Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Côte d'Azur

Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild who inherited from her father, Alphonse de Rothschild his immense fortune, purchased land overlooking the Bay of Villefranche and the Bay Beaulieu in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera.

In 1907 construction of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild began, managed by the chosen architect, Jacques-Marcel Auburtin.

The villa's facades were originally painted a orchre yellow colour. Today following restoration, the facades have been repaired a reddish pink colour.

The gardens of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild took 7 years to complete. Baroness Béatrice chose the highly prized landscape architects, Harold Peto and Achille Duchêne to bring her dream to life. With the use of cardboard and coloured materials the final position of trees, flowerbeds, pathways and ponds were determine.

From her father's avid interest in collecting porcelain, the collection grew and grew and today visitors to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild can marvel at the large collection of pieces originally made at the Vincennes porcelain manufactory in the Château de Vincennes, in Vincennes.

A number of unique pieces are on display including an antique urn that belonged to her father Alphonse de Rothschild and an extremely rare vase titled 'vases of three ages'.

Visitors today can explore the state apartments in Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, view the original furnishings, the rare porcelain collections and discover the many themed gardens which Baroness Béatrice worked so hard to create.

Official website: www.villa-ephrussi.com/en/home