Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: what the peninsula imposes on those who build there
Two kilometres across, a single road in and out, and a footpath around it. Geography rules here more than fashion.
The peninsula closes in on itself. You enter from Beaulieu or from Villefranche, and you do not pass through: you go there. That absence of through traffic explains part of the calm which visitors usually credit to the wealth of the place alone.
The coastal path circles it, running nearly eleven kilometres from the harbour to Pointe Saint-Hospice. It is public, and it skirts the foot of the properties: a seafront villa is visible from the path, something occasionally discovered after purchase.
The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, completed in 1912, holds the ridge between the two bays. Its nine gardens and its position explain better than any argument why builders of the early century sought height rather than the shore.
Two beaches shape daily use: Paloma to the east, Passable to the west, with opposite aspects and light. Choosing between the two sides is no matter of comfort; it decides the hour at which a terrace becomes usable.