Villa Kérylos
Perched on a rocky promontory above the Baie des Fourmis, Villa Kérylos is a painstaking early-20th-century reconstruction of an ancient Greek dwelling, commissioned by archaeologist Théodore Reinach and completed in 1908. Every mosaic floor, alabaster lamp and bronze fitting was crafted by period artisans, making it one of the most extraordinary private houses in France.
Inside the Hellenic Dream
The villa's interior is divided into rooms named after their Greek equivalents — the Triklinos (dining room) features a stunning floor mosaic of marine creatures, while the Amphithyalos salon opens onto the sea on two sides, flooding the space with Riviera light.
Reinach lived here every summer, dressing in a chiton and insisting guests do the same. That theatrical commitment to authenticity is palpable in every hand-painted fresco and inlaid ivory detail you encounter on the self-guided tour.
The Gardens and Sea Terrace
Outside, a narrow marble terrace hugs the cliff edge above turquoise water, giving you the vertiginous sensation of standing on the prow of a ship sailing toward Cap Ferrat.
The small formal garden planted with olive, cypress and bay laurel completes the illusion of Attica transplanted to the Côte d'Azur — arrive early on a weekday to have it almost entirely to yourself.
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