Sunday February 19 was a beautiful sunny day with a high of 15C. We caught the 11:00 a.m. bus to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, about 10 km east of Nice. It was a lovely bus ride, many stops, but if no one wanted to get out, the bus just kept going. We drove through some beautiful towns and scenery. It was only about a 35 minute trip and there was a bus stop about a two minute walk from our destination, the Villa and Gardens Ephrussi de Rothschild.
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| The view walking to the Villa |
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| Palm trees and the Sea-- what more do you need |
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| Entrance to the Villa with picture of Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild and map of the Villa and Gardens |
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| Entrance (just one small side of the Villa) |
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| Patio area inside--- Venetian style |
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Entrance where we got tickets
There was a wonderful audio guide in English which was free with admission. It started with Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi Rothschild's story and the building of the Villa. Béatrice de Rothschild (1864-1934), was a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France. She was the daughter of banker Alphonse James de Rothschild (1827-1905) and Leonora de Rothschild (1837-1911), from the English branch of the Rothschilds).
Béatrice married Maurice Ephrussi (1849-1916) in 1883. Maurice was an Odessa born banker, a member of the Ephrussi family. She was only 19 and he was 34. After they married, they maintained a home in Monte Carlo using her wealth to travel the world and acquire paintings, rare porcelain and antique furniture. Béatrice visited the Riviera in 1902 and fell in love with the area. She acquired a 17 acre parcel of land on Cap Ferrat. Maurice was a gambler and lost a lot of money. By 1904, his debts amounted to more than 12 million gold francs. In June 1904, they separated.
Béatrice's father died in 1905 and she inherited his immense fortune. That same year she decided to construct her dream home. The Villa was built in a Neo-Venetian style between 1907 and 1912. The house was called "Ile-de-France" in homage to Béatrice's favourite ocean liner. She continued to collect, furniture, tapestries and porcelain. The Villa contains a games table that had once belonged to Marie Antoinette and a rug commissioned by Louis XIV.
In 1933, the landscape architect Louis Marchand was entrusted with designing the themed gardens and renovated the French formal garden.
In her 1933 will, Béatrice bequeathed the Villa and its art collections to the Académie des Beaux Arts for use as a museum. During WWII, Cap Ferrat's inhabitants were evacuated and the area was mined. The Villa remained unattended and the gardens were abandoned for two years. After the war, Louis Marchand restored the gardens to their pre-war splendour. In 1985, a harsh winter destroyed a number of trees and plants. In 1991, the management of the site was given to Culturespaces, which redeveloped the gardens and restored the Villa's interior. In 2023, the Academie des Beaux Arts took over the direct management of the villa.
A fascinating story. There is a link with the history of the Ephrussi family outlined in Edmund de Waal's The Hare with Amber Eyes. De Waal's paternal grandmother and great grandfather were members of the Ephrussi family.
There were a number of rooms on the main floor. The Grand Salon was quite spectacular with a Louis XIV rug and 18th century furnishings. Béatrice liked to gamble and was also an accomplished sportswoman (horses, tennis etc). There were a number of small tables for playing games.
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| Large Salon with rug commissioned by Louis XIV |
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| Smaller salon with another beautiful rug and view |
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| Lots of mirrors as well |
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| Paintings and tapestries and beautiful ceilings |
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| 19th century French paintings |
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| Beautiful Gobelins tapestries (Scene from Don Quixote) |
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| The Screen in front of the fireplace had belonged to Marie Antoinette and had her monogram on it |
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| The small writing desk was a beauty |
We then went into Béatrice's bedroom, which had a beautiful embroidered silk coverlet on the bed. A dress of hers was laid out on a chair with her picture on the small table.
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| Small room with Meissen porcelain |
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| Another Gobelins tapestry |
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| Tapestry room undergoing some renovations-- another games table |
We stopped at an outdoor section with a fabulous view of the French garden. The shape of the garden is a ship's prow. Gorgeous view.
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| The French garden |
There was a "Monkey Room" with drawings of monkeys. Béatrice also had a collection of animals including dogs and monkeys. She even had a wedding of two trained dogs that was attended by 200 guests!
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| Monkey room drawings |
More monkeys on the wall
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| Blue Guest Room |
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| Clock in one alcove |
We then left the Villa and explored the nine themed gardens. Immediately behind the Villa was the French garden. To one side were the other eight gardens that merged into each other. We walked through the Spanish, Japanese, Exotic, Provencal and a final Rose Garden (no Roses yet). The French garden was the largest and had a musical fountain in the the centre. The Exotic garden was spectacular with blooming cacti. The upkeep must be challenging, though we saw no gardeners on our walk.
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| Map with the Villa (on the right) and gardens |
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| The good life |
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| The hills and harbour behind me. |
We caught the 4:35 p.m. bus and were back in Nice just after 5:00 p.m. We walked through a small, park, where children were playing on fabulous animals.
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| Dinosaur time |
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| Alain with turtle |
We headed back to the apartment for a coffee and treat. Alain had a rest before dinner and I worked on the blog. Alain made another fish dinner with artichokes, dorade, and green beans. A glass of wine and some chocolate for dessert.
It was a wonderful day. We were so lucky that it was sunny. We highly recommend a trip to the Villa and Gardens. Lots of history, incredible furnishings and tapestries and wonderful gardens and views. Beautiful part of the French Riviera, not to be missed!
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