The Historic Villas of the Côte d’Azur.
Dream villas, whether period or contemporary, are part of the Côte d’Azur’s DNA. These world-renowned vacation spots, renowned for their history and architecture, perpetuate the aura of the personalities who have frequented them. These majestic residences illustrate the privileged art of living of this region, offering spectacular landscapes between the intense blue of the sea and the chiseled contours of the surrounding mountains.
Among these gems, some villas stand out for their rich past, having hosted artists, writers, and renowned personalities. Each property tells a story, whether it be the frescoes of Cocteau, the creations of Le Corbusier, or the legacy of legendary figures such as Picasso or Christian Dior. These exceptional places combine aesthetics and culture, offering an immersion in the history of art and architecture.
This exploration of the Côte d’Azur’s most remarkable villas invites you to discover unique treasures nestled in sublime landscapes. From historic residences to contemporary properties, they offer a fascinating glimpse into the richness and diversity of this legendary region.
Villa Les Camélias
This Belle Époque villa was built around 1905 by a Parisian couple.
First named “Villa Catiche,” the building was sold to the Director of the Théâtre des Variétés de Paris, Fernand Samuel, in 1914, and became “Villa Les Camélias.”
The site passed through several owners until 1952, when it became the property of a family who has since maintained it, recently restoring it, and renovating it to present their collections to the public.
The architecture is characteristic of the Belle Époque.
Villa les Camélias is today the only Belle Époque villa in Cap d’Ailloise open to the public.
In 2014, the owners decided to transform this space into a private museum to showcase objects and countless photographs dating from the late 19th century to the 1950s, immortalizing the lives of the Cap d’Aillois, their leisure activities, their festivals, and their daily landscapes.
On the two upper floors, visitors discover that the villa houses the largest collection of paintings by Basque painter Ramiro Arrue.
The villa also serves as a venue for various cultural events and temporary exhibitions.
Villa Vigie, Karl Lagerfeld’s refuge in Monaco.
La Vigie: the little-known story of Karl Lagerfeld’s Ivory Tower in Monaco
Karl Lagerfeld’s home in Monaco, La Vigie is one of the most prestigious villas on the French Riviera. Once owned by the British and Monegasque aristocracy, this property was handed over to the Germans during World War II and continues to fascinate.
Steeped in history, la Vigie has hosted some of the greatest figures of the 20th century.
Built in 1902, La Vigie first belonged to the British politician and press magnate Sir William Ingram, when the philanthropist, then passionate about painting and exotic birds, decided to settle on the Côte d’Azur. In 1929, part of the estate was acquired by the Société des Bains de Mer de Monaco (SBM) to build the Palace Monte Carlo Beach. When war broke out, the property was occupied by German troops.
Nestled on the heights of the principality, La Vigie offers panoramic views of the Italian, French, and Monegasque coasts.
This “watchtower” is therefore a strategic observation point.
After the Liberation, the SBM took over the entire property and began renovations to Villa Vigie. However, it was abandoned.
It was Prince Rainier III of Monaco who restored its former prestige by bequeathing it to Karl Lagerfeld, who, in return, undertook to renovate the residence.
Beginning in 1986 and for over a decade, Lagerfeld regularly occupied the property and refurbished the 600 square meters of the residence for an estimated cost of over twelve million euros.
After Lagerfeld’s reign, Villa Vigie was made available for exclusive events, lavish weddings, and private receptions.
The lush gardens surrounding the property are also meticulously landscaped, including sunny terraces and shaded areas perfect for outdoor receptions.
Today, La Vigie remains a testament to the region’s rich cultural and architectural heritage.
It embodies timeless elegance and refined luxury, always attracting admirers and visitors.
The preservation of this villa is a priority, ensuring that it continues to shine as a jewel of the Riviera for future generations.
Château de la Croë is a large and prestigious residence dating from 1927, located in an exclusive neighborhood at the tip of Cap d’Antibes, next to another famous villa in the region, Villa Eilenroc.
The villa was built in 1927 in the Victorian style for the English aristocrat Sir William Pomeroy Burton, managing director of the Associated Newspaper. The architect was Armand Albert Rateau, who built the property on a 28,000 m² plot that extends to the sea.
In 1938, the property was acquired by the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of England, who had since abdicated.
Duchess Wallis Simpson spent enormous sums decorating the property to resemble what the Duke was accustomed to while living in the English royal palace. Expensive furniture, silverware, and china were purchased from England.
Luxurious receptions were held at Croë Castle, and guests included members of the royal family, the political elite, including Winston Churchill, and many other notable and famous figures.
Winston Churchill and his wife also celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary at the castle with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
In 1950, the famous Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis purchased the Château de la Croë and held it until 1957, when it was taken over by his brother-in-law, Stavros Niarchos.
Then, the wealthy Russian Roman Abramovich became the new owner in 2001.
The villa was in poor condition, and rumor has it that he spent over €33 million restoring it to its current state. The renovation was completed in 2008.
In the beautiful Fayence region, where his father and sister lived, Christian Dior created a paradise for himself: the Château de La Colle Noire.
This was in 1950, three years after the triumph of his first collection.
He transformed a large, dilapidated building into a château, transforming the surrounding estate into a Garden of Eden.
He also planted vines, olive trees, almond trees, and roses, which are still harvested today.
The couturier’s objects reconstruct his world.
Pickers were once more numerous and the estate larger: 50 hectares compared to only 5 today.
Sold by Dior’s heirs, it has had several owners.
The LVMH group purchased the Château de la Colle Noire in 2013, restored it, and transformed it into a prestigious venue reserved primarily for its most prestigious clients.
Tours are not open to the public. A wealth of objects belonging to the couturier were purchased at auction or found in search of treasures to recreate his world.
Villa E-1027, an icon of designer architecture.
This beautiful villa with modern architecture is located in the hills above Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
Spanning 120m², it was designed by designer Eileen Gray and her partner Jean Badovici.
The villa’s decor is highly stylish: the furniture is refined, ingenious, and functional. Eileen Gray carefully selected the placement of each light fixture, each table, and more.
The residence and its gardens are listed as historic monuments. Tours are possible, but reservations are required.
A true icon of modern architecture, Villa E-1027, Eileen Gray’s first architectural creation, demonstrates her careful consideration of every detail.
It serves as a manifesto, both for the architecture itself and for the fixed and movable furniture, lighting, and decor that are inseparable from it.
For three years, Eileen Gray designed the furniture and, in collaboration with her partner Jean Badovici, the project plans.
The story of Villa E-1027 is at once romantic, incredible, and tragic.
Appreciated, published, envied, then abandoned, looted, and ignored, it was rediscovered at the end of the last century and is now restored and admired almost a hundred years after its construction.
Construction of the villa was completed in 1929. At that time, modern villas were rare, especially on the Mediterranean coast.
By the 1910s, Eileen Gray had built an unparalleled reputation in Paris as a designer in the Art Deco style.
Following her exhibition in Amsterdam in 1922, she became interested in the progressive artistic productions of the De Stijl movement and, through contact with Jean Badovici, discovered the writings and projects of early modern architects such as Adolph Loos, Gerrit Rietveld, and Le Corbusier. She then embarked on a radically different direction and passionately adopted the values of this aesthetic which rejected unnecessary decoration, formal overloads, deceptive appearances and which sought in geometric abstraction a way to reach the essential.
Long after Eileen Gray left the villa in 1932, Le Corbusier stayed there for a few days in 1937, 1938, and 1939. In April 1938, with the encouragement of Jean Badovici, he painted two murals, returning the following year to add five more.
He declared: “I also have a furious desire to dirty the walls: ten compositions are ready, enough to smear everything.”
According to her biographers, Eileen Gray did not appreciate these paintings.
In 1949, Badovici threatened to remove them. Damaged during the war, several paintings were restored by Le Corbusier himself in 1949 and again in 1963.
However, three paintings have disappeared. The four that survived have been restored.
On the other hand, the one in the living room, which did not allow for a quiet appreciation of Eileen Gray’s genius, was hidden behind a panel.
The Palais Lascaris in Nice.
This Baroque-style residence was built in the mid-17th century in the old town of Nice and was restored and transformed into a museum.
We owe the construction of this palace to the Lascaris-Vintimille family, a prominent member of the Nice nobility.
The first floor houses temporary exhibitions.
The second floor offers a tour of several rooms furnished with tapestries, objets d’art, paintings, and sculptures.
On the second floor, the palace houses a significant collection of musical instruments from the Baroque period.
The wide, decorated staircase provides access to the upper floors.
Villa Kerylos, built in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, has been owned by the Institut de France since 1928, bequeathed by the owners upon the death of Théodore Reinach.
This building, near Villa Ephrussi, was converted into a museum in 1967.
It was built by the architect Pontremoli between 1902 and 1908 on a rocky escarpment overlooking the seaside road.
This house is built and furnished according to the model of Greek villas from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
Villa Kerylos is the culmination of a collaboration between patron Theodore Reinach and architect Pontremoli, who wanted to rebuild a villa in the image of the one on Delos, adapted to modern comforts. Funding was provided primarily by the fortune of Madame Reinach, a second cousin of Maurice Ephrussi, husband of Béatrice de Rothschild.
Its name, “Kerylos,” means “Sea Swallow,” in reference to the tern or flying fish that were still numerous in the Mediterranean in the last century.
Villa Ephrussi
It took Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi, a woman of taste and originality, wife of the Rothschilds, seven years to build one of the most beautiful sites on the Côte d’Azur, “Villa Ephrussi,” located in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Built between 1905 and 1912 at her request and in her image, this prestigious residence takes us on a journey through the spaces and surroundings of high society at the beginning of the 20th century.
During the Belle Époque, the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie loved to come to the Côte d’Azur, following the fashion launched by English nobles in the mid-19th century.
The Villa’s architecture is inspired by the Italian Renaissance.
The interiors of Villa Ephrussi are discovered through a patio, a large and small living room, then we access the Baroness’s apartments with the bedroom, boudoir, bathroom, and wardrobe.
The upper floor reveals several reception rooms: the tapestries room, the monkeys room, the porcelain room, and finally the Far Eastern art room.
Over the years, Baroness Ephrussi, one of the greatest collectors of her time, built up a collection of old master paintings, notably by Fragonard, Boucher, and Tiepolo, as well as rare furniture and porcelain from the Royal Manufactures of Sèvres and Vincennes.
The decor and collections reveal the owner’s passion for art and travel, particularly in Renaissance Italy for the patio, and in 18th-century France for the salons and apartment.
The gardens surrounding Villa Ephrussi offer a setting of colonnades, waterfalls, ponds, trees and rare species, and flowerbeds.
Each garden is a memory of travels, botanical journeys: French, Spanish, Florentine, Japanese, Lapidary, Exotic, and Provençal.
The Villa also boasts a rose garden.
Villa Californie, Picasso’s residence.
This beautiful Californian villa is private, and therefore unfortunately not open to the public.
It was the home of the famous Picasso for several years. This exceptional place is also known as “Villa Fénelon.”
It was built in 1920 in Cannes and is part of the city’s architectural heritage.
This magnificent residence with its white facade is composed of three floors and a surface area of 1200m², surrounded by a garden and a swimming pool. The architect of this building is Henri Picquart and the sculptor who created the facade is Henri Vidal.
Today, the villa belongs to Picasso’s granddaughter, Marina Picasso, and is called “Pavillon de Flore.”
Villa Californie is a building that is part of Cannes’ architectural heritage.
Built in 1920, it takes its name from the neighborhood.
Located at 22 Avenue Coste-Belle, it has changed names several times and is now called Pavillon de Flore.
Built after the war by a Cannes architect, it boasts a garden with exotic vegetation and a swimming pool. In an eclectic style typical of the late 19th century, large arched windows structure the building. The ornamentation of the facade and the green glazed tile roof ensure its uniqueness.
Spanning 1,200 m², it has eight bedrooms and as many bathrooms.
Picasso in la Villa Californie.
Picasso was looking for a studio to set up in this region. He was over seventy years old and desired a large ground floor apartment. The artist was captivated by the grandeur and cacti of the garden.
Jacqueline Roque worked at the Vallauris ceramics studio frequented by the artist. His new companion was 27 when he decided to set up shop in La Californie. Picasso had just been dumped by Françoise Gillot. It was difficult for the great seducer who never spoke of love to accept this affront!
Bonjour Véronique,
Que de merveilles architecturales – Merci pour ce moment
belle journée Dominique