Hello Monaco #10 Winter 2020–2021 | Page 89

MONACO NEIGHBOURHOOD
20 metres and despite its great age stays in excellent shape ! We can even touch it — in order to derive some serenity and wisdom from it .
And lastly enjoy the Tomb of Lumone , a funeral monument built in the 1st century BC at the junction of Via Aurelia and Via Julia Augusta . This mausoleum of Roman times with its three elegant arcs and traces of frescos has been classified as a historic monument since 1951 .
VILLA LA PAUSA , A CREATION OF MADEMOISELLE COCO

In the late 19th century the French Riviera became very popular among European nobility . Coco Chanel searched for a plot of land and built a villa there in 1928 . It became her summer residence for the subsequent 25 years , giving birth to her famous perfume Chanel N ° 28 La Pausa , named interestingly after this villa which also bears the same name of La Pausa . Some sources claim that La Pausa owes its name to a legend . Following the crucifixion of Christ , Mary Magdalene « paused » on the French Riviera to rest in the shade of Cap Martin olive trees on her way back from Jerusalem .

© shutterstock . com
The great Mademoiselle Chanel possessed a summer residence in Roquebrune named Villa La Pausa for 25 years .
It is a fascinating part of history that Coco was in a romantic relationship with Hugh Grosvenor , Duke of Westminster , whom she met in Monte-Carlo in 1924 and who allegedly purchased the land in the south of France three years later for her as his mistress . Chanel was particularly inspired by it and personally designed every detail of this , her own villa . Mademoiselle ’ s project was brought to life by the architect Robert Streitz . Even though Gabrielle Chanel grew up in an orphanage , she must have had some fond memories of it from her childhood . The villa thus bears many architectural elements of the Obazine convent . It is a 4-floor mansion with a total area of 1,300 square metres housing an old library , a dining room , 4 living rooms and 7 en-suite bedrooms . Not to mention an olive grove , a garden and a tennis court .
Since 1953 , Villa La Pausa has had many different owners . The Chanel fashion house purchased La Pausa in 2015 thus providing a last refuge for Coco ’ s soul . Many tourists nowadays have the ambition of finding this famous villa . It is well-hidden , however , and doesn ’ t bear any particular name plate .
CHURCHILL , LE CORBUSIER AND MANY OTHERS

In 1953 Coco Chanel sold her beloved

La Pausa to Emery Reves , a writer and Winston Churchill ’ s literary agent . That ’ s
The fortress of Roquebrune , the only local surviving structure of the Carolingian era
The Tomb of Lumone , a funeral monument of Roman times ( the 1st century BC ) https :// fr . m . wikipedia . org /
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