Mougins: The Riviera Village Picasso Called Home
Just fifteen minutes from Cannes, Mougins is a medieval hilltop village wrapped in pine and olive forest, with views stretching to the Lérins Islands and the Alps. It has long drawn artists, and its reputation for gastronomy and easy Provençal living has never faded.
A village artists couldn't leave
Pablo Picasso first visited Mougins in 1936 with Jean Cocteau, Paul Éluard and Man Ray. He liked it enough to move there permanently, settling near the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Vie, where he spent the final fifteen years of his life. Christian Dior lived in the village while designing some of his most celebrated collections, and Winston Churchill painted its rooftops. The chapel where Picasso lived and worked is open to visitors on select days between May and October.
Beyond the village
The Mougins Museum of Classical Art (MACM) pairs Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities with works by Matisse, Chagall, Rodin and Warhol — an unusual combination that has made it a genuine draw since it opened in 2011.
For something more natural, the Fontmerle Pond, on the edge of the Valmasque forest, hosts Europe's largest lotus colony. The flowers bloom from July to mid-September, some reaching 25cm across, and the pond is also home to more than 70 bird species year-round.
Golfers are well served too: Cannes Mougins Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-71 course considered one of the finest on the Riviera.
Property in Mougins
Just outside the village, villas sit behind gates and mature Mediterranean gardens — a quieter, more private alternative to the coastal resorts nearby, while still keeping Cannes and Grasse within easy reach. Property here tends to combine Provençal architecture with contemporary interiors, ranging from village houses to larger estates with pools and staff accommodation.
