Page 17 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - nr 13

LAndscApes, Art And history and many other things. Among the Surrounded by splendid gardens, it
on the French rivierA most unusual attractions, the Villa remains tied to the name of Béatrice
Thérylos in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, with Ephrussi de Rothschild, who had it
had never been to the French Riviera, which the eccentric scholar Théodore built at the beginning of the twentieth
I but I can say that I had often wan- Reinach intended to realize, in the century and completed it, endowing it
ted to go there. So all the things I saw middle of the Belle Époque, the recon- with furnishings and works of art of
during my vacation between Menton struction of a palace of ancient Greece. extraordinary quality. The villa is not
and Frejus, in a long stretch of coast And then Nizza, of which I was able surprising either for its size or for its
full of scenic, artistic and historical to admire the exceptional museums, architecture, which can be defined as
attractions, have left an imprint that the intriguing neighborhoods, and an eclectic re-proposal of an Italian
will remain forever in my memory. above all, the magnificent light that Renaissance villa, with reminiscences
The delightful Antibes with the ama- in the summer mornings makes the a little Venetian rather a bit Floren-
zing Picasso Museum inside the Gri- surface of the sea shine, a real specta- tine, and with the addition of Gothic
maldi Castle overlooking the sea, Can- cle to enjoy while walking on the Pro- architectural motifs. I was especially
nes and the Croisette, the pleasantness menade des Anglais. Afterwards, the impressed by the gardens, beautiful
of small ancient centers like Saint Villa Ephrussi de Rotschild, located and inventive in their subdivision into
Paul de Vence, Grasse, Biot, Menton not far from the exclusive Cap Ferrat. distinct areas each with its own theme,

tema, e gli interni, che sfoggiano trova il complesso, proteso nel assistente nonché modella, suc-
arredi e decorazioni degni di una mar Mediterraneo come la prua cessivamente divenuta suora, a
residenza regale. di una nave da fiaba. coinvolgerlo in questo progetto:
E soprattutto, non si può restare Fra le cose che non potrò dimen- Monique Bourgeois, poi suor Ja-
indifferenti agli scorci che si pos- ticare c’è infine la piccola Cap- cques-Marie, legata a Matisse da
sono ammirare tanto dalla villa pella del Rosario di Vence. una sincera amicizia. Dal punto
quanto dai giardini, con la vista Progettata e costruita fra il 1948 di vista architettonico si tratta di
delle due baie splendenti di az- e il 1951 il suo apparato decora- uno spazio estremamente sem-
zurro situate su ciascun lato del tivo fu interamente ideato da plice, mentre si rimane colpiti
piccolo promontorio sul quale si Henri Matisse. Fu una sua ex dai magnifici colori e dalle forme

Antibes

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