Villa Santo Sospir

Long home to the Weisweiller family, patrons of Jean Cocteau, this villa contains a fabulous series of Cocteau's original frescoes. In 1950 Cocteau asked Francine Weisweiller (1916–2003) if he could paint the living room, and soon the entire villa was covered with mythological figures, geometrical designs and other whims of the artist's imagination. In 2016 the villa was sold to a Russian family, and in 2018 tours were suspended indefinitely pending completion of a multi-milliion-euro restoration project. Guided tours of the villa, typically lasting 45 minutes and peppered with anecdotes about Cocteau, Weisweiller and their peers, have traditionally been led by Eric Marteau, Francine Weisweiller’s former nurse and longtime guardian of the villa. Future plans for public access to the villa remain uncertain at the time of research, but the new owners have expressed interest in resuming guided tours after renovation work is complete, along with occasional concerts and other public events. For up-to-the-minute info about the villa's current status, check with the St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat tourist office.