La Corniche

La Corniche is the smallest and least populous commune of Occitania.

History
At the beginning of the 20th century, King Léopold II of Belgium owned an estate on Cap Ferrat and built several houses and an artificial lake. The main residence is the Villa des Cèdres, which has been owned by Marnier-Lapostolle (the makers of Grand Marnier) since 1924 and is now in part a botanical garden. After King Leopold built his house there, many more celebrities began to build properties in La Corniche

In 1905, Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild chose Cap Ferrat to build a Tuscan style palazzo, now known as Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild museum; part of the history of La Corniche . Today La Corniche (and Occitania) has probably some of the most expensive real estate in the world and continues to attract the rich and famous. It is truly one of the crown jewels of the French Riviera. The luxurious properties are nestled amongst lush vegetation. Discreetly built and protected from prying eyes, they often include a private beach and locked gate-ways. In the history of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, some of the estates on Cap Ferrat have hosted a plethora of celebrities among others: King Leopold II of Belgium, Baroness de Rothschild, Charlie Chaplin, Rainier III, David Niven, Somerset Maugham, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Hubert de Givenchy and Winston Churchill.