Villa Garnier and its garden

Villa Garnier, Where the Spectacle Turns into Reality

Imagined and desired by Charles Garnier, the famous architect of the Opéra de Paris, the Villa Garnier and its Garden are located in the municipality of Bordighera, in the province of Imperia.

In 1871, captivated by the beauty of the Riviera, Charles Garnier decided to build his private residence a few steps from the sea, near Arziglia beach. For this enchanting place, Garnier designed a three-storey villa with a Moorish-style turret that the architect nicknamed “Mon Mirador”, because of the enchanting view it offered.

The interior of Villa Garnier was decorated by the architect’s artist friends. Among the various works present is a fresco by the French painter Paul Baudry. The originality of the construction made Villa Garnier a reference model for residences built at that time on the Franco-Italian Riviera.

Garnier Garden, Where Reality Turns Into a Spectacle

The terraced garden of Villa Garnier covers an area of 6,000 square metres. This open-air jewel was designed by Charles Garnier in collaboration with the German landscape architect Ludwig Winter, who also designed the gardens of Villa Zirio and those of Villa Hanbury.

Olive, fig and lemon trees offer visitors the scent of Mediterranean vegetation, while the camphor tree, false pepper and Dracena draco give the park an exotic atmosphere. The garden is home to fifteen different types of palm trees, including the Phoenix dactylifera.

One of the curiosities to be admired while strolling through the Villa Garnier’s Garden is a column from the Tuileries Palace in Paris, a detail that did not escape the famous scientist Louis Pasteur during one of his visits.