- 2 months ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00The French Riviera. Playground of the rich and famous and one of the world's great dream
00:10destinations. This is paradise. And by taking a simple rail trip of just over 100 miles from
00:16end to end you can see all its sun-drenched glories. And that's what I'm doing. Wow.
00:23It's luxury beyond all measure and I got the best seat in the house. As well as the
00:30rather nice sea, sand and sun I want to explore the region's rich past. We're
00:36sitting pretty much in the exact spot. And vibrant present. What a way to toast a new
00:41friendship. I'll discover the famous characters that made the Riviera glitter.
00:46You could say that they invented the Cotezzio in the summertime. And I'll visit
00:51the places and meet the people that keep it shimmering today.
00:55Oh, I love this. What's not to like about my great Riviera rail trip?
01:07After all those little seaside towns, it'll be quite a shock to hit the big city. My rail
01:13trip has brought me to Nice, the unofficial capital of the Cote d'Azur and the fifth biggest
01:18city in France. I'm not a city person normally, but luckily this is one of my
01:27favorites, with yet another postcard-pretty old town.
01:37Even the train station oozes Belle Époque charm. Back in the late 19th century, it was the
01:44final stop on the legendary train that brought all those rich Brits from Calais down to the magical Riviera.
01:54This is not my first time in Nice. And you know one of the things I absolutely love about it?
01:59The ice creams are enormous.
02:06In fact, food's very much the thing in Nice. The Cours Saliers Market is one of the most iconic in a region
02:13renowned for its gastronomic delights.
02:19The truth is, when I finish filming, I am actually bringing all of my grandchildren and
02:23my children and their partners to Nice for holiday. And I have promised my eight-year-old grandson
02:29that he and I are going to go to the market, buy food, and make dinner for everybody.
02:34So I've just come to check it out, because I want to make sure I do it right. I want to be a good
02:38granny. So let's have a look.
02:52I've got a cannon at the door. It's a 12 o'clock thing about me.
02:55It's a really good cannon going off in the middle. You know, a little heart-stopping.
03:11Oh, I'm definitely coming back here. Look, free cherries and change. I mean, what's not to love?
03:16I can't wait to tuck into a lovely lunch at one of the many cafes that line the market.
03:25But first, I think I should learn a bit about the history of this wonderful city.
03:30So I'm off for a stroll along its famous Promenade des Anglais.
03:35Anglais because the English played a massive role in creating Nice and this promenade.
03:40American expat, local author, and tour guide Jean Oliver can tell me more.
03:48When you said the blue chair, I didn't realize it was going to be so big. It's impossible to not find you.
03:53Why the blue chair? What's it about?
03:55Well, the blue chairs are an iconic feature of the Promenade des Anglais for the last century.
04:02People sit on the chairs, they discuss, they look at the sea.
04:06Philosophize, that's very French.
04:07Philosophize, exactly.
04:10So you say the Promenade des Anglais.
04:12I mean, this is the, it's like the heart of British life here, right?
04:16Oh, most certainly.
04:18We all wind up on the Promenade sooner rather than later.
04:22And we're pretty grateful to the Brits for having built it at the beginning of the 19th century.
04:28Why did they?
04:30Well, the Brits started coming here for their health.
04:33It was the time of a lot of respiratory diseases.
04:36There was a lot of tuberculosis, wasn't there?
04:38Yes, a lot.
04:40For their health, they needed to stroll.
04:43They wanted to...
04:44Breathe?
04:45Breathe.
04:46They came in the winter and they wanted healthy air and so forth.
04:50But there wasn't a place for them to stroll.
04:54Right.
04:55The seaside was trees and mud and it was just unacceptable.
05:01All those long dresses, you've got the long dresses.
05:03That's right.
05:04Nice shoes, long dresses.
05:07So who built the Promenade then?
05:08So the Brits eventually, in 1822, had congregated in a church community across the river, now the Holy Trinity Church.
05:20And their minister, Lewis Way, started a subscription, a fundraising drive to build a little path for people to walk on.
05:29It was a way of helping the very, very poor people.
05:37He employed about 150 men, women and children to build it.
05:43And it took a couple of years, but then it opened in 1824.
05:47And was it always the Promenade des Anglais or did it just gain that name?
05:51Well, it was initially called the English Pathway in Nice's local language, Command des Anglais.
05:58And then eventually it became the Chemin des Anglais and eventually it became the Promenade des Anglais.
06:04It's like it gets fancier and fancier as it goes.
06:06Yes.
06:07Yeah, start as a path, then a way, and then a promenade.
06:09Yes, yes.
06:10I love that.
06:11That's very good.
06:12So it started, it was really only two meters wide.
06:14It was a dusty path and it was only 400 meters long.
06:18So now look at it.
06:20And now look at it.
06:21Incredible.
06:27And if I walk today, is it still the Promenade of the British?
06:31Oh, it's a promenade I think of everybody now.
06:34Right, okay.
06:35Yeah, everybody loves it.
06:37There's still a big expat community of Americans and British?
06:40Is that still a thing?
06:41Most certainly, yes.
06:42We socialize together quite a bit.
06:44There's many, many groups of Anglophones here, of British and American.
06:50And I think it's probably the largest community.
06:52Oh, is it?
06:53Okay.
06:53And what drew you?
06:55Why did you decide?
06:57Well, it's so beautiful.
06:59It's nice, mild winters.
07:02So it's easy to stay active all year round, which I really like.
07:07And I like also that it's not far from Italy.
07:11So if you get a little tired of France...
07:13Pop over for a pizza.
07:16Pop over to Ventimiglia, right, for a pizza.
07:19The person who played perhaps the most important role in popularizing the Riviera with her fellow Anglais was Queen Victoria.
07:34She literally fell in love with the region and the well-heeled Simier neighborhood in particular.
07:41Simier sits on the hill overlooking the sea, and this statue pays tribute to the lady who first put it on the map.
07:52The nearby Excelsior Regina Hotel was built to accommodate her and the many monarchs and aristocrats who frequented these parts back in the day.
08:01It's been converted into private apartments, but I've been given a sneak peek of its opulent charms.
08:11Oh my goodness.
08:18Did you hear that?
08:19That's the echo of money right there.
08:22This was the foyer of the... of the hotel.
08:32I... I mean, it's quite nice, isn't it?
08:36Understated. It's... I'm going to be honest, it's very like my own entrance hall at home.
08:41But, you know, I like it.
08:42So important is Queen Victoria to the history of Nice, that I felt I had to get another slice of local history from Jean, who made me have ice cream.
09:02Merci.
09:03Look at that.
09:05So imagine Queen Victoria comes to town.
09:08Everybody goes, great, she needs to come to our place because it's good for business. Do you think that's right?
09:12Oh, most definitely. I mean, she, uh, got an amazing reception.
09:17Did she?
09:17When she first came here in 1895, at the train station, the streets were lined with little girls with bouquets of flowers.
09:27There was a band playing God Save the Queen, the governor made his speech.
09:32I arrived by train. It wasn't... it wasn't quite like...
09:35It wasn't.
09:35I don't know what it is. Something's gone wrong.
09:37Something's different.
09:38Yeah.
09:38I don't know.
09:39And because we have a sort of... the British have an image of her as being not amused and rather stiff and formal.
09:46Do you think she responded and was glad to see the people?
09:49Oh, most certainly. She had a very warm relationship with the people right from the beginning.
09:56One of her ladies-in-waiting commented that in the morning, she would be a 72-year-old woman.
10:03In the afternoon, when she went out and about, she was like a 17-year-old girl.
10:07I love that.
10:08She was enthused about everything.
10:10Her last journal entry in 1899 was so touching.
10:16She said, it's so sad to leave every year. She said, every year I grow fonder of dear Simeon.
10:22Oh, that's so lovely. I think there's more to her than I had realized.
10:26Yeah, it was a place for her to relax and to have fun.
10:31She took a lot of trips outside of Nice.
10:35Well, she had a lot of relatives to visit on various thrones because nobility was coming to Nice at the time.
10:41Oh, there's a wonderful bit in her diary where she says she's on the road to Villefranche
10:45and she bumps into her cousin, who's Leopold II of Belgium.
10:48Right, right.
10:49You just think, oh, okay.
10:52Oh, there's another king. Oh, hi, king.
10:53That's the right one.
10:55I like that.
10:57She liked to go up to the mountains.
11:01And she had her little cart drawn by her favorite donkey, Jacko.
11:06Hey, lovely.
11:06Because the lanes were too narrow for horse and carriage, so that's why she got about by donkey cart.
11:15She was passionate about animals, though, because I believe she helped to found the
11:19Animal Protection Society in Nice.
11:20So she was obsessed with making sure the animals were okay in this tremendous heat.
11:24And she was personally very generous with people.
11:28On one of her outings, she caught the attention of a one-legged beggar who got around in a dog cart,
11:35and she gave him money.
11:37And, of course, he appeared then every time he heard she was coming by.
11:42Here I am.
11:43And he would try to race her donkey cart with his dog cart.
11:48Then he got the idea that he was going to put a sign on his dog cart by special appointment to her
11:55majesty.
11:55I love that.
11:56Then the courtier said no.
11:58They got a hold of him.
11:58Going a little bit too far.
12:01Yeah.
12:01I've got a photograph here, black and white, of Queen Victoria turning up with her donkey and in the cart.
12:10I mean, she doesn't look excited, if I'm honest with you.
12:13I hope sometimes she had a laugh here.
12:16The thing I absolutely know is how much she loved it, because on her deathbed she said,
12:21If I were in Nice, I would get better.
12:34If its mild Mediterranean climate made La Belle Nice the choice of 19th century royalty,
12:39its wonderful light quality also attracted many of the world's greatest painters over the years.
12:45And there's plenty of contemporary artists keeping their spirits alive.
12:52This is a bit mad, but it's exactly the sort of thing I do when I travel.
12:56I saw a poster for an artist who I'd never heard of, but I recognised the building in Nice.
13:02I loved the work, and I thought he might be exhibiting near the building.
13:07So I've walked all the way down here, and I think this is him.
13:12I mean, I hope it's okay.
13:13Go and say hello.
13:18Omar?
13:18Yes?
13:19I'm Sandy.
13:20How nice to meet you.
13:21Omar, look, I saw this poster.
13:23Yes.
13:24This building is here, isn't it?
13:25Yes, it's building here in the old town.
13:27When did you paint this?
13:28This happened in wintertime.
13:30Ah, the light is so...
13:31The light is beautiful in Nice.
13:33Oh, it's incredible.
13:36Omar Lugang has achieved a certain local fame in these parts,
13:39as he and his easel have become almost a daily fixture on the Promenade des Anglais.
13:47He's had his work displayed in prestigious galleries,
13:50and sells paintings from his lovely little pop-up studio.
13:53Born in Juba in Sudan, Omar studied fine art in Morocco,
13:58and lived in Madrid before he was drawn to Nice.
14:022003, I come from Morocco.
14:05Morocco direct to Nice.
14:07I see the light.
14:09I say, oh, my God.
14:11This is a beautiful city.
14:13Next year, I say, okay, I will come to holiday again.
14:16I come on holiday for three months, painting only the people in the beach.
14:21So then I go back to Madrid.
14:23In 2010, I say, okay, I need to live in Nice.
14:26That's it.
14:27And it was the light?
14:28Yes, the light.
14:33All the artists come to South France to painting the light,
14:36like Matisse, Bangor, Renoir.
14:41All the big artists come to South France because the light is beautiful.
14:45Oh, it's incredible.
14:45So is there a time that you like to paint?
14:47Yes, I like to paint it early in the morning, in the evening.
14:52And the people?
14:53There's lots of wonderful people on the beach.
14:54At least the people, you know, the people in the beach.
14:56This is for me is, I need to enjoy my day early in the morning,
15:01like in 10 o'clock in the morning, the people come to the beach,
15:04or sit there, or, okay, I take my painting quickly in 20 minutes.
15:09In 20 minutes.
15:10Oh, it's fantastic.
15:11There's no more than 20 minutes.
15:12Omar loves to work in oils, and his paintings capture the vibrant life
15:18on Nice's famous promenade, all bathed in that glorious sunshine.
15:24Here, everybody says Omar is, art is very famous.
15:30That is it for me, it does no work for me.
15:32I'm looking for my happiness, you know, that my happiness is painting.
15:37There's a painting here that I just love, because of the light.
15:42Yes.
15:42And I sat there this morning, it's like, I don't know,
15:45it sort of represents Nice, don't you think?
15:47Yes, because it says blue, this is something about Nice, you know,
15:52that the single of Nice, and everybody comes here for another
15:55to stay to the says blue, to stay there, to eat the breakfast,
16:00or to read the newspaper.
16:01May I have a closer look, is it all right?
16:04Yes, yes, yes.
16:05But look at the brush, Drew.
16:07Yes, the brush, yes.
16:08So do you lay lots of layers of...
16:09Yes, the brush, only the brush.
16:11I use the brush, you can see, you can see there are...
16:14Yeah, many brushes, wow.
16:15And then I use the brush.
16:16So the people, in the beginning, see, say maybe it's knife.
16:20I say, no, it's not knife, it's brush.
16:22All the painting, you can see, they are very energy, strong.
16:25Mm-hmm.
16:26You know that I have the guarantee to put the color.
16:29Well, I am so glad I tracked you down, because I love the work.
16:35I think it is magnificent.
16:36Yeah, because Nice is the light.
16:38Nice is the light.
16:39Right.
16:46The Riviera may be best known for its high life and luxury,
16:49but I'm genuinely impressed by all the artistic activity in Nice.
16:55And to sample a bit more of it, I'm off to meet yet another American resident,
16:59sculptor Kim Beloukos.
17:03Kim moved here over 30 years ago, so she's practically French now.
17:10Her work explores nature, and in particular, animals.
17:14And she uses a lot of metal and welding in her creations.
17:18Today, she's kindly allowed me to help her with this antelope sculpture.
17:23Kim, I'm Sandy.
17:26Sandy.
17:26Oh, this is so exciting.
17:29Nice to meet you.
17:29Nice to meet you.
17:30Look at you.
17:30We're all ready for work.
17:31Yes, I've been working all day.
17:33Have you?
17:33Yeah.
17:34Okay, so it's leather.
17:35Is there going to be some?
17:36Yes, and you're going to have to wear one as well.
17:38I love this.
17:39I love this.
17:40What do I need protecting from?
17:42Well, we're going to be using some oxides so you don't get stains on your clothing.
17:48Oh, that's quite a strong smell of the butcher.
17:50I like that.
17:50Yes, it just came from...
17:51I just bought it, so it's not old and used like mine.
17:55No, yours is wonderful.
17:57So, this is your work?
17:58Yes, this is my work.
17:59I love animals, and I just love nature.
18:02There's so many artists in this area.
18:06Is there something about the area that inspired you?
18:08Well, for me, because I'm a welder and I weld outside, I like living in Nice because
18:14there are so many sunny days.
18:16So, I could work every month of the year and keep going, so it was perfect.
18:20Also, the colors here are just so vibrant.
18:23Oh, it's magnificent, isn't it?
18:24Yeah.
18:25It's just so...
18:26It really is inspiring.
18:27And believe it or not, Kim's going to let me help color this beautiful creation.
18:34All right, first we're going to heat this.
18:38I don't put acids in my different oxides, so we have to heat it so it sticks to the surface.
18:45What is the effect that you're going to want for...
18:48Because I think this looks magnificent, so what is it that you're hoping to do?
18:51Well, I could make it black like this bronze sculpture or green like this one.
18:56You can do any color you want, basically.
18:58And it's a chemical reaction on the bronze?
19:00It's a chemical reaction at the surface.
19:02I apply one color first, then I let it sit for 24 hours, then I apply a second color.
19:08Right.
19:08And then a third, and it gives a lot of transparency and depth.
19:13So, right now, you see the natural color.
19:15A little tiny bit of green and even some yellows.
19:17Yes, yes.
19:19So, this will change as soon as we start heating it and applying the color.
19:22So, I'm a little nervous about acid.
19:23Is acid safe?
19:24No, there's no acid.
19:25Oh, good.
19:25That's why I'm saying if you want to not heat, then you have to use acid.
19:29Right.
19:29I prefer to heat.
19:30Okay, I'm with you.
19:31Let's do that.
19:32I think I'm probably anti-acid.
19:33I don't know.
19:34Yeah, me too.
19:34That's a thing.
19:35I don't know.
19:35So, we have paint brushes and we'll turn this on.
19:42Wow.
19:42I mean, a lot of trees here, just saying.
19:44Yeah, I know.
19:45I know.
19:45That's why it's not...
19:46I'm just going to do the legs, for example.
19:48We can just do the legs.
19:49So, this is how we do it.
19:50Right.
19:51Um, this is a small surface, so it'll heat fast.
19:54Is this your style to always have the elongated legs?
19:56Yes.
19:57I love this.
19:58It's, um, that's what I'm known for.
20:00Okay, could you do a statue of me with the elongated legs?
20:02I'd really...
20:03If you'd like.
20:03It would make me very happy.
20:04It would make me very happy.
20:08Okay.
20:13You don't need gloves or a welding helmet or anything?
20:15Yes, actually, we will put on gloves.
20:17Okay.
20:17Here are new gloves for you.
20:19Oh, you are so lovely.
20:20So, where do you then sell your work?
20:22Where is it exhibited?
20:23I do a lot in Switzerland and in New York.
20:28But I have clients from around the world.
20:30Right.
20:37So, I've got the gloves on.
20:39And now, what we'll do is we'll put a little bit of color on.
20:43Mm-hmm.
20:45But then we'll wipe most of it off, actually.
20:47Just creating a reaction, is that the thing?
20:48Yes.
20:49Okay.
20:49And then what we do, although it's not heated enough,
20:52we should hear a little bit of hissing from the...
20:55from the heating.
20:59I mean, I'm seeing red now.
21:02Is it going to be red?
21:03It will be red.
21:04But then I always do several colors at a time.
21:06Right.
21:07So, at the end, I have no idea what it will be.
21:10I love that, though.
21:13I really love that.
21:14So, I have a friend of mine who does a lot of wood sculpture,
21:17but in what they call green wood, you know, fresh wood.
21:19Never quite knows what it's going to be,
21:21because the wood itself has some life in it.
21:24And don't you think that's exciting?
21:25Absolutely.
21:26Yeah.
21:26Absolutely.
21:27And you might say, I want it to be this color.
21:29Yeah.
21:29But then you're working in progress, and it's like,
21:32this is great.
21:33Why would I...
21:34Why do I need to go to the end?
21:35This is what it should be.
21:36And you stop.
21:37See, I don't know if you can hear it.
21:39It's not really hissing.
21:40Oh, that one hissed.
21:41That was it.
21:42Oh, there and here.
21:43There's a little bubbly thing happening.
21:44So, when people buy a work in bronze,
21:55they're buying a whole series of steps
21:57that they don't even realize that have been involved.
22:01But I love that, because it has you in it.
22:02Yeah, it's wonderful.
22:04I like that, you know, it's a woman doing welding.
22:12Go, girl.
22:13That's the other thing, because when I used to go
22:16to art shows with my former husband,
22:18we would go, and they would immediately run over to him
22:21and say, oh, we love your piece.
22:22Oh.
22:23And then he'd say, no, it's not me.
22:25It's the woman over there.
22:27It's fair.
22:27My woodland has signs up that say,
22:30warning, these woods contain women with chainsaws.
22:33That's good, right?
22:36Yeah, absolutely.
22:39Is it a she?
22:40It's a she.
22:41It feels she.
22:42In French, antelope, antelope is female.
22:45Female.
22:45So, it's an antelope.
22:46OK, so when she's done, please, will you let me know
22:51how she got on?
22:52Yes, of course.
22:52I will send you a picture of her.
22:53Would you?
22:54And definitely.
22:55I feel just this leg here.
22:57I have a little investment.
22:58Yes, well, absolutely.
22:59And I'm going to tell everyone that you participated
23:02in creating this beautiful color.
23:05See, I can see how you can get lost in this,
23:08because this is a lovely space.
23:11It's so interesting.
23:12I could see how you could do hours and hours and hours of this.
23:15Mm-mm-mm.
23:16It's great.
23:16Mm-mm-mm.
23:17Yeah.
23:18I'm leaving the city now, and the beaches and clear skies are back,
23:30as I head through Villefranche-sur-Mer to the exclusive peninsula of Cap Verrat.
23:35The peninsula of Cap Verrat was first settled hundreds of years ago
23:49by rulers who wanted to stop pirates and brigands.
23:52Now it's all pretty much just luxury yachts.
23:56I mean, I suspect there are some pirates and brigands out there
23:59that just don't say OR anymore to make it, you know, obvious.
24:08No wonder they wanted to keep out the pirates,
24:10as this almost island jutting out into the sea offers stunning views
24:15for anyone rich enough to be able to afford a house here.
24:18And I do mean rich, as this is exclusive even for these parts.
24:24It is one of the most expensive residential areas in the world.
24:32I think we've already established that artists from all over the world
24:34are drawn to the Côte d'Azur because of the light and because of the colour.
24:38And in fact, one of those painters was Winston Churchill,
24:41a considerably skilful amateur painter.
24:44His paintings now go for millions and indeed it's rumoured that Angelina Jolie owns one.
24:48He liked to stay here at the Voile d'Or Hotel at the Golden Sale.
24:54He liked it so much with such a regular that he made a painting of the hotel
24:58and the town has commemorated this fact with a statue of Winston painting that exact scene.
25:06The only problem is he's facing this way and the scene's over there.
25:10I mean, I know the town spent a lot of money on it.
25:12It's just, other than that, fabulous.
25:21No wonder Churchill loved to paint here as the views really are incredible.
25:30And I'm lucky to be staying in a place which may have the best views of the lot.
25:35But perched high on the cliffs above the port stands the grand hotel Cap Ferrat.
25:45This historic hotel has welcomed artists like Picasso, Matisse, Cocteau, Mogdigliani and Rodin over the years.
25:52But it's mostly been a magnet for aristocrats and the very rich.
25:57Suites here can cost over 10,000 euros a night.
26:01Quite frankly, it's the poshest hotel I've ever checked into.
26:08Hi, I'm Sandy.
26:10Nice to meet you. Welcome to the Grand Hotel de Cap Ferrat.
26:13My name is Albina.
26:14Hi, Albina.
26:14Can I accompany you the room?
26:16Thank you so much. That's kind.
26:18This hotel is one of less than 30 in France that have been given a special palace status,
26:24which means it's more than one of those poxy five-star affairs.
26:29I'm seriously worried we won't make the end of this trip now,
26:32as I reckon the producers have just blown the budget on this place.
26:41Oh, wow.
26:46Oh, yeah.
26:51This'll do.
26:53A little champagne.
26:56Oh, my goodness.
27:00Wow.
27:05The bathroom lets out onto the terrace.
27:09Come on.
27:12The bedroom.
27:14I mean, who doesn't want a balcony with bathroom bedroom and sitting room off it?
27:20Yeah, just need to open that champagne now.
27:26The great Gustav Eiffel himself designed the Great Rotunda here,
27:30and like my room, it offers panoramic views of the Mediterranean.
27:35It's history is part of the hotel's charm, and general manager François-Régis Simon has kindly made time to tell me more.
27:46I have been lucky to stay in a lot of five-star hotels around the world, but this is something else.
27:53What do you call that? It's the next step up.
27:55Okay, the next step up is called Palace.
27:56Ah.
27:57We were happy to get that distinction.
28:00We were the first, actually, on the Côte d'Azur in 2015.
28:03Well, I'm not surprised, François, at all. So, what are the sort of extras that guests who come here might expect?
28:10We need to go the extra mile, you know, compared to a five-star hotel. Obviously, you need to have your room service running 24 hours.
28:18You need to have the spa available. You need to tick each box, you know, to benefit from that distinction.
28:23And actually, every three years, we need to present again the hotel in front of a jury.
28:30Okay. Do you want me to come and I'll tell them?
28:31You know, if you can, you can ask me to do that. You know, I send you the invite, right?
28:40So, if you have a guest who arrives and says,
28:42I don't eat dairy and my husband is gluten-free and my children like ice cream and things,
28:46you just write it and that's it. It's all happening?
28:48All the needs of the client is already pre-recorded in a system and we have access to that system to
28:55see, do you like a feather pillow? Do you like strawberries? You know, maybe my son is allergic
29:01to this. You know, I need to pay attention to that. This is part of what we call the pre-arrival
29:06experience, right? Where my guest experience team will reach out to these guests, you know,
29:12to actually ensure that we haven't missed anything.
29:19When you took over as the manager, it must have been a huge responsibility because of the
29:23incredible history of this place. True. I mean, what is very interesting about
29:27Cap Ferrer, you know, Cap Ferrer went through a lot of changes. Basically, before 1900,
29:31he was just a fishing village, right? King Leopold II, King of Belgium, he acquired basically two-thirds
29:38of Saint-Jean Cap Ferrer. Oh, wow. And what happened, he started to get bored, right? And,
29:43you know, he wanted to invite all the aristocrats, you know, from Europe. And he didn't have hotels
29:49at that time of the quality required, you know, to welcome them. So, I'm going to guess Leopold didn't
29:53start his own hotel. No, no, no. It's what happened. He sold basically part of the land to a promoter
29:58who actually started in 1905 to build the Gante de la Cap Ferrer. And this is where you can start to see
30:05head of states coming, people from the UK, people from Europe. Especially for Cap Ferrer, 1933 was
30:14actually the tipping point where they filmed Don Quixote de la Mancha. And this is where they
30:20started to attract artists. And you saw all the impressionists coming, painting, and then the
30:27development of the Cannes Festival. And then you start to hear about Cap Ferrer at that time.
30:31So, I imagine you've had a lot of very famous people come to stay.
30:38Yeah, we had a few. Between politicians, you have people from the show business having their
30:44summer home as well in this area. Elizabeth Teller was actually a huge fan of us. Before Elizabeth Teller,
30:53Winston Churchill, you know, he liked really to come to Cap Ferrer, you know, for his painting. You know,
30:58King Charles, you know, paid us a visit four years ago, like a state visit, you know, with Monaco.
31:03And we had a pleasure to welcome them. You know what's wonderful though, Francois, is that
31:08I'm not a movie star or a royal, but you feel like that when you walk in. That's good.
31:12Yeah. Excellent. So I need to come back when I'm not working. Yeah, for sure. Maybe the second
31:16visit will be different, you know, and as you will be on vacation, you know, you might be experiencing
31:21something different, right? Well, also, I'm going to walk through the door and go, Frossois. I guess we're
31:25friends now, right? Exactly. Thank you very much.
31:31I cannot believe how lucky I am to be here. What an incredible view. So, in the 1930s, this was sheer
31:39rock face and they wanted a swimming pool. What do you do? You get shed loads of Italian engineers to
31:44come and blast the rock face. And pretty soon, people like Charlie Japlin, Picasso, David Niven
31:50were doing lengths here. For 70 years, the same swimming instructor, Pierre Grunberg,
31:55taught the great and the good. Paul McCartney's children, for example. I mean, he couldn't do it.
31:59The guitar would get wet. So I'm going to have a go. I need a tiny bikini and a very, very small towel.
32:06And I believe the staff have arranged this for me. Thank you so much. Obviously, I'm not going to
32:11walk down. Too rich for that. I shall take the funicular.
32:25We could scramble down the hillside, but we're too rich, so we're gliding. We glide towards luxury.
32:35I want one of these in my house. I just, first I need to get a hill.
32:48A lot of those celebrity visitors to this famous pool actually learned to swim here.
32:55It would be hard to overcome your fear of water in such a beautiful location.
33:06This has got to be the ultimate celebrity swimming pool.
33:09It's the sort of place you might have, I don't know, drifted past Robert Redford.
33:13I have to tell you, it is salty enough to put on your chips. I've never known such salty water.
33:19You can have the place entirely to yourself if you're very, very wealthy.
33:22Or, other top tip, turn up early with a film crew. That seems to work as well.
33:35I'm staying in Cap Verrat for one more day. And my motive isn't just to enjoy yet more luxury in my
33:52swanky grand hotel. For it turns out the hotel is just one of a cluster of beautiful houses in what's
33:59known as the Cape of Billionaires. Today, I'm visiting two of them. And the first offers a spot of high culture.
34:14The Villa Santa Suspire doesn't just have great art on its walls. Its walls actually are great art.
34:21All of them are covered by the drawings of Jean Cocteau, one of the leading figures of the avant-garde
34:28movement of the mid-20th century. So, definitely not your average painter and decorator.
34:40So, I've read about this. I wasn't expecting it to be so overwhelming and complete. You know,
34:58sometimes your friends are a bit critical and they say your place needs decorating and you're not all
35:01that pleased. But when is Jean Cocteau and he decides to do decorating? This is what you get. He said this
35:07was the skin of the house and what it needed was tattoos. And I mean, look at it.
35:20He could tattoo me anytime. This is extraordinary. I mean, this is how good it is. The view out there
35:27is magnificent and I don't care. I don't care because I can look at this. He always described himself as a
35:34poet, even though he did film and he did plays and he wrote books. But this is kind of poetry,
35:40isn't it? This is just poetry without words. Is that a thing? It is now.
35:46Cotto didn't own the house. He was invited to stay here by the actual owner,
36:03wealthy arts patron Frances Weisweiler in 1950.
36:09She must have liked his company though, as he ended up staying for 11 years.
36:16Instead of rent, he repaid her with possibly the best free wallpapering job in history.
36:27This is the second time on this trip that I've been inside an artwork. I was inside the Picasso
36:35and now inside Cocteau. There's something about the air and the Riviera because
36:41boy are people creative. Oh, look here, look, look here, look here. There's his name signed.
36:48First time, May 1950. Love that. He's still here in the room. I mean, I don't know how you feel about
36:57that as a guest. He's still here, won't leave. I don't know. Charles Dickens once had Hans Christian
37:02Anderson to stay. Uh, and he stayed forever. And, uh, afterwards he said, guests are like fish.
37:09They go off after three days. But I think, I think this, I would have, I would have been fine with.
37:21It'll be hard to top that experience, but my next villa offers something very different.
37:31In the 1870s, France entered into a period of peace and prosperity. It was a time of tremendous optimism,
37:37technological advancements, and if you had the money on the south of France, building of opulent villas,
37:43of which I think the jewel has to be the Villa Euphraise, which was the creation and love child
37:49of Beatrice de Rothschild. Beatrice de Rothschild was born into the famous banking family in Paris in 1864.
38:00Her father, Alphonse, was then the richest man in France, and she eventually inherited a share of his fortune.
38:07Her father, Alphonse, was born into the United States.
38:10Inspired by her travels in Italy, she used a pretty big chunk of that cash to create a wonderful palazzo
38:17and a jigsaw of beautiful gardens on this headland that juts out into the sea.
38:28When she died, Beatrice donated the estate to the French Académie des Beaux-Arts.
38:32She did not.
38:34Lucky me to be getting a private viewing with tour guide Jacqueline Mancier.
38:41Oh, look at this.
38:44This is a theatre set.
38:45It is. It certainly is.
38:48and the villa and the gardens are theater stages really social theater but theater stages i love
38:55this so i'm not very good on styles but venetian feels venetian yeah for me it's mostly venetian
39:01yes typical of the edwarden era i would say what we call belly poke in french eclecticism
39:07and what about the galleries did people walk up there or yeah those were meant for
39:11the musicians because she gave gown panties in the gardens and soirees here so the guests couldn't
39:19see the musician but they have impression music fell out from the sky so this is before speakers
39:24this is like modern this is speakers of the time what's striking about the place is its wonderful
39:32joie de vivre it's brimming with ornate furniture and beatrice filled its walls with great art
39:41it made me want to find out more about the surprisingly independent woman of means
39:47who created this architectural masterpiece
39:52when you stand here you realize that the garden is an artwork it is all of its own isn't it it is uh
40:00i'm convinced she wanted to recreate the garden of edens ah okay so let's talk about her what do we know
40:06about beatrice so beatrice she was born uh in paris she was born 1864 she was very lucky because her
40:15father was a real connaissance art he loved gardens so he marries her off to an older man um well 15
40:22years that's okay 15 years oh yeah that's right yeah and his name is the name of this villa that's right
40:27mr frusi so she was born de rothschild and she married annette frusi but it wasn't a happy marriage
40:34uh not at all she had a disease so she remained bedridden during 16 months you can say it she had
40:43syphilis uh we're not sure i'm gonna realize something nasty anyway okay not a good thing but from from
40:48because her husband was a naughty man he all men have mistresses especially in those years okay i i mean
40:57it's this um it's a very french okay okay must have mistresses but this house is without him it's
41:10after she's divorces him that's right and so you can feel it's just her creation so she got separated
41:16from her husband 1904 uh and in 1905 her father died and her father was a feminist he was how wonderful
41:24yeah he could share for his daughter and his son bravo so suddenly she's very wealthy that's right
41:30and with the money that her father left her she purchased the mule track at the top of the rocket
41:35crest because she realized she could see the sea on both sides wow so this was not the kind of wealthiest
41:42land in the world no no not at all she paid her square meter six francs 50 and to create the villa and
41:48the gardens where she had the rock blasted dynamite i love her i love her so so do i so six francs 50
41:55for like where we're standing she paid what would you pay now for uh eight thousand euros square foot
42:00wow the estate is estimated half a billion and to think of all the people you'd have to hire to keep
42:07these gardens looking like this you wonder how beatrice found any time to enjoy herself but she most
42:13definitely did did did she have lovers then after the after their separation she was a lesbian so oh
42:22okay all right i like her better and better yeah so do i um to sum up the lady she's a woman jewish
42:29lesbian playing poker and separated from my husband born 1864 a woman after one half i love them because
42:36you know they they they kick the door to make a little crack and then we just had to follow yeah i think
42:41that's wonderful and and did she have a long-term lover or just lots of women she became extremely
42:47discreet i had the impression she was successively faithful okay i like that i think that's a very
42:53very good description so the gardens which we can see from up here are they divided up into different
43:00sections uh that's right uh so this is the main section because it's here that she would give
43:05gun parties every sunday afternoon to which invited queen victor's son so he was a neighbor he had a
43:11little nearby and she had a very special sense of humor because at the same gun party she would
43:18invite miss keppel very good alice keppel the actress yeah the mistress of the mistress of that yeah
43:26that's the mistress of edward the seventh incidentally he was of course queen victoria's son so he
43:32probably came down here a lot as a kid one of my favorite is princess guicard so um princess guicard
43:40in a previous life was the uh great horizontal in french we call them grand horizontal great horizontal
43:46lienne de bougie what does that mean the great horizontal she was a famous called his hands oh i'm
43:51so sorry okay i was not bunk that's what we're talking about no that's fine i need to be more french i think
43:58yeah i'm afraid so i need to see some more maybe go this way please do
44:08i'm getting the impression that rather a lot happened in the bedrooms at this place
44:13time to take a peek i'd like to show you though we might have slept oh okay tell us the waiting list
44:20is very long okay is this a guest bedroom it was uh nicest guest room oh so i can see the sea from the
44:30bed right and if i lie this side i can see the sea from the bed oh isn't it magnificent and the gardens
44:37ahead and you have the tiny balcony and these would these have been proper old 18th century 18th century
44:43but what so they were electrified uh in the in the 20th century she wanted to have everything beautiful
44:50landscape refined echo mostly uh the 18th century and the last one in comfort electricity running water
44:57central heating system look at the breast waiting this is this is heating coming up it had some boilers
45:02in the basement telephone i like her style elevator okay please tell me she liked to have a drink like
45:09was she fun she was yeah parties parties she gave gun parties every sunday afternoon and she gave soirees
45:15in patio and don't forget wine of course oh yeah the the puttle grandfather is the one that purchased
45:24lafitte roughtide and the metal great uncle purchased the other one mouton roughtide so lafitte on the
45:30other side and mouton on the other side so you don't have to get a bit of shops do you you just have one
45:35from the family i love that this is this is my dream room i love this room
45:43i can't help thinking what fun it would have been to come to one of beatrice's parties
45:51to this day the name rothschild is synonymous with unimaginable wealth look at this place
45:57the good news is that you can rent it out for yourself a wedding say because we are talking i think
46:03hundreds of thousands not tens of thousands so i don't know maybe maybe start saving now
46:18ah well it's time to leave this headland of ornate villas
46:22thing is where i'm going next is even more exclusive see you in monaco
46:34there's l-bombs love triangles and some confusion about hugh grant everyone's feeling relaxed at the
46:40first date beach club starting monday at nine next tonight miriam margulies is throwing her first
46:45christmas shindig in years and we're all invited it's a party with a dickensian twist
Comments