Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

If you are spending several days in the south of France, Villa d'Ephrussi is a must. This is a gorgeous estate. The museum itself has a very nice gift shop at the entrance. Then when you go through the gates, you see gothic gates at the entrance to the house, and when you enter, you are immediately transferred into the atmosphere of 17-18th centuries with the tapestries and furniture from Louis XVI-XVII. But then you really have to see the garden. It has a rosarium, and you probably have never seen such beautiful roses in your life. Then there is a japanese garden, a lot of cactuses, a lot of exotic plants and flowers.

Quick Tips:

Take lots of pictures, especially of the pond with the water-lillies and the hill right behind it. It comes out really gorgeous. You can't take pictures inside the museum. The first floor is open all day, but the second where all the tapestries are has scheduled tours. I remember that they have them at 11 am and 2 pm. Call ahead to find out, otherwise you might have to wait awhile.

Best Way To Get Around:

Definitely rent a car. The maps that you get in France are detailed enough for you not to get lost. Just follow route N7 along the coast in the direction of Monaco. Approximate time to get there from Nice is about 30 min (it's really not too far).

The villa is located on a mountain that blends into the sea and opens a breathtaking view of the French and Italian coastline.

Cap Ferrat is located very close to Nice and Monaco and that and its beauty attracated a lot of aristocrats in the beginning of the 20th century to the Franch riviera. Baroness bought the estate in 1905 and decided to build a villa and gardens like no other. She tried many famous architects but was not satisfied until in 1912 the villa was finally finished. She tried to bring together the style of Renaissance palaces in Venice and Florence. She then started buying antiques on the auctions in Monaco and nearby places and created a magnificent collection of the art, furniture and tapestries from the times of Louis XV and Louis XVI. The collection also has Sevre porcelain and Chinese antiquities. The gardens are decorated with patios, watrerfalls, lakes, flower beds, shady paths, and rare trees.

When you enter the villa through the elegant entrance in Gothic style, you immediately find yourself in a large hall, or what you can call a covered patio. The columns are made of pink marble form archways, and the second floor is surrounded by balconies. The hall is decorated with several paintings from medieval and Renaissance times. The arrows show you where to go next. So let's follow them.

Louis XVIth drawing room is really a very unique room. Here the walls are covered with wood panels, the ceiling has paintings on it and the furniture and carpets and doors are all authentic Louis XVI. The furniture has tapestries on it that depict La Fontaines fables. Next is Louis XVth drawing room which very much reminds of the previous room.

Next is the suite of the Baronesse. It's a small boudoire, full of light and exquisite furniture from the XVIIIth century. There is also a dining room full of Sevre porcelain that is exhibited in the show-cases.

The estate also offers guided tours of the collections which include the room of tapestries, the room of Far-Eastern art, the Fragonard room, and several other.

The town of Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat is located midway between Monaco and Nice, 10 km away from each. Here you can visit one of the most beautiful villas on the peninsula which is open to the public and is like a palace from "One Thousand and One Nights": the Villa Ile de France. This mansion is decorated with the treasures of the baronness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild. More than 5000 works of art are displayed, together with an impressive collection of furniture, lamps and carpets... it's really gorgeous. But besides visiting the villa, you just have to see the gardens of the villa surrounded by the sea. The Baronness Ephrussi de Rothschild was inspired by her travels to create 7 gardens designed around several themes... Spanish, Florentine or Japanese...garden of the Muses, garden of the Lapidary, the rose garden... impeccable walk-ways, palm-trees and rare fragrances surround this paradise.

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As you exit the Villa through the back door, you immediately find yourself in the gardens. First you see rows of long stemed roses, different colors, each with a rose bud at least 4 inches in diameter. If you go to the right and down the stairs, you will find a small grotto with all kinds of exotic flowers. Birds of paradise seem to grow everywhere. But if you come back to the rose bushes and continue through the garlands of them, you will see a gorgeous pond full of yellow, white, purple water lillies. Then go up the stairs to the statue and then look down at the Villa. Take a picture, this is the way you will want to remember it. But now continue with your discovery of the gardens. There is a Japanese garden which is small but very exotic. But the best things are further down. In the very end of the garden you will find a rosarium, which in May was in full bloom and was really an amazing site. A little bit before that I found the part of garden that is only cactuses, of all sizes, shapes, and colors, blooming and not, tall and tiny, some are so exotic that you will probably never see again unless you are in some huge botanical garden. Some were like trees, some looked like they came from the land that time forgot. And when you are finished with enjoying the garden, go to the terrace outside and look at the breathtaking view that opens before your eyes. Since the estate is on the hill, you can see a large part of the Mediterranean shore and the color of the waves is just so vivid and full of all shades of green and light blue.

It is really a place where you can spend hours and find things that you haven't noticed before. Enjoy yourself!