Villa Kerylos

This Villa was built by an archeologist (I don't remember his name, but when you go there, they'll tell you) and is really a very unique building. You will not find anything quite like it anywhere. He tried to recreate an ancient greek villa in the smallest details: the colors of the walls and ceilings and floors, the patterns of the floors and walls, the decor, the paintings on the walls from the greek history - everything looks very authentic. When you first come in, go to the left into the huge bathroom. It has an unbelievable size bathtub made out of marble. The furniture is made out of rare woods and is unbelievably gorgeous. There are two floors. On the second are the bedrooms that have very interesting designs on the walls. When you are still on the first floor, in the center of it where there is open space, look up and you will see the clock on the roof. Once you are done with the inside, walk around the building, look at the waves.

Quick Tips:

Don't forget to bring a jacket. The wind can be very strong even in May. Definitely come with the camcorder. We shot the whole villa and it came out great. All the marble and paintings and floor decor and incredible furniture. Read up a little bit on Greek mythology so that you have a better idea on what the paintings represent. There are 6 paintings with main events in Greek mythology.

Best Way To Get Around:

Definitely rent a car and go in the direction of Monaco on N7 or N98. Besides car being the best way of getting around, you will also be able to see the beauty of the mountains above the road and the seaside down below. In several places along the road there are parkings where you can just stop and enjoy the nature for a little bit. Knowledge of French is very useful, especially if you are lost. But the maps are pretty good and the road is straight, so you probably won't get lost. There are signs that show you how to get to the Villa.

The villa is a dream of 2 scholars of Greek history: Theodore Reinach and Emmanuel Pontremoli. Theodore Reinach was a philologist, archeologist, professor at the College of France and a passionate scholar of Greece. Emmanuel Pontremoli was a distinguished architect of the beginning of the 20th century.

This is a recreation of an ancient Greek villa, and even in Greece there is no museum that in such minute detail reconstructs the life of ancient Greece.

The walls of the villa are decorated with paintings from the Greek mythology. The architecture was modeled after the nobles homes on the island of Delos. The building is decorated with frescoes, mosaics, tapestries. The patterns were inspired by the scenes on the ancient vases. The furniture is made of different types of wood and is a real work of art. The walls are also partially made of different colors of marble - white, pink, gray, also the baths are made of white marble. Curtains on the windows are hand embroidered. The floors are made of a combination of walnut, citron tree, pear wood with inlays.

The villa is surrounded by the garden that has a collection of Greek trees and plants and opens a breathtaking view of the sea and the French riviera.

When you enter the villa, the word "Xaipe" ("rejoice") is welcoming you into the house. The floor is made of mosaic in light color with a square pattern with a rooster in the middle. The walls are painted in ochra red color with a vase with trees brunches coming out of it painted in black on it on the left handside. Further you can see a statue of Sophocles in the background. On the left you can also see an entrnace into the bathroom which has a huge white marble bathtub with the mosaic floor of it covered with exotic animals. This is room has marble columns supporting the structure. Walls are also covered with marble panels. Next as you enter the rest of the building to the right, you are in the atrium, wall of which are covered with the large paintings telling stories of Hermes, Apollo, Oenomaos, Pelops and some others. The walls underneath the frescoes are covered with paintings of the sea fish, animals and shells. The walls are mainly painted with light, yellow, sand colors and make everything seem very authentic. In the middle of the atrium you can see a fountain and Greek trees and if you look up, you will see a Greeek clock on the roof of the building showing time. As you continue the tour, you will find yourslef in a large hall with gorgeous hand-crafted furniture, mosaic floors in green and beige, pink-white marble on the walls, and ceiling covered with Greek patterns. The furniture is made of 12 different species of wood and is incredibly elegant and just asking to be sat in.

As you enter the second floor through the elegant and simple staircase, you will see a long corridor with doors of the rooms and bathrooms on the left handside. Each room has its name written above the door (that way you will be able to follow the floor plan). The floor starts with a large library that has remarcable furniture in it: inlaid oak sideboards, Egyptian chairs. The floor mosaic is in green and beige cirular pattern, the borders on the walls have tree ornaments, the ceiling is covered with the pattern of the waves in green and gold. Each room has large windows that give a lot of light to the rooms. The next room is a dining room where you can see the cupboard with the silverware, clay plates and vases. You can also see woven leather couches with cushions from the same fabric as the curtains. The pattern on the floor is very intricate and has some stories from the mythology in light blue and yellow and white colors. There are 2 bathrooms on the second floor, each has a shower in the wall and a marble bathtub with legs. The walls are covered with stucco statues of Greek goddesses and cupids. There are also 2 bedrooms. The walls of the bedroom of Reinach's wife are painted in blue and gold and tell the story of Hera. His own bedroom's walls are painting in red with cupids offering different fuit and exotic birds signing. The bedroom also have beds made of wood and leather. There are also columns in the bedroom painted in the color of the room.