Villa Roselyn

Recently reimagined from top to bottom, Villa Roselyn sits on the green hillside between Villefranche and Cap Ferrat. Walls of glass slide away to dissolve the line between inside and out; pale stone floors and warm timber keep everything light, calm and effortless.

At its heart is a single, flowing living space — lounge, dining and a bar-style kitchen — that opens straight onto the terrace, the garden and the heated infinity pool, the bay laid out beyond. Above, a vast roof terrace — with its own summer kitchen and pizza oven — takes in what may be the finest terrace view in Villefranche, the whole coast from Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat round to the old town. Four en-suite double bedrooms sleep eight in comfort, with room to come together and corners to slip away — there's an elliptical and weights to train, and a lift that runs to every floor and down to the two-car garage.

Mornings begin with coffee as the boats cross the rade; afternoons drift by at the pool or up on the roof terrace; evenings end with long dinners under the stars, the lights of Saint-Jean glittering across the water. It is the kind of place people are reluctant to leave.