Discover Villefranche sur mer in French Riviera what to see in its beautiful bay between Belle Epoque villas, beautiful gardens and the charming Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.
Set on a suggestive bay, Villefranche sur mer welcomes you with the beautiful colorful and harmonious facades of the historic center and a large historical heritage well preserved, all to discover. I suggest you start your visit from Citadel and its museums, to give you an idea of its long history and evolution from small fishing village to flourishing tourist resort of French Riviera.
Villefranche sur Mer what to see in the old town
In the 15th century engineers are forced to imagine a remedy for the evolution of artillery. After many tests and errors, they develop a new type of fortification based on two main principles: the wall full of land and the bastion without dead angle. Two principles that are perfectly illustrated in the Citadel of Sant’Elmo, built in 1557.
The Citadel was built to prevent the recurrence of any assault from the sea after in 1543 the 110 galleys of Barbarossa landed in Villefranche sur mer, burning and devastating everything on their way.
Later, the Citadel in 1860 served as a military camp at the 24th Alpine Savoy Battalion. Since 1965 it has been a municipal property, which has curated the restoration and opening of a cultural centre with museums, auditorium and Théâtre de Verdure.
Art and museums
To visit, the Goetz-Boumeester museum that occupies the entire floor of the former Bâtiment du Casernement with the abstract painting donation of Henri Goetz. Vine There are fifty works by Christine Boumeester, Henri Goetz and some works in memory of great contemporary masters who the spouses have known or attended Picasso, Mirò, Hartung.
Nestled in the small houses of the Citadel, a set of bronze, copper and terracotta women show their voluptuous curves in a box of rough stones. The Donation Faces enjoys an exceptional presentation, which makes it a unique artistic complex.
The Roux museum instead hosts a fairly unusual collection of ceramic figurines. This collection is unique in terms of quality, originality and fidelity to the documents from which it is inspired. In total, several hundred figurines will cross the daily life of women and men of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Opening of museums and Citadel:
From October to May: from 10:00 to 12:00 from 14:00 to 17:30 From June to September: from 10:00 to 12:00 from 15:00 to 18:30 Closed on Sunday morning. Annual closure November – Free admission
For a stop after visiting museums, reach the Gardens of the Citadel Villefranche sur mer, adorning the lower part of the fortress: the Roseto garden and the Biagini garden. Two suggestive green spaces on the sea side with bananas, india figs and many other essences surrounding the towers with glazed tiles.
La Rue Obscure
If you want to immerse yourself in the medieval Villefranche, look for the Rue Obscure is a magical placeituato along the first bastion: initially discovered, was originally the continuity of the path of the defensive parade. 130 meters long, it is also accessible from the portal Robert, the only door still visible on the 4 existing to enter the old town. Registered among historical monuments since 1932, it has been the subject of a fairly regular urbanization to bridge the lack of housing in rue du Poilu.
He was also fascinated Jean Cocteau, which painted a painting reproduced at the entrance of Rue Obscure
Saint-Pierre Chapel
The work of the great artist can also be seen in the Saint-Pierre chapel, classified as a historical monument, entirely painted and decorated by Jean Cocteau in 1957 and offered to his fishermen friends. On the facade, we can see, among other things, the keys of Paradise and the Tiara of St. Peter, a statuette of St. Peter, the cross formed by 4 fishes, the candlesticks of the apocalypse. The interior is covered with frescoes depicting scenes of the life of St. Peter, the daughters of fishermen with the traditional dress of Villefranche sur mer, a gypsy scene in Saintes Marie de la Mer.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
Let's leave now the center of Villefranche sur mer to head towards Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, one of the most exclusive areas to see in the French Riviera, with a 14 km route between land and sea, beautiful gardens and luxurious villas. All inaccessible, unless you know the owners, except one: the superb Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, one of the jewels of the French Riviera.
Surrounded by nine dream gardens, it is a charming Renaissance imitation palace that collects all styles and eras with strong Lombard, Venetian and Spanish influences.
Its construction, completed from 1905 to 1912, is the realization of the crazy dream of Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild who falls in love with a magical site and decides to transform these 7 hectares of virgins to implant a treasure chest dedicated to guarding its extraordinary collection of works of art, which includes among other eighteenth century furniture, porcelain Manufactures Royales de Sèvres et de Vincennes.
On his death in 1934, the baroness then left the entire villa in inheritance at the Academy of Fine Arts of the Instituto of France, thanks to which we too can admire its treasures today.
The villa overlooks the bay Villefranche sur Mer and Beaulieu sur Mer and is surrounded by nine wonderful themed gardens with sea view decorated with colonnades, waterfalls, basins, flower beds and trees of rare species: Spanish garden, Florentine, lapidary, Japanese, exotic, roseto, Provence, French and Sèvres garden.
Villa Kerylos
Of all kinds, but not less intriguing, is the Villa Kérylos, a true invitation to travel and a tribute to Greek civilization. Located on the rocky tip of the Baie de Fourmis, it is the original reconstruction of a residence of ancient Greece.
This is also the realization of a dream, that of Theodore Reinach, archaeologist and French statist, passionate about Greek history and civilization, carried out with an exemplary collaboration with the architect Emmanuel Pontremoli.
Designed and built between 1902 and 1908, on the model of the noble houses of the island of Delos in the second century BC. Villa Kerylos is not a simple reproduction, but a reinvention of ancient Greece.
Far from misused imitations, for Theodore Reinach and Emmanuel Pontremoli, it was the creation of an original work "thinking Greek".
The house combines with subtlety the ancient luxury and modern comfort of the villas of the Belle Epoque, using the most precious materials: ancient plaster, Carrara marble and exotic wood for furniture.
The decoration is sumptuous, with mosaics and frescoes inspired by famous scenes, illustrating the great legends of gods and classical heroes. Kerylos means "alcyon" or "sea swallow", poetic bird of mythology, which announced a happy omen.
Villefranche sur Mer beaches
A Villefranche sur Mer the most beautiful beaches extend on the end of the seafront Marinières, where you bathe with a beautiful view of the bay and the colorful facades of the old town.
But it's on Cap Ferrat some of the most beautiful beaches in the area. The pIccola beach des Fossettes, located at the beginning of the path of Saint Hospice, it seduces for its natural appearance lovers of quiet coves. It has a shower, anti-medical network and toilet in summer.
The beach des Fosses, ♪ituata under a former washbasin built on stilts, is exposed to the south and very well repaired. It is equipped with showers, anti-medical network and is particularly appreciated by snorkelers.
Beach Passable?evidently known as "Lutétia Plage", it was first converted to welcome guests of the Grand Hotel built in 1908 on the tip of Cap Ferrat. West-oriented, offers an exceptional view of the bay Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The beach Paloma is situated in the east of the Scaletta bay: surrounded by greenery and sheltered by the Maestrale, it offers a splendid view of the Bay of Beaulieu, the cliffs of Eze, Cap d’Ail and the Italian coast.
Villefranche sur Mer hotel
An excellent accommodation in the heart of the historic centre Villefranche sur mer It is hotels Welcome, 4 stars ideally located on the sea, next to the Saint Pierre chapel decorated by Jean Cocteau. 35 rooms, with sea view and balcony, all equipped with air conditioning and a personality.
Many artists have stayed there, including Jean Cocteau who would have "passed the best of his life" and left to the family of the hotel some drawings displayed in the hotel.
A plus is the location, a stone's throw from the wine shop, restaurants along the docks, the south-facing beach, water sports of all kinds and the diving club.
