Happy first day of spring! Dreaming of warm days, tank tops, flip flops, and a cool glass of rosé after a hot day at the beach. Here are some pretty pictures with lots of pretty flowers, all taken a few years ago in the south of France. Ooh la la!
A short train ride from several villages on the Mediterranean coast, these two destinations are worth a visit.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat was built in the early 1900s by the Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild (architect Aaron Messiah). When she died in 1934, she donated it to the Institut de France, and it is now open to the public.
Peek inside at the chairs for her little dogs.
Foyer
Nine themed gardens surround the home.
Views of the surrounding areas, including Villefranche-sur-Mer, are stunning:
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a colorful village located near to the Villa (one or two train stops apart):
Some trivia: Many villages in france have names that begin with “Villefranche.” Translation: Free town. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the bourgeois settled in these areas and were freed from the feudal lords and also freed from many financial obligations to those lords. This allowed the bourgeois to use their resources to develop, among other things, the banking system in France.
Hope you enjoyed a little armchair traveling and perhaps are inspired to make some summer travel plans! I know I am!
A French American Life 
Stunning! I would love to go someday! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful place I plan to return to someday!
Beautiful. And thanks for the mini educative moment, I didn’t know why so many towns start with Villefranche. Merci!
Thanks for reading! I thought it was an interesting bit of trivia, too 🙂
I’ll have to visit the Villa when I’m back in Nice!
Definitely – it makes for a fun day (half day) trip!
great shots , we were there. My wife worked for the company that did the renovation, she was assistant to the architect. Cheers
Wow – how fun for your wife, I bet! What a great job to land. Cheers to you, too 🙂
yes , she remembers fondly, we still have the brochure of the place when the work was done as souvenirs.
I’m adding these to my already very long list of places to visit.
Your photos are gorgeous! I am glad to have found your blog and I am eager to follow along!
Thank you for your kind words!
Thank you! And I’m glad you found me, too! You have a great blog yourself!
Thank you for being so kind!