An international island broker let me know Tessera was available. I think it was the first island I bought. At one time, I was told that Nicolas Cage and even Julia Roberts were interested in it.

The island was built in Napoleonic times as a fortification to defend Venice. There were gun emplacements but they’ve gone.

It’s very convenient — a 10-minute boat ride from Venice’s Marco Polo airport. You’ve got tranquillity and yet you’re not in the country. It’s 5,000 square metres and you can land a helicopter on it.

It’s one of the few freehold islands in Venice — most of the others are on a lease from the government. You can also get to it at any state of tide. On some of the islands, you have to wait for high tide.

There is one main house and two smaller houses painted pink. In Venice you’re only allowed to use one of four colours: russet pink, dark blue, dark green and yellow. When I bought the island the properties needed rewiring and re-plumbing so they’re now modernised. We’ve got two generators and a solar-power telephone. There is a boat house and a boat seating up to 10 people.

The interior design is mainly white walls and marble floors. The main house is where we’ve held meetings and conferences on advanced lateral-thinking processes. Sometimes we had retreats for companies.

Every December, which is a wonderful time in Venice with a wild kind of winter beauty and no tourists, a meeting of Nobel prize economists is held in the city. As a participant, I usually entertained the group with a lunch or reception on Tessera. Everybody seemed to love it, as a break from the agenda and a chance to see something unique.

I stay in the pavilion in the middle, which is like a large studio with a separate kitchen and bathroom. It’s a quiet place and I’ve written some books there. The view isn’t distracting because when you are in the middle you look out at trees and not at Venice. I’d say it’s one of the best places I’ve ever worked.

There is a bigger house with two bedrooms where the caretaker, Bruno, and his wife, Giuliana, stay. Bruno drives the boat and looks after the gardens and Giuliana does the cooking when I’m in residence. There are lots of grapes and Bruno used to make Fragolino wine, which tastes like strawberries.

There are fruit trees and about 30 varieties of roses; the old roses have a strong perfume while the modern hybrids have no perfume. We grow figs and khaki fruit, which tastes a bit like quince.

My sons, Caspar and Charley, have enjoyed happy times there and Caspar spent his honeymoon on the island. We have held wedding receptions for friends. The weather is generally fine from March until September. Some of my favourite memories are of lunches on the terrace, which has a view of the churches.

It’s a special place to invite friends because they can go and see Venice. The fact there are no cars is a big plus — you walk everywhere or travel by boat. Each year on my birthday in May we have a big party for 70 or 80 people. A few friends stay on the island, but the rest stay in the city. They come for dinner and the party and then go home on a boat. One of the oldest glassmakers in Venice from the Island of Murano used to bring a piece of glass he’d designed for me.

The island is more secure than a road because anybody who comes has got to get away by boat on the canals, which is not easy. We have rottweilers and are in contact with the police, although I’ve never had any occasion to request anything.

I’ve sold my islands in Ireland and in the Bahamas and am in the process of selling the one in Australia. I have a home in Malta, a studio in Paris and a small place in London, which is only a lease. I don’t want to sell Tessera, but since I have recently divorced I must let it go, reluctantly, to help with the settlement. The sale would include furniture and, if a beautiful lady wants to buy the island, it includes me too.

Tessera is for sale for £3.2m through Mary Ellen Barton with Ann-Marie Doyle, Venetian Apartments, 020 8878 1130, www.venice-sales.com/tessera

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