Pretty in pink: BARONESS Ephrussi de Rothschild must have believed that nothing succeeds like excess, because the villa and gardens she created in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat constitute excess on a grand scale. She chose the most spectacular site on the French Riviera, a promontory flanked by the Mediterranean on both sides.
The pink Venetian palazzo, built between 1905 and 1912 with the help of hundreds of workers, was created to house her extensive collection of art and furnishings. Today, elegant, airy rooms, reminiscent of French chateaux, provide a perfect backdrop for her treasures.
It was the gardens that drew my attention, however, when I visited on a sunny afternoon. Extending from the house in formal French style, they were designed to give the impression of being on the deck of an ocean liner. You can glimpse the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean, dotted with white yachts, through cypresses on both port and starboard sides.
The glorious garden extends across clipped hedges, putting-green lawns, palm trees and ornamental ponds up to an elevated temple of love. Symmetry and formality are the order of the day. To complete the idyllic picture, the fountains have been choreographed to dance to classical music. The overall effect is stunning: the sun beaming down, the fountain water spurting and spraying, the music reaching a crescendo.
The French garden is only one of many smaller gardens. There are seven in all, including Florentine, Spanish, Mexican and Japanese. It is like taking a world tour of plants – which fits in well with the idea of the ocean liner.
Villa Ephrussi was built to celebrate the harmony between art and nature, and the result is breathtaking.
* Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France, 00-33-4-93013309, www.villa-ephrussi.com
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