In Southern France, outside of Nice, along the French Riviera, not far from Monte Carlo and it’s famous casino, perched on a hill overlooking the Bay of Villefranche and Bay of Beaulieu, lies the country folly of the baroness Béatrice de Rothschild. The exceptionally wealthy heir of the Baron de Rothschild banker family and wife of banker Maurice de Ephrussi, carefully chose this spot to build a rose colored mansion in 1905. Here she housed her extensive collection of antique artifacts and live exotic animals, and entertained the Monte Carlo high society in beautifully designed and meticulously maintained gardens and buildings.
The Villa’s entry area features a French formal garden, with musical fountains, which are operated year long in 20 minute intervals. Strategically placed lightening highlights landscape features at night for the enjoyment of nocturnal party revelers.
Across from the mansion, overlooking the grounds, is the Temple of Love, where Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, offers her blessings to the frolicking garden visitors.
Beauty must appear effortless, but most often is the result of elaborate work. The Villa’s gardening staff has their work cut out on the manicured grounds, which contain 9 different theme gardens:
a Spanish, French, Florentine. Stone, Japanese, Provencale, Exotic and Rose garden, and a garden de Sèvres,
The mild Mediterranean coastal climate offers ideal growing conditions for a wide variety of plants, from tropical to arid to temperate,and allows for a grand palette of plant combinations, such as Bananas growing together with Aloes in the Exotic Garden.
Tender desert succulents thrive together with hardy bamboo and cedars in the background.
In the Japanese garden raked rock patterns echo a stream of dwarf Mondo grass, Ophiopogon japonicus ‘nana’. A slowgrowing cycad and stone pogoda frame this meditative setting.
White hydrangeas planted in a shady spot create a cooling atmosphere during a hot day.
Different types of water features are located on the grounds to create cooling sensations during the summer heat. The courtyard of the Spanish garden offers a classic, moorish influenced architecture with a turquoise colored water basin. Flanked by Brugmansias, which bear large trumpets of flowers, the water travels towards a lush planting of Papyrus plants and Strelitzia, the bird of Paradise plant.
Old specimen trees of Pines, Cedars, Palms, Cypress, Olives, as well as magenta colored Bourgainvillea, grace the neighbood hills where the Rothschild party guests used to live, who kept up beautiful grounds themselves.
The grand view over the bay adds to the overall garden experience. The intense blue of the Mediterranean sea is echoed in the turquoise of a Villa’s roof and the sky. White sailing boats shimmer on the water like pearls, mirroring the clouds.
The gardens offer quiet spots which aid inward reflection, like this Koi pond.
Inside the Villa Beatrice Rothschild’s extensive antique collection can be viewed. It is best to allocate a day for visiting this fantastic estate, in order to fully enjoy the extensive grounds and mansion
Please visit the official website of Villa Ephrussi for more information.
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