Villa Farniente

Life of Leisure in Provence

Brand new and made for recreation, this resort home in Provence offers a generous saltwater pool, a pétanque pitch, an independent state-of-the-art gym, and a full-sized tennis court. Like your own private country club estate, the spacious property occupies a teeming Provençal garden where fragrant herbs, twisting olives and sun-kissed oaks open to views of the surrounding hills and valleys that make up the postcard pretty Pays de Fayence.

Set within the Terre Blanche resort community near the town of Mougins, close to the perfume capital of Grasse, this newly constructed villa for rent in France makes a great base for living the good life. In-home athletic and wellness amenities create a life-of-leisure ambiance, amped up by designer furnishings such as Eames chairs, Italian showers, a glass corridor, and a Lacanche range (the choice of French culinary artists). The well-appointed resort home feels like a primary residence, accessorized with established wall art, books, curiosities and thoughtful accents like coordinating throws and pillows, monogrammed napkins and verdant house plants.

AROUND

Located within an hour of Fréjus and Cannes, the Terre Blanche resort spreads out in Provence’s Pays de Fayence region, a hilly section of the Var known for its sunbleached villages balanced topsy-turvy on stony hilltops. Each of the region’s nine hilltop villages offers its own distinct character. Historic chateaux and hushed chapels are tucked into cobbled streets, some villages strong and stony with fortress walls and ancient ramparts, others quieter places in shades of faded pastel, with pretty town squares and overflowing market stands. Landlocked between the Estérel Massif, the foothills of the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, the towns rise from vineyards and olive groves and fields of lavender and grain. 

The region is home to the Gorges of the Siagne (accessible only on foot), with its waterfalls, vivid turquoise water and a nearby Roman aqueduct. The International Gliding Center’s home is in Tourrettes, a village also known for its street art produced by some 70 artists who painted the historical old town. Hikers will find plenty of trails and summits to explore, among them La Pigne outside of stately, cypress tree-lined Seillans; Mont Lachens, the area’s highest peak, and the Pierre du Coucou, a rocky outcropping on the outskirts of Bagnols-la-Forêt, surrounded by pine and oak woods. A freshwater lake for swimming, fishing, and kayaking/canoeing is set outside of Montauroux and another, the Lac du Rioutard, is located near Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, where the Endre River also cuts through a forest that creates a natural amphitheater around the tiny town. And if the sea is your water of preference, the Mediterranean is less than an hour’s drive from this villa for rent in France.

LOCATION

Tourrettes, Provence, France. Nearest airport: Nice (56km)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Year round