The Riches of Beatrix de Rothschild

Looking down from the Medieval hilltop village of Eze, you can clearly make out the square, pink Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild at the very heart of the peninsular that is Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Once the private residence of the fabulously wealthy Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild, it is now a museum run by the ‘Academie des Beaux-Arts’ and filled with every kind of beauty the Baroness brought together – a poetic evocation of the places and things she loved.

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An old Customs Path – the ‘Sentier du Littoral’ hugs the scenic Var coastline

I park my car at ‘La Pointe l’Arpillon’ in the seaside town of San Peire in Les Issambres and begin my walk along the coastal pathway towards ‘La Plage des Gireliers’. Behind me, the famous clock tower of Saint Tropez beckons across the topaz waters of the Gulf where sailboats meander in the freshening breeze.

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Once upon a time at Chateau La Napoule

Mandelieu-la-Napoule sits just to the southwest of Cannes on the Cote d’Azur and is home to the Chateau de la Napoule, once a medieval fortress; later destroyed in the French Revolution; and ultimately restored and renovated by the 20th Century American artist Henry Clews Jr. and his wife Marie. Today, the chateau boasts a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea which literally laps at the feet of its stone walls.

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The Enchanting village of Eze

Imagine yourself in an ethereal garden high up on a mountain top above the aqua waters of a Mediterranean Sea, where ambrosial flora sways at the feet of cherubic statues and a heavenly aroma of jasmine fills the air. This is the exotic garden of Eze – a most divine place perched in the hills above Monaco where a precipitous stone stairway leads you to these ‘Jardins Exotique’ – each step a step closer to the the most breathtaking views imaginable.

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Escape to a Gourmet Chateau

It’s not often you can take a cooking class at a luxurious, Michelin-starred French chateau without even being a guest. After a pleasant drive into the Var hinterland, between Lorgues and Flayosc, I arrive at the Chateau’s stone-pillared entrance as the morning sun spills onto a driveway that leads me through lush vineyards, green forest and terraced olive groves until the square tower of the Chateau de Berne comes into view.
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Discover the Charm of Roquebrune-sur-Argens in Provence

The first thing you notice when arriving in the small, medieval town of Roquebrune-sur-Argens is the massive rock that towers above it. Nestled at its feet, like a stone tapestry fallen from its imposing summit, the town is made up of three parts – the village strewn with 16th Century porticos, chapels and Castrum, the seaside area of Les Issambres, and the forest of ‘Palayson’ in the district of ‘La Bouverie’, set between umbrella pines and eucalyptus. It is a canvas of landscapes with red rocks and green hillsides and a panorama of lush Provencal vineyards.
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Gassin – one of the most beautiful villages in France

The perched village of Gassin is a medieval jewel in the crown of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, its sweeping views reigning over the entire peninsula from a height of two hundred meters above sea level. From its thirteenth century ramparts you can look down at the seaside towns of La Croix-Valmer, with its steep and hidden coves, Sainte Maxime with its symbolic curved white ‘Preconcil’ bridge; and inland to the villages of Collobrieres, tucked deep in the ‘Maures’ mountains, and Plan de la Tour spread across the Var countryside.

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The Isle of Saint Honorat off the coast of Cannes

This tiny island is so close to Cannes and the Cote d’Azur and yet it’s another world away…

Just in time to catch the 11.00am sailing from the Old Port of Cannes, I take a short but picturesque boat ride across the Bay of Cannes to the Islands of Lerins. The larger of the two islands is Ste. Margeurite where the ‘Man in the Iron Mask’ was said to be imprisoned in the fort that still stands. Its smaller neighbour is St. Honorat, and the boat docks in the narrow channel between the islands where a fleet of small craft idle in the crystal blue shallows. As I set foot on the cushion of pine needles onshore, I am greeted by a chorus of cicadas chirping in the canopy overhead.

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