Aristocratic, luxurious, chic and as scintillating as the turquoise sea it is named after. All this and more is the côte d’azur, that corner of the south of france bathed by the mediterranean sea running from miramar to the italian border.
This has been Europe’s most celebrated Riviera for years. Its towns bask in the air of aristocracy emanating from the neighbouring Principality of Monte Carlo, high-flyers gamble in its casinos and international stars flock to its Cannes Festival every year.
Apart from Cannes, other Côte d’Azur towns include the famous Nice, princely Monte Carlo, La Napoule Plage, Vallauris, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Villefranche, Saint Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Menton and Cagnes-sur-Mer, where visitors can see Renoir’s villa, la Colette, where the famous French artist died in 1919.
The Côte d’Azur has long been loved by artists and remains a never-ending source of artistic inspiration, as witnessed by its numerous museums of modern and contemporary art and the studios and art galleries tucked away in the winding lanes of its inland towns and villages. The wave of romantic interest for the East led to a crop of villas in Moorish style, with tiled walls, Moorish arches and scaled-down minarets. The interiors are characterised by soft colours and trompe-l’œil architectural effects. Later the fashion for the Liberty style featured friezes of stylised flowers.
Perched on a cliff top
A rocky spur overlooking the sea: a swimming pool suspended in midair between the sea and the sky and a 3000 m² Mediterranean garden. A challenging commission on tricky terrain successfully completed thanks to sophisticated technology.
The swimming pool
The swimming pool is on a spur of rock with a truly unique view. A fringe of compact sand three metres wide borders the water and acts as a filter between the whirlpool grotto – completely rebuilt on site – and the solarium, submerged under a film of water level with the armoured glass balustrade to create an infinity effect. The pool blends in perfectly with its surroundings thanks to the use of natural materials such as sand, glass and rock, reflecting the infinite blues of the sea. A splendid spa in the mouth of a cave overlooking the sea, complete with Turkish bath, sauna, massage area and a relax area with a balcony poised above the Mediterranean, was created by enlarging and reinforcing the spur the swimming pool is built on. From here steps surrounded by shrubs and flowers lead down to the sea and the private beach.
The garden
The uneven terrain here entailed careful planning. Steps leading up and down link the different levels, each revealing another attractive corner of the garden.
Brightly-coloured flowers, herbs and wildflowers nestle between the agaves, acacias, olives and umbrella pine trees. A garden which is a riot of untrammelled Mediterranean opulence. Carefully selected shrubs and trees naturally delineate the boundaries and different areas of the garden in a deliberately destructured display of natural beauty.
This has been Europe’s most celebrated Riviera for years. Its towns bask in the air of aristocracy emanating from the neighbouring Principality of Monte Carlo, high-flyers gamble in its casinos and international stars flock to its Cannes Festival every year.
Apart from Cannes, other Côte d’Azur towns include the famous Nice, princely Monte Carlo, La Napoule Plage, Vallauris, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Villefranche, Saint Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Menton and Cagnes-sur-Mer, where visitors can see Renoir’s villa, la Colette, where the famous French artist died in 1919.
The Côte d’Azur has long been loved by artists and remains a never-ending source of artistic inspiration, as witnessed by its numerous museums of modern and contemporary art and the studios and art galleries tucked away in the winding lanes of its inland towns and villages. The wave of romantic interest for the East led to a crop of villas in Moorish style, with tiled walls, Moorish arches and scaled-down minarets. The interiors are characterised by soft colours and trompe-l’œil architectural effects. Later the fashion for the Liberty style featured friezes of stylised flowers.
Perched on a cliff top
A rocky spur overlooking the sea: a swimming pool suspended in midair between the sea and the sky and a 3000 m² Mediterranean garden. A challenging commission on tricky terrain successfully completed thanks to sophisticated technology.
The swimming pool
The swimming pool is on a spur of rock with a truly unique view. A fringe of compact sand three metres wide borders the water and acts as a filter between the whirlpool grotto – completely rebuilt on site – and the solarium, submerged under a film of water level with the armoured glass balustrade to create an infinity effect. The pool blends in perfectly with its surroundings thanks to the use of natural materials such as sand, glass and rock, reflecting the infinite blues of the sea. A splendid spa in the mouth of a cave overlooking the sea, complete with Turkish bath, sauna, massage area and a relax area with a balcony poised above the Mediterranean, was created by enlarging and reinforcing the spur the swimming pool is built on. From here steps surrounded by shrubs and flowers lead down to the sea and the private beach.
The garden
The uneven terrain here entailed careful planning. Steps leading up and down link the different levels, each revealing another attractive corner of the garden.
Brightly-coloured flowers, herbs and wildflowers nestle between the agaves, acacias, olives and umbrella pine trees. A garden which is a riot of untrammelled Mediterranean opulence. Carefully selected shrubs and trees naturally delineate the boundaries and different areas of the garden in a deliberately destructured display of natural beauty.
