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Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has a picturesque port and a delightful beach near it with stunning views.
France » French Riviera

Why Visit
It is home to exclusive villas, the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild with incredible gardens and a pretty Zoo featuring all kinds of exotic animals.

History
The first settlers of Cap Ferrat were the Celtic tribes and then the area was settled by the Lombards by the end of the 6th century. Saracen raiders occupy the site in the early 8th century and will use it as a base for pirate raids for the next 400 years.

In 1388 the entire territory will be given by a treaty to the Dukes of Savoy and Duke Emmanuel Philibert builds a fort there in 1561 to protect the coast from foreign invaders. The fort will later be destroyed by the armies of King Louis XIV of France. During the 18th century the area became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia but was occupied repeatedly by the French during the Napoleonic Wars. With the war’s end in 1814 it was returned to the Kings of Sardinia. In 1860 it was formally conceded to France by Count Cavour for the latter’s help during the Second War of Italian Independence. It became a magnet for wealthy visitors including royalty.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the King of Belgium, Leopold II owned an estate there and built several houses and an artificial lake. Today Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat is the site of some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and the famous theatrical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber currently reside there.

Museums - Archeological
The beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is an italian-style villa built between 1905 and 1912 by the Baroness Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild. Now it is the Musée Île-de-France. It holds a large collection of art and furnishing. Of interest are also the gardens with contain different styles like Florentine, Spanish, Japanese, French, Provencal. On the peninsula of St. Hospice there is also a bronze statue of the Madonna and Child and a cemetery of World War I. Also of note is the lighthouse “Le Phare”, built in 1862 by Emperor Napoleon III.

Beaches
The beautiful Paloma beach is located southeast of the port, approximately 10 minutes via foot from the port, in the small peninsula of St. Hospice. It is facing northeast at the base of some tall cliffs. The Passable beach is on the northwest side of the peninsula of St. Hospice, facing west, with a beautiful view across the Rade de Villefranche. Finally the Cro de Pei Pin is located north of the port. It is the biggest beach, facing eastwards into the Bay des Fourmis and the Tete de Chene.

Religious Monasteries and Churches
There are three churches of note in Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat. The Church of St. John the Baptist dates back to the nineteenth century. It replaced a primitive church of the eleventh century in the place called Ad Crottas. The Chapelle de Saint-Hospice is located on the edge of the same name, built in the seventeenth century on the ruins of the tower that housed St. Hospice. A bronze statue of the Virgin, 11 meters high stands next to the chapel. Finally, there is the Chapel of St. Francis de Sales which was built in 1726.