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Mediterranean Villas & Lifestyle
Luxury villas, destinations and refined living across the Mediterranean.
Casa del Mare, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin: the history of a Tersling villa and why it is confused with Mobutu’s Villa Maria Irina
Casa del Mare is a Belle Époque villa by Hans-Georg Tersling above the Baie de Roquebrune, home to a concert-giving British financier, an Italian industrialist, and later Dino De Laurentiis and Silvana Mangano. Its story is often confused with that of Villa Maria Irina, Mobutu Sese Seko's residence a kilometre away on Cap Martin.
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Villa Jane Andrée, the Aga Khan’s former villa on the Cap d’Antibes
In 1929, the Aga Khan III bought the former Villa Taormina on the Cap d'Antibes for his third wife, Andrée Caron, renaming it Villa Jane Andrée. He enlarged the estate into a 6,000 m² park, added an Art Deco wing and arcaded loggia, and filled the interiors with Louis XV furniture and Oriental pieces. Abandoned for years after the couple's divorce, the villa has since been fully restored.
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Calvi, Corsica: citadel, beaches, things to do and luxury villas for rent
Colourful streets climbing to a 13th-century Genoese citadel, a palm-lined harbour, and six kilometres of white sand backed by pine forest and the Balagne mountains. Here is what to see, where to swim, and where to stay in Calvi, with a selection of luxury villas for rent in the area.
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Domaine du Val des Costes, a gated estate with 24-hour security on the Moyenne Corniche in Eze
Domaine Val des Costes is a highly secure private estate in Eze, just off the Moyenne Corniche with easy access to Monaco and the Riviera's key towns. Comprising just nine south-facing villas with sea views, the domaine is a rare address — properties here seldom come to market.
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Beaches in Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle: a guide to the beach clubs of Pampelonne
A guide to the beach clubs of Pampelonne, the 4.5 km stretch of sand in Ramatuelle just outside Saint-Tropez. From the legendary Club 55 and the party atmosphere of Nikki Beach and Bagatelle to family-friendly Cabane Bambou and newcomers such as Gigi and Loulou, here is where to eat, swim and shop along the coast.
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Châteaux of the French Riviera: historic castles in Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Cap d'Antibes, Nice, Èze and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
True châteaux are rare on the French Riviera, where most great residences are villas. From Saint-Tropez to Èze, discover the coast's best-known castles, including the Château de la Croix des Gardes in Cannes, Christian Dior's Château de la Colle Noire, the Château de la Croë on Cap d'Antibes, and the Château Eza, some now private homes, others luxury hotels.
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Château de la Tour du Mont Boron, Nice: a 19th-century château above the port
Built between 1885 and 1895 on the hill above the port of Nice, the Château de la Tour du Mont Boron grew out of a garden folly on the Château de l'Anglais estate. Its cloverleaf triple tower, its opera-singing owner Marguerite Catusse, and a 2015 renovation have made it one of Mont Boron's most remarkable residences.
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Les Carles, Saint-Tropez: a sought-after residential area and its private gated domaine near the port
The Domaine des Carles is a private gated domaine of around 40 to 50 villas in the centre of Saint-Tropez, most with a garden and swimming pool. A pedestrian entrance behind the Chanel boutique puts the port and the Place des Lices 5 minutes' walk away, with the Pampelonne beaches about 5 minutes by car.
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Domaine de l'Oumède, Saint-Tropez (Ramatuelle): a private domaine among the vineyards with sea views over Pampelonne
Tucked among the vineyards of Ramatuelle, the Domaine de l'Oumède is a small, private gated estate with sweeping sea views, just 2 km from Pampelonne beach and ten minutes from Saint-Tropez — a setting of rare intimacy and natural beauty. The domaine holds a place in cinematic history as the backdrop for Jacques Deray's iconic 1969 film La Piscine, starring Alain Delon and Romy Schneider. Properties here are exceptionally scarce, making any opportunity to acquire within the domaine a truly singular event
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Le Mas d'Aréthuse - Roquebrune Cap Martin
Remodelled in 1893 for the diplomat Georges de Montgomery, this Roquebrune Cap Martin villa has carried four names: Le Mas d'Aréthuse, Augusta, Villa Barbara, and today Villa Trianon. A look at its red marble terraces, its five-thousand-volume library, its ten-hectare park, and the owners who passed through it, from Empress Elisabeth of Austria's close friend Lucy de Montgomery to Prince Danilo of Montenegro.
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Domaine Cap Tahiti, Saint-Tropez (Ramatuelle): a guarded private domaine with views over the bay of Pampelonne
Domaine Cap Tahiti is a well-located and highly sought-after private domaine in Ramatuelle, close to Saint-Tropez and just moments from Pampelonne beach. With lush planting, palm trees, and sea views over the bay, it comprises around 30 houses with secure access at the entrance.
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Villa Schiffanoia, Villefranche-sur-Mer (built 1875)
Perched on a hillside above the Bay of Villefranche and named 'Schiffanoia' — 'banish boredom' — by the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio, this storied villa has lived many lives since Henri Tiranty built it in 1875: wartime hospital, medical centre, and now a magnificently restored private estate. Today, Villa Schiffanoia spans 1,800 sqm across 1.15 hectares of olive and citrus groves, offering eleven sea-view suites, two swimming pools, a spa, and a hammam — all within reach of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the shimmering Côte d'Azur.
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