Belle Epoque Villa with spectacular views

This will be your best holiday ever! Enjoy the French Rivieria in the charm of a historic 19th Century Belle Epoch home. The property offers an impeccable panorama at an elevation of 460 metres, the views are spectacular; on a clear day you can see as far as Corsica over the azure sea. Set in its own microclimate ancient palms and chestnuts stand in a scented Mediterranean garden with a large swimming pool and summer kitchen allowing guests to relax in their own private idyll. The space Although large the villa remains entirely intimate in proportions. Natural light rebounds throughout the house: rooms open out to wonderful terraces that offer a dominant position onto the beautifully manicured grounds with far reaching views across the rolling hills to the sea. The mature gardens extend to 3000 square metres of lush vegetation. A very large swimming pool (15m x 7m) has been artfully built, with pool house that houses a bathroom and summer kitchen with barbecue. On the main level is a large drawing room and a small office adjacent to the drawing room providing privacy for those who take work with them. The formal dining room with French windows opens onto a courtyard with fountain; across the courtyard you will find a well equipped gym with cardio equipment and free weights. The large open plan kitchen is at the heart of the villa and has a stand-up bar and stools and gives out onto the terrace where guests will often dine as well as being adjacent to the storeroom and the sun-drenched morning room where guests may choose to breakfast. Upstairs, spread over two floors, are five air conditioned bedrooms and 4 bathrooms; they are connected by a spiral staircase that winds up to a viewing tower offering 360-degree views of the surrounding countryside, sea and mountains. The first floor has two master bedrooms with king-size beds and en-suite bathrooms. There is a third bedroom with Queen-size bed and en-suite and access to the terrace. The main master-bedroom has a walk-in closet and access to the terrace. The second floor has another bedroom with Queen-size bed as well as a large dormitory-style bedroom with two sets of twin beds. Both bedrooms on the second floor share a bathroom with separate bath and shower. The basement houses a wine cellar, storage room and utilities. Guest access There is a private driveway leading down from Avenue Francis de Croisset to the villa and there is plenty of parking space on the property itself. Guests may access every part of the house (except for the attic which is used for storage purposes). Other things to note The villa was built in the late 19C by John Harjes, co-founder of Morgan, Harjes & Co. a Paris-based investment bank (now the JP Morgan bank). At the time the steep mountain face directly east of Grasse had only a handful of residents including Alice de Rothschild who built the villa Victoria and Léon Chiris, the perfumer, who built the chateau Saint George. The area quickly gained popularity after the visit of Queen Victoria who was a friend of Alice. The royal visit had a huge impact on the local area now colloquially referred to as the "Quartier Rothschild" where lots of grand villas have since been built into the hills. John Harjes built the villa on his estate for his daughter Nelly Harjes. Nelly eventually married Jacques Cartier and moved to London where the pair made a substantial impact on the Cartier legacy. The villa's greatest claim to fame is arguably that it was once home to Mary Cassatt, the American painter, and a friend of Nelly Harjes. Mary's friends included the Impressionist Berthe Morisot, as well as Renoir and Degas. The covered terrace provided a superb backdrop for these two gentlemen to while away the hours, no doubt setting the painting world to rights. The villa later became the residence of celebrated composer and harpist Germaine Tailleferre, and echoed to the sounds of chamber music from Les Six. After that a well known perfumer made his home (and laboratory) in the villa's wonderful garden.