«With our return to a beautiful villa on my beloved Riviera (between Cannes and Nice) I am happier than it has been in years. It is one of those strange, precious and transient moments in which it seems that everything goes well in one’s life ». Francis Scott Fitzgerald – The author of the famous The Great Gatsby – he pronounced these words on March 15, 1926, just arrived at Antibesin French Rivierawith his wife Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.
The previous year the couple had landed for the first time in France in the wake of the prowess and sophistications that had already made them famous at home. In that period Fitzgerald was in the midst of his literary production: he had published Here by paradise in 1920 and Beautiful and damned In 1922. The Great Gatsby He had been printing in the spring of 1925, but his masterpiece had not received an immediate appreciation. Depressed, restless and weakened by a life over the lines and well beyond its possibilities, Fitzgerald thus had to leave the new America for old Europe.
Zelda – rebellious, nonconformist, free of costumes – was no less eccentric than her husband. Their wedding, on April 3, 1920, was the New York event that started “Great legend of the beautiful couple, heroin, symbol and interpreter of the age of jazz», Using the words of Fernanda Pivano. A relationship that was also terribly troubledprecisely eccentric but also raw, quarrelsome, full of difficulty. They always remained together, even if separated for many years, for Zelda’s disease, the schizophrenia that showed himself since his youth. They both had one tragic end – He died alcoholic at 44; In the fire of the clinic in which she was hospitalized – yet their years of Fulgore, especially the years on the French Riviera, made them immortal.
The arrival on the French Riviera in the current Hotel BellesAda
Arrived on the French Riviera following a couple of wealthy Parisian friends, Francis Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda they settled in what was called at the time Villa Saint-Louisan elegant house overlooking the bay of Antibeswho in the two years of their occasional stay was animated by parties and receptions: the worldly chronicles of the time testify to night swimming and champagne drinks with Gerald and Sara Murphypatron of the artistic and literary scene of the time, and with Ernest Hemingway That – despite the contempt for Zelda, widely reciprocated – introduced the couple into the Lost Generation scene.
After the definitive departure of the Fitzgerald, in 1926, the villa was purchased by private individuals to be transformed within a handful of years into an inn intended to enlarge and become – we are today – the Belles Costa5 stars who, like a sketch of amber, retains intact details Art Déco and memorabilia of the Jazz age.
Built around the central body of the structure – where the Fitzgerald lived – the Belles Care is equipped with 43 roomssome more well -kept, others older, in which to enjoy your stop in this corner of the French Riviera.
The most coveted room by guests is undoubtedly the number 50, the old bedroom of the two artiststhe place where Fitzgerald worked at a first version of Tender is the nightnovel set in a French Riviera in which wealthy, fragile and restless American characters move – very similar to the fitzgerald themselves and their friends. Tender is the nighttranslated into Italy by Elisa Pantaleo, begins like this:
“On the beautiful coast of the French Riviera, halfway between Marseille and the Italian border, a large and proud pink hotel stands. Devhensi Palmes refresh its pink facade, and a short dazzling beach spreads in front of it. He recently became a summer meeting of important and fashionable people; Ten years ago, when in April English clientele went to the north was almost deserted. “
The rooms are not the only postcards sent by the past. The spirit of the roaring 1920s is well handed down in Fitzgerald Piano Barwhich recalls the hucendent and elegant atmospheres of the time and allows access to the hotel’s private beach, with its 230 beds available for both customers and external guests. The art déco reminiscences – mixed with seafaring touches and modernized by colorful artistic ceramics Vallaurisinspired by the antibese phase of the work of Pablo Picasso – are also present in the nearby restaurant The passagèrea Michelin star. Here, however, art is represented by food.
The Stellato Dinner La Passagère
The passagére It is the beating heart of the Belles Care. Equipped with both an internal and terrace overlooking the Lérins islands, this a Michelin star restaurant is entrusted to Chef Aurélien Véquraudwho designed a totalizing, almost mystical experience: guests can choose between a tasting menu of 5 or 9 courses inspired by the Mediterranean tradition, high until you reach sophisticated and unforgettable peaks of taste.
.jpg)
The pastry shop is instead entrusted to the creativity of the Pastry Chef Steve Moracchini – elected Pâtissier de l’année 2016 from Gault & Millau – which also supplies with its courses the Gemello del Belles Res, the pentastellato hotel Juana. The current cake card signed by Moracchini and included in the La Passagére menu provides for a Absinthe based cocktail, a drink loved by Fitzgeraldfollowed by a vanilla brioche of the Madagascar, a rhubarb cake with absolute complexity and chocolate rolling placed on sea fennel bearings.
In short, the passagére is a long journey on the trip: the complete menu requires at least four hours at the table, which spend more relaxed if accompanied by the wines chosen by the sommelier Aymerick Verdy. The restaurant would undoubtedly deserve the second starrecognition sometimes conditioned by the presence of a menu à la cartecurrently not available also for a matter of greater management costs. However, the property could be ready to review this choice.
The places of the Fitzgerald in Antibes
Less crowded And more authentic of the nearby Saint-Tropez and Cannes, Antibes represents an excellent alternative to the most famous south-French destinations. Half an hour walk from the Belles Res hotel, the old town of Antibes is an authentic discovery: At every corner there are Ateliers of artists, boutiques that sell straw hats and costumes with seafood motifs, bistro that serve fish and vegetables menus.
.jpg)
In “Downtown” there is also the Picasso Museumhosted in the Grimaldi Castle on the seafront. The museum is dedicated to the works that the artist created during his stay in the city in 1946 and offers the opportunity to admire paintings, ceramics and drawings, many of which are created directly in the cinemas.
.jpg)
There is then Garoupe beachreachable in ten minutes by car from the center. Fitzgerald often frequented it, attracted by its clear and placid waters, by its hidden coves and its paths for walks. The French Riviera, at the time a riot of Bohemien atmospheres, was a cure -all for the couple, but did not last long. Both Fitzgerald and Zelda did not stand the sedentary lifestyle too much, nor too placid places. So the two, taken from the whirlwind of their emotions returned to America. They would be both died within a handful of yearsstill young, with the memory of the wonderful and fleeting moments in the head spent in Antibes.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
