Versace Museum begins tours

A fountain in the courtyard of Casa Casuarina, the former home of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace in Miami Beach, Fla. is shown on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008. Before the designer's death more than a decade ago, his celebrity friends stayed so often, rooms were outfitted with them in mind. After Versace's murder and the house's sale, it become home to another mogul with A-list friends. But, slowly, 1116 Ocean Drive has opened its doors, first as an invitation-only private club, then allowing non-members to stay in its ornate rooms for prices that start at $1,200 a night, and now to the masses, or at least anyone willing to plunk down $65 for a tour. 'It was just kind of a domino effect,' said Elisa Brinkworth, a spokeswoman for Casa Casuarina, as the 26,000-square-foot estate is called. 'The more people you let in the more that wanted to come in.'