VILLA AND GARDENS EPHRUSSI DE ROTHSCHILD
Exotic garden
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is one of the most beautiful on the Côte d'Azur. A seaside resort of all that Europe and North America have to offer as the most elegant and richest, Saint-Jean-Cap Ferrat was chosen in 1905 by Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild to build one of his “architectural follies”. With the Mediterranean as a backdrop. , it is surrounded by nine magnificent gardens decorated with patios, waterfalls, ponds, flower beds, shaded paths...
Gardens of the world
French Garden
The French garden dominates all the others, due to its size and location. It is located in a direct extension of the Villa. From the building, the perspective is magnificent, closed by the Temple of Love, inspiration for that of Trianon. Its slope has also been specially structured to give the water a white effect, the famous “water shawl” of the Orientals.
On the garden side, the place offers art lovers a unique view of the palazzino. In summer, lotuses and water lilies colonize the large ponds. The lawns, adorned with classic fire pots and large vases from the Italian Renaissance, lounge in perfect arrangement. On the Levant terrace, the Catalan sculptures wait, serene, sure of their success with the visitor. Wonder in the face of a blooming and yet so structured nature.
The Spanish garden
Going down the main steps from the main courtyard, the visitor reaches the Spanish garden. Datura, jasmine, honeysuckle exhale their intoxicating scents. Aranjuez is not far… At the end of these stairs, a cave is hidden behind the pink marble columns. In the middle of the cave is the dolphin fountain. Thanks to it, the swimming pool takes on its full importance in the decor and extends to the foot of the pergola. A timeless break, in the shade of the columns.
The Florentine Garden
Beyond the pool and the pergola, the Florentine garden and a new universe. In its center, a horseshoe staircase frames a rock cave. Behind the philodendrons and water hyacinths, a marble ephebe looks away from the panorama.
The stone garden
Following the Florentine path, lined with cypresses, the visitor arrives at the lapidary garden. A strange spectacle intrigues with a sought-after accumulation of works of art, from various origins and periods. Under the camphor tree, there is a disparate collection of works for which the Baroness could not find a place inside the villa: arches, fountains, capitals, bas-reliefs from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, monstrous gargoyles , stone grotesques or Provençal gnomes. .
The Japanese garden
The Japanese garden “Cho-Seki-Tei” – which means: “garden where you can quietly listen to the gentle sound of the waves at dusk”, immerses the visitor in a zen world. Designed and created by Professor Shigeo Fukuhara, this garden features a traditional wooden pavilion, bridge, lanterns and ponds that illustrate over a thousand years of Japanese tradition.
The exotic garden
The exotic garden is the kingdom of cacti and succulents. Alone or in tight groups, they seem to defy the blue. The final bouquet of these fireworks is the rose garden. Several varieties of Béatrice’s favorite flower perfume this distant piece of garden. A corner apart, with its small hexagonal temple. At the center of it, the only inhabitant, is a divinity, an allegory of the source.
Not to be missed either, the Provençal garden on the east side, as well as the Sèvres garden which completes the visit with the tea room.
Gardens of the Villa Ephrussi Rothschild
06230 Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Tel : 04 93 01 45 90
message@villa-ephrussi.com
