Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ROQUEBRUNE-CAP-MARTIN
POP 13,335
Beautiful Cap Martin stretches its languid shores in a sea of crystalline water between
Monaco and Menton. The village of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is actually centred on the me-
dieval village of Roquebrune, which towers over the cape (the village and cape are linked
by innumerable
very
steep steps). The amazing thing about this place is that despite
Monaco's proximity, it feels a world away from the urban glitz of the principality: the
coastline around Cap Martin remains relatively unspoiled and it's as if Roquebrune had left
its clock on medieval time.
Sights
Cabanon Le Corbusier
(Promenade Le Corbusier; guided tours €8; guided tours only 10am Tue & Fri)
The
only building French architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965) ever built for himself is this
rather simple - but very clever - beach hut on Cap Martin. The
cabanon
, a small beach hut
that he completed in 1952, became his main holiday home until his death. The hut can be
visited on excellent two-hour guided tours run by the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
tourist of-
fice
( 04 93 35 62 87;
www.roquebrune-cap-martin.com
; 218 av Aristide Briand)
.
Le Corbusier first came to Cap Martin in the 1930s to visit friend Eileen Gray, an Irish
designer who had built a house here. Le Corbusier loved the area and visited often. During
one of his stays, however, Le Corbusier decided to paint the interior of Gray's villa without
her permission. Gray was understandably furious: Le Corbusier's paintings had ruined the
perspectives of her design, and she was offended by the subject matter (kissing women;
Gray was a lesbian).
No longer welcome as a guest, Le Corbusier did come back to Gray's villa in 1949, but
as a tenant. It was during that stay that he met Robert Rebutato, owner of
L'Étoile de Mer
,
the next-door cafe where he ate his meals. Friendship blossomed between the two men and
in 1951, they agreed on the construction of a beach house next door to L'Étoile de Mer so
that Le Corbusier could have his own space.
The
cabanon
was designed using the Modulor, a mathematical benchmark based on the
height of a man with his arms up.
Guided tours also take in L'Étoile de Mer, except during July and August (the Rebutato
family still uses it as a holiday residence).
ARCHITECTURE
