Take a day out to soak in the peaceful and refreshing energy at this magnificent seaside villa Ephrussi located at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a private oasis of abundance and beauty where you’ll enjoy a day of friendship and creativity. Learn or improve your technique and try your hand at capturing the essence of nature under your art instructor’s guidance.

The setting

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild also called villa Île de France. It was designed by the French architect Aaron Messiah and constructed between 1905 and 1912 by Baroness Beatrice de Rothschild. She filled the mansion with antique furniture, old master paintings, sculptures, artworks and assembled an extensive collection of rare porcelain. The villa is surrounded by nine gardens, each on a different theme: Florentine, Spanish, Garden à la française, exotic, a stone garden, a Japanese garden, a rose garden, Provençal and a garden de Sèvres. The garden was conceived in the form of a ship, to be viewed from the loggia of the house, which was like the bridge of a vessel, with the sea visible on all sides. It was inspired by a voyage she made on the liner Île de France, and the villa was given that name. The thirty gardeners who maintained the garden were dressed as sailors, with berets with red pom-poms.

Your day

Morning sketching and painting in the gardens

Step inside the magnificent gardens for a leisurely stroll and awake your inner artist! Inspiration abounds in every detail of the neat landscape designs and intriguing sculptures. Your art instructor will help you capture some of the magic through sketching and watercolour painting.

Lunch

Set in the room that Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild’s used as a dining room.  Chat art, gardening and anything else over a delicious lunch in this calm oasis with an unrestricted view of the Bay of Villefranche. You will be served a light meal called Menu "Cap Ferrat".

An afternoon visit of Villa Ephrussi

After lunch, you will be invited for a self-guided tour of the permanent collections using audio guide. It provides a commentary on the history of the place, about Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild and her collections, as well as thematic information about the Riviera during the Belle Époque, Béatrice’s leisure activities and the Rothschild family.

Practical information

When and where to meet

9.45am,  1 Avenue Ephrussi de Rothschild, 06230 Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

How to get there

By road: access by the lower cliff road (RD6098). A free car-park is available on the site. 

GPS coordinates: latitude 43°6945937 - longitude 7°3292327. 

By bus: line 81, "Plage de Passable" stop. 

By train: Beaulieu-sur-Mer station

What to bring

Comfortable shoes… and that’s it! All equipment for sketching and painting will be provided - sketching paper or canvas, pencils, watercolours, brushes, etc.

Language

The sketching workshop will be held in French, a great occasion to practice or improve your conversational skills! Art is a universal language anyway and Adela will be there to assist with any translation if required. 

Suitable for

Lovers of art, nature and all things creative.  No painting experience required, our friendly instructor Mona will guide you every step of the way! 

What´s included

3 hours sketching and watercolour session

Lunch at Tearoom – quiche provencal with salad

a glass of wine, coffee and apple tart

1.5 hours self audio guided tour 

Join us! We keep our groups small for a personalised experience, space is limited to 8.

Cost: 155€

RSVP by 22nd April

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions, we’re looking forward to seeing you there!