Arts and Gardens of the French Riviera

After breakfast we stay in Nice and tour the museums featuring the work of two great French artists, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall, both set in serene gardens in the Cimiez neighbourhood.

In the afternoon we visit the Fondation Ephrussi de Rothschild at St Jean Cap Ferrat, a garden designed as a series of compartments, each reflecting a different architectural style. The villa, now a museum, contains the collections of the Baroness de Rothschild and some of the artefacts associated with Marie-Antoinette including paintings by Monet and Renoir. The gardens are exquisite, with many interesting tender plants thriving in the favourable climate, surrounded by marvellous views over the sea.

Evening at leisure.

After breakfast we transfer to Menton, where we visit the Villa E-1027, a remarkable modernist villa designed by Irish architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray in the nineteen-twenties.

We continue to the historic garden of Serre de la Madone, created by American Lawrence Johnston, who travelled the world over a thirty year period seeking plants to acclimatise here among the ancient olives. Johnston was also responsible for the quintessentially English garden at Hidcote Manor and the contrast with Serre de la Madone could not be greater. This is a place of luxuriant and exotic beauty, a tropical forest planted on the shores of the Mediterranean.

We conclude today at the private garden of Clos du Peyronnet, created by the late William Waterfield. Our access to this private garden is a Brightwater exclusive, and a real highlight of our tour. The garden has an enviable position on the slopes above the bay of Garavan, close to the Italian border. To one side of the house is a splendid water garden, where a long canal-like pool runs at right angles to the slope. Exotic flowers and foliage press in from all sides, giving the impression of a jungle only just kept at bay. On the eastern side of the garden is the specialist collection of rare bulbs with over 200 species.

Evening at leisure.

After breakfast today we depart for the village of St Paul de Vence, which has been a haven to writers and artists over the years, including Marc Chagall who is buried in the village cemetery. Within the narrow cobbled streets there are countless art galleries and studios and the viewpoint at the south end of the village offers a memorable panorama.

We continue to Grasse, synonymous with the perfume industry, and visit the Cathedral de Notre-Dame-du-Puy, where there are three paintings by Rubens.

We conclude today at the garden of La Mouissone in Grasse. The property is almost unique in this area in being distributed across the slopes of a hillside below le Bois de la Marbrière, with panoramic views of the coast. Spread over three hectares with 250 productive olive trees, the gardens reflect the attributes and restrictions presented by the terrain and the Mediterranean climate. There are tailored lawns and beds around the houses, and wilder grassland and woodland areas on the outskirts. You can also explore the shady bamboo garden, the prairie style garden and woodland walk.

Evening at leisure.

The town of Vallauris is our destination today, for a visit to the Picasso Museum, which is housed in an impressive medieval château. Picasso lived in Vallauris from 1948 until his death in 1955 and the building where he once rented a room later became a museum of ceramics as well as home to Picasso’s ‘War and Peace’ and works by Alberto Magnelli, a contemporary of Picasso.

We continue to Antibes which is also home to a Picasso Museum, also housed in a medieval château, with a collection of around 245 works by the artist.

Returning to Nice we visit the Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, which focuses on art of the post-war era.

Evening at leisure.

Our final visit takes us to the nearby Massena Museum, which is surrounded by stately gardens and sits next to the famous Hotel Negresco. The eclectic collection includes personal memorabilia from the Napoleonic era, such as Josephine’s cape and tiara and Napoleon’s death mask. We then transfer to the airport for our return flight.