Arts and Gardens of the French Riviera

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Summary

With its seas of cobalt and turquoise, its skies of azure and cerulean blue - and its gardens of every colour under the sun - it is little wonder that the French Riviera has been the inspiration for countless works of art and a magnet for artists. Set in the lengthening shadows of a sun-soaked September, this new tour combines a spell-binding collection of art and architecture with a few of our favourite gardens, and promises to be a treat for the senses and a tonic for the soul.

We get off to a fine start with a visit to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nice, which houses a collection of paintings and sculpture spanning the last four centuries, before moving on to our hotel. Staying in Nice we tour the museums featuring the work of two great French artists, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall, before calling in at the visit the exquisite gardens of the Fondation Ephrussi de Rothschild, surrounded by marvellous sea views.

In nearby Menton we visit the Villa E-1027, a remarkable modernist villa designed by Irish architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray in the twenties, and the luxuriant and exotic gardens of Serre de la Madone and Clos du Peyronnet.

We then drive up into the verdant hills for visits to the villages of St Paul de Vence, where Chagall is buried; Grasse, whose cathedral is home to three paintings by Rubens, and the tranquil gardens of La Mouissone. Visits to the Picasso Museums in Vallauris and Antibes and the Massena Museum and Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art in Nice complete an illuminating tour.

Our tour is led by the ever-popular Trevor Edwards.