Sights in Cap Ferrat — 2 of Our Favourites

Théodore Reinach, an archaeologist and French statesman fascinated with Greek civilisation recreated a Greek villa on the rocky tip of the Baie des Fourmis. It was designed and built between 1902 and 1908 based on the model of noble houses on the Island of Delos from the 2nd century BC

Designed by architect Emmanuel Pontremoli, the villa is entirely furnished and decorated. A reinvention of ancient Greece, the house combines ancient luxury with the modern comfort of Belle Epoque villas using luxury materials such as stucco, Carrara marble and exotic wood, together with a sumptuous decoration incorporating mosaics and frescoes illustrating the stories of ancient gods and classic heroes. The villa is organised around a central courtyard surrounded by marble columns.

Reinach spent his holidays here with his family and, on his death in 1928, he bequeathed it to the Institut de France. In 1967 it became a national monument.

Béatrice was the daughter of baron Alphonse de Rothschild, a banker and renowned art collector. At the age of 19, she married Maurice Ephrussi, a Parisian banker of Russian origin, 15 years her senior, and a friend of her parents. The marriage quickly turned sour for Béatrice. She contracted a serious illness from Maurice, which prevented her from having children. Maurice was a gambler and in 1904, his debts totalled over 12 million gold francs, the equivalent of 30 million euros today.

She divorced Maurice in 1904, and dedicated herself to her passion, art collection. When she inherited her father's fortune, she decided to build her dream home in Cap Ferrat. Works started in the garden, which took 7 years to complete, while the villa was began in 1907. Jacques-Marcel Auburtin was the architect who satisfied the demanding Béatrice and built it with an Italiante northern façade with Renaissance influences and a Venetian-influenced southern façade.

She moved into the villa in 1912, which was turned into her winter residence. Inside it is filled with clever trompe-l’œil paintings which disguise the metal columns and retains much of its opulent and rich furnishings.

You can now visit the villa's stunning landscaped gardens, which include spaces in traditional French style, as well as Spanish, Florentine and Japanese gardens. Inside, witness the villa's luxury in its reception areas, as well as in Béatrice's private apartments, sumptuously decorated and full of works of art. Absolutely worth a visit.