Interview
A Riviera paradise
Octavia Pollock talks to
Alexandra Tolstoy about her Belle Epoque villa overlooking Monaco
W
RITER, presenter and travel-
ler Alexandra Tolstoy is well known for her 2009 BBC
series Horse People with
Alexandra Tolstoy. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, she rode in the foot- steps of Marco Polo in 1999, a journey chronicled in her book Last Secrets of the Silk Road, and recently starred in a televi- sion advertising campaign for the French food store Hédiard. She is married to Russian politician and businessman Sergei Pugachev, and splits her time between London, Moscow, Herefordshire and the French Riviera.
Where is the house? What is it like?
It' s high up in the hills above Monte Carlo with the most incredible view, one of the best in the area. It' s a gorgeous Belle Epoque villa, the perfect size, with a central atrium and rooms leading off. There are six bedrooms, so it' s not huge, but very comfortable.
How did you find it?
My husband found it by chance, and bought it some 15 years ago. It was built in about 1905, and Sergei has restored all the won- derful frescoes and original ceilings. We had a representative of the mayor' s office here recently, and he said it was the finest surviving villa of its time in the area. We' ve bought back all the land that used to belong to it, too, so we' re re-creating the golden age of the French Riviera.
Have you done much work to it?
I didn' t need to do anything to the main house after Sergei's work, but the land we' ve just bought includes two houses, one a little Provençal farmhouse and one built in the 1950s, both of which I' m restoring. I' d like them to be a bit different, to echo the main house, which is quite quirkyÐ the man who built it was passionate about astronomy and there' s a little tower in one of the bedrooms for stargazing. The farm- house will be a pool house and the other a guest house, both decorated according to
80 Country Life International, Summer 2010
Above Alexandra
Tolstoy with her son, Alexei, on her balcony overlooking the Côte d' Azur. Right The house, built in about 1905, has been faith- fully restored, and is now a superb example of a Belle Epoque villa
their history. The latter has the most glori- ous views, and I want to make it all quite 1950s, in keeping with its style. I don' t want to make it anything it' s not.
Do you spend any time writing or working there, or is it a place to escape?
I' m concentrating on my children now, with my second one due in July, so I' m not work- ing. And Sergei works so hard when he' s not hereÐ he' s a senator as well as a busi- nessmanÐ that it' s very much a place to escape. When we' re here, we' re completely self-contained, especially as the land around the house is very steep. You don' t get the same feeling of freedom I have in London or Herefordshire, where you can walk straight out and get to places easily.
What do you do in the area?
We have a yacht, so we spend lots of time sailing. We love going off to the Islands of Lérin off Cannes, Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat, and finding secluded coves for snorkelling. I do go shopping in Monte Carlo, too, and Cannes is a lovely place to go out for a mealÐ although we have the most amazing French cook, so we don' t eat
out very much. I might prefer somewhere more rural, but I have that in Herefordshire and Moscow, so it' s lovely to come to France and be more glamorous.
How much time do you spend there?
I' ll be at the villa for three or four months this summer, and, over the rest of the year, we have the odd week or weekend here. In the winter it' s rather grey and rainy on the Riviera, so I' d rather be in England, where it' s supposed to be like that!
Is it a welcoming area?
Yes, and it will be wonderful to have more time at the house this summer so I can get to know the local people better. I used to know French, but my Russian drove it out of my head, so I' m going to learn it again, which will make a big difference to living here and making more friends. I' m really looking forward to becoming more settled.
What do you miss when you' re there?
My family, perhaps, but we' re planning to have lots more people to stay this summer for holidays, so, really, I don' t miss anything when I' m here. I just love it.
www.countrylife.co.uk/international
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