From Toulon to the Italian border, there are many exceptional gardens open to the public. Luxurious villas like Eilenroc, in Antibes, evoke the Belle Epoque, while Ephrussi de Rothschild, in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, recalls the long-gone Roaring Twenties. Meanwhile, Villa Thuret in Antibes and Val Rahmeh in Menton showcase beautiful botanical collections. Likewise, the Domaine du Rayol, in the Var, linked to landscape designer Gilles Clément, and the Eze exotic garden, overlooking the spectacular medieval village of the same name, are also worth exploring.
Menton is home to Les Colombières, a private garden designed by the whimsical Ferdinand Bac (1859-1952), and the Serre de la Madone gardens, now owned by the Coastal Conservatory, are preserved gems of unparalleled garden design. As winter is also an important season for gardens, Le Monde takes you on a tour of five of them, providing a much-needed green contrast to the stone architecture along this coast, where the iconic color evokes blurs the line between sea and sky.
Located in the commune of La Valette-du-Var, just a stone's throw from Toulon and its famous arsenal, Baudouvin well deserves its "Remarkable Garden" label. Once an agricultural and leisure estate, Baudouvin was owned by Henri de Rothschild in the early 20th century before being occupied by the maritime prefecture from 1942 until 1986. Today, it is owned by the metropolis, after the municipality restored the gardens with the help of landscape architect Michel Racine and the Alep agency. Bordered by dry-farming crops and restored vineyards, a majestic avenue of 50 maple-leaved plane trees leads to a boxwood hedge at the foot of a terrace, where a grand Provençal country house with green shutters stands.
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