Vallombrosa Castle

Set apart on its rocky outcrop yet strikingly visible thanks to its grand scale, Vallombrosa Castle is without a doubt one of the finest properties in Cannes. It was built in 1852 by British developer Sir Thomas Robinson Woolfield, who hoped to attract wealthy buyers with high-end properties. With its nine massive towers, battlements and machicolations, the castle echoed the style of a “Scottish manor” — a look that was all the rage on the French Riviera at the time. That’s how it caught the eye of the wealthy Franco-Italian Vallombrosa family, who bought the property in 1861. Despite its powerful and stately appearance, the new owners ended up agreeing with Prosper Mérimée— France’s first inspector of historical monuments — , who once described the building as “a big ugly castle built by the English — in other words, in a very painful architectural style to look at.”As a result, several additions were made over time, including a chapel and a landscaped park where Queen Victoria herself once enjoyed strolling. In 1893, it was sold to a wealthy German hotelier who transformed it into the most luxurious palace hotel on the Riviera. Since 1934, Vallombrosa Castle has been a private residential property reserved for the upper class.