCIATION: THE FORMER BROTHEL FIGHTING THE MAFIA

If the mobsters who enjoyed the salacious pleasures of this elegant 19th century palazzo in the 70s knew what it had become, they would no doubt turn in their graves.

Ever since 2003, it has been home to Libera, an organisation Italy's largest anti-mafia lobby uniting 1,500 civil groups that fight every day against crime to promote justice.

But once the six storey building, just around the corner from the Presidential Palace and Trevi Fountain, was used as the mafia a luxury brothel, with a different, fully-equipped 'sex apartment', complete with bathrooms and cigar salons, on every floor.

Irony: This was once a six-storey brothel, run by the mafia. Today it houses the biggest anti-mafia lobby

But this particular mobster made his fortune out of smuggling cigarettes and drugs, sometimes using his successful brothel as a storehouse for his illegal wares.

This so-called 'meetings house' belonged to a famous southern mobster, who was responsibly for liasing between Naples' Camorra and Sicily's Cosa Rostra gangs in the 1970s.

Following the closure of sex houses in 1958 by a controversial state law, clandestine brothels flourished under the control of organised crime.

THE CORNER: THE FASHIONABLE BOUTIQUE WITH A DARK PAST Glamorous: This villa made up a tiny part of the much-feared 'Ndrangheta's massive property empire Fashionable: After it was seized, thanks to its location, it was transformed into a luxury boutique hotel Relax: The exterior gives no hint as to it murky, and possibly dangerous, past incarnation This gorgeous Liberty-style villa was one of many snapped up by Calabria's 'Ndrangheta to launder money coming from the illegal business of rigged slot machines. Set atop the Aventino Hill close to the Circus Maximus, it was part of an immense real estate empire built across 20 years of crime that helped the clan make their ill-gotten gains appear legal. 'Ndrangheta, despite coming from Italy's south, has always exploited the capital as the perfect place for money-laundering. Indeed, the group bullied many Roman bar owners into purchasing their poker machines, by threatening, embezzling and extortion. But the machines were rigged, avoiding the controls of the authorities, and making the gangsters - and those who colluded with them - a fortune. But after it was seized, it was transformed into The Corner, a place designed to entice the young and fashionable, boasting an 11 room boutique hotel, complete with its own club. And it doesn't come cheap: a night at The Corner could set you back as much as £255 (349 euros). Value: Despite the 'Ndrangheta being from the south of Italy, they have always taken advantage of Rome's property market to help them launder their cash Small time: They have forced many bar owners to take slot machines which are rigged in their favour Control: But the 'Ndrangheta also have a hand in some of the biggest organised crime deals in the world Advertisement

GIOVANI AND FRANCESCA FALCONE FOUNDATION: TRIBUTE TO MAN WHO FOUGHT AGAINST THE HOLD OF THE MOBSTERS

It was once a building where desperate men with nowhere else to turn came to beg loans from the Banda della Magliana clan, lent at extortionate rates.

The men were in search of temporary relief from their financial woes; the mafia was intent on turning them into 'financial victims', indebted to the criminal gang.

At times, it is said some were even driven to suicide.

Money lenders: This building used to be the base from which the Banda della Magliana would lend money to desperate men at extortionate rates designed to ensure they were forever in their debt

Just two minutes from the walls of Vatican City, the sumptuous palazzo now has a far more location-appropriate purpose.

Since 2001, the building has been home to the Roman branch of the Giovani and Francesca Falcone Foudation, the anti-mafia organisation named after the famous judge murdered by the mafia as he drove home with his wife in 1992.