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Archeologically, Cap Ferrat dates back to the 6thC when the Lombards, a Germanic tribe, invaded the region, conquering the Celto-Ligurian people. By the 8thC, the Saracens had invaded and used it as a base for pirating until the 11thC.
Near the end of the 14thC, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat along with what was known as the County of Nice was given by treaty to the House of Savoy, who would go on to rule Italy up until the end of World War II. In 1860, the County of Nice, which included Cap Ferrat, was handed over by treaty to France and became a haven for the wealthy and royalty of Europe.
To say that these homes are beyond comprehension is to understate it. These are not homes they are estates, among the most grandiose in the world. These vary in size including the 50 hectares (123 acres) estate built by Belgian King Leopold II in 1889.
Leaving the beach at Villefranche, we walked along the Avenue Louise Bordes. Half way along, between Villefranche and Cap-Ferrat is the 19thC Villa Nellcote, a sixteen room mansion, which was the home to the Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richard and family in 1971 while in exile from Britain. Here the Stones recorded their album “Exile on Main Street” in the basement. It also served as the headquarters of the local Gestapo during the Nazi occupation of France in the early 1940s. The floor vents in the basement of the villa were reportedly decorated with swastikas.
When we got to the end of Avenue Louise Bordes we turned right and walked along the Avenue de Grasseuil which eventually merged with Avenue Denis Semeria. Continuing farther along our route, we reached the La Phare point where in 1732 a lighthouse was built to replace the 16thC firetower. The lighthouse was destroyed in 1944 by the German army and was rebuilt in its present form after the war. If you climb to top, there is a view to the Italian coast, but the lighthouse is at present closed to the public.
In the middle of Cap Ferrat at its highest point, is a Semaphore or Coastguard Station that was built in 1862 by Napoleon III. It is owned by the Marine Nationale (French navy) and controls the movement of shipping in the area and also keeps a watch out for fires starting along the coast.
You can walk through along this route the neighbourhood and look out over Baie (Bay) of Villefranche and back at the village or take a detour down the Chemin (road) de Lido to Chemin de Douaniers, which runs along the water’s edge. Follow this all along the water, passed the lighthouse and to the elegant Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a very famous five-star hotel built in 1908 were room rates reach $4200€ ($5700CND) per night. Look directly south and there is Algeria, somewhere out there.
Continue on and you eventually reach the tiny Port de Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Quiet and laid back, there are bay-side restaurants and shops along with room for over 500 boats. Near the end of the sea wall on the Promenade Maurice Rouvier, there is a pink house on water side of the walk. This was the home of King Leopold III of Belgium before he abdicated. It was bought in 1960 by Charlie Chaplin who sold it to David Niven. The small square on the left in front of the villa is named Place David Niven as a tribute to the late actor.
We ended up were we started after leaving the Avenue Louise Bordes All-in-all, we were gone about four hours but it was a great sightseeing walk. Hopefully we will go back to explore more of the Cap because there is more to see.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
