Villa Thalassa - Thalassita : a jewel cased in the history of Roquebrune Cap Martin

In Roquebrune Cap Martin, by the sea, the Thalassa - Thalassita mansion is a true piece of history of the French Riviera that marks its environment by its architectural singularity and its exceptional location.

An exclusive location on the French Riviera

Roquebrune Cap Martin

Located between Menton and Monaco, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin stretches from the edge of the Mediterranean to the perched village. Attracted by the beauty and the unique light of the place, Rodin, Cocteau, or even Monet chose Roquebrune Cap Martin as a privileged place of vacation and artistic creation.

Cap Martin, a former hunting reserve for the Monegasque royal family, was transformed into a Belle Époque resort in the 19th century and saw the construction of superb villas with lush gardens and other palaces that are so typical of the Côte d'Azur landscape today.

Roquebrune Cap Martin is thus a seaside resort with a rich architecture and a flamboyant past from which the legacy of artists, international nobles and architects such as Le Corbusier or Eileen Gray remains today.

La Pointe de Cabbé

The land of the Pointe de Cabbé, on the coast of Roquebrune Cap Martin, was parcelled out in the 1840s, and the Villa Thalassa was the first house built in 1848. Before that, the point was a wild place where the typical azurean vegetation and the sea spray were mixed.

The point is relatively unbuilt and there are beautiful gardens, making it a privileged and exclusive environment on the French Riviera.

It is characterized by its unique environment, with its beaches with freshwater springs and its collection of villas with Belle-Epoque architecture, suspended between Land and Sea.

Famous owners

Built in the late 19th century by Rodolphe Saft, then acquired by a socialite couple in the 1950s, the main house, overlooking the Blue Gulf Beach, has retained the charm and authenticity of luxurious Epoque villas.

Rodolphe Saft, a Swiss on the French Riviera

Rodolphe Saft had the Villa Thalassa built in 1848, on the tip of Cabbé in Roquebrune Cap Martin, between Monaco and the Italian border. He is a renowned Swiss hotelier of the 19th century. First manager for 9 years, he then bought the Grand Hotel de Baden in 1885. At the time, it was the Swiss hotel with the largest number of en-suite rooms, and the first building in the country to be powered by electricity and equipped with an elevator.

In addition to the Villa Thalassa, a staircase remains from R. Saft's passage down the hillside to the Pointe de Cabbé between the exceptional properties, in the heart of the vegetation. The luxurious house stands out among its neighbors - more classic for the Côte d'Azur landscape - by its exterior beams and wooden balconies. Indeed, it gives an air of Alpine chalets that can be explained by the Swiss origins of its builder.

Alejo Vidal-Quadras and Tilda Thamar, worldly artists on the French Riviera

Alejo Vidal-Quadras, artist, celebrity portraitist and Tilda Thamar, movie star, bought the land under the villa in 1950 and built there a large apartment, the Thalassita.

Vidal-Quadras' career took off after he produced portraits of the Countess of Paris and her family. He is well known for his portraits of the royal families of Jordan, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, France and Monaco. He notably made portraits of the Prince and Princesses of Monaco with their mother, Grace Kelly.

His wife, Tilda Thamar, also had a notable career. Born in Argentina, she fled the country after a conflict with the government, settled in France and built her career as an actress. She was nicknamed "the Argentinean bomb" because of her sensual physique. Thus, in the 50s, she is present in about twenty feature films in France including L'Anse Rouge by Jacques Daniel-Norman in 1949 or Porte d'Orient by Jacques Daroy in 1950.

An exceptional villa foot in the water in Roquebrune Cap Martin

Beyond its history and that of its occupants, the prestige of the location of Thalassa - Thalassita makes it all the more singular. In absolute calm, it is a waterfront property offering private access to the Golfe Bleu beach below. The entire estate offers magnificent views of the sea, the Rock of the Principality of Monaco and the surrounding nature.

The property, bathed in light thanks to its optimal exposure, has several large terraces facing the sea in the heart of a lush garden of 1170 m². The charming residence - with its exposed beams, parquet floors and Victorian balustrades - offers more than 300 m² of living space between the main villa (Villa Thalassa) and the apartment (Thalassita).

For more information on this exceptional property or for any real estate project in Roquebrune Cap Martin, contact your experts in prestige real estate at Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty at 37 boulevard Marinoni in Beaulieu sur Mer or by mail at: info@cotedazur-sothebysrealty.com