SIGHTSEEING
© Nicole Laffont
EXCEPTIONAL GARDENS NOT FAR FROM MONACO
By Nicole Laffont
© Nicole Laffont
© Nicole Laffont © Nicole Laffont
THE VILLA MARIANI IN BORDIGHERA : OLIVE AND PALM TREES PAINTED BY CLAUDE MONET
A cottage whose original architect was Charles Garnier , the architect of the Monte-Carlo Opera and Grand-Opera in Paris and who was engaged by Countess Fanshawe . The cottage which was later extended by other architects dominates a lush garden . The garden ’ s olive , orange , mandarin , lemon and palm trees have been there for centuries . It ’ s in this green haven overlooking the Bordighera coast that Claude Monet has created his several masterpieces .
In February 1884 , having discovered this magical place , the master of impressionism wrote : ‘ This kind of a garden is beyond description , it is pure magic . Plants from all around the world grow here , without any obvious nursing ’.
This wild aspect is truly fascinating , particularly in a place where Claude Monet put his easel to capture the purity of the scene for his ‘ motif ’ paintings . Two intertwined olive trees nicknamed ‘ the lovers ’ or the Bordighera bell tower framed by lush vegetation — these paintings witness that nature has remained intact here .
Claude Monet was dazzled by these century-old trees and a number of exotic plants that had been brought to the villa by its first owner , a rich olive oil and lemon exporter , Francesco Moreno , from his many world travels . This garden conceals views specially chosen by Monet for some of his paintings like ‘ The View of Ventimiglia ’ currently owned by the Glasgow Museum or ‘ A Garden in Bordighera ’ exposed by the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg .
In 1909 , an Italian painter Pompeo Mariani bought the villa . His monumental workshop is still intact . A 250 square metre studio , bathed in sunlight , boasts a collection of some rare artist ’ s belongings and paintings . This is a great pit-stop after a garden walk in the footsteps of two great impressionists : Pompeo Mariani , famous for his sumptuous seascapes , and Claude Monet , enamoured with flowers and water lilies .
Visits by reservation only .
VILLA MARIANI Via Fontana Vecchia , 5 Bordighera Historical Centre
� + 39 ( 0 ) 1 8426 5556 www . fondazionepompeomariani . com
126 / Hello Monaco Spring 2021 www . hellomonaco . com