Helen Mirren's holiday home in Italian council planning row

It is not clear why Mrs De Giovanni wants to see copies of the details of the property, but officials insist she has no legal right to do so.

Piero Nuccio, the lawyer acting for the couple, branded the case a shame and suggested it could sour the actress friendly relationship with her neighbour, whom she used to take fresh flowers.

The dispute centres on a 500-year-old building, once the home of a prince, which is surrounded by a fairytale stone wall and turrets.

Nestled in Puglia, Italy, less than a mile away from the Mediterranean, it is said to have native olive trees and quaint rose bushes in the sunkissed garden and a mature vineyard in the grounds.

The property came to the publics attention three years ago, when photographs of Dame Helen in a striking red bikini on the nearby beach emerged.

Originally described as tumbledown and uninhabitable, the home has undergone a transformation in the hands of the couple, who invested more than a quarter of a million pounds restoring it to its former glory.

Now sporting solar panels for heating and hot water, the property is said to have eco-friendly credentials as well as maintaining its traditional features, including enormous fire places and a dungeon.

One such improvement has been the complete restoration of a wall adjacent to Mrs De Giovannis property, funded by Dame Helen and her husband at a cost of 30,000.

Though Mrs De Giovanni has already seen plans for the shared wall, she has now accused the local council of failing to hand over official documents of the rest of the home.

A spokesman for the local council said: We are aware of the complaint but we are adamant that we have done nothing wrong and it is now up to the prosecutor to decide what happens next.

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Helen Mirren's holiday home in Italian council planning row