Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Brangelina On The Move...Again

Word on the ritzy rues of St. Jean Cap-Ferrat is that super stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie along with their multi-culti brood of celebutots have recently arrived in the South of France via private jet with two nannies and three security guards in tow.

(What! That's all? Your Mama was under the impression that the entourage of these two always on the move movie stars also includes several personal assistants. Don't tell Your Mama the assistants were forced to fly coach on a commercial airline because that is just mean. And what about the home school teachers? Don't these children need teachers?)

The freakishly good looking couple et. al. have reportedly settled in for an extended stay at Villa Maryland, the Florentine-style architectural confection owned by Microsoft co-founder and prodigious party thrower Paul Allen. The spectacular hill top villa is tended by a year round staff of 12 and features a lovely swimming pool, meticulously manicured grounds, plenty of privacy and a view of the Mediterranean over a small yacht harbor.

Other really rich (part time) residents and nearby neighbors are said to include Bono (whose waterfront place is in nearby Eze Bord du Mer), music theater mogul Andrew Lloyd Weber, and it is widely rumored but not confirmed that multi billionaire Bill Gates purchased the legendary Villa La Leopolda from international high society doyenne Lily Safra for between seventy five and ninety million smackers. Pocket change for a man with a net worth of 60 or 70 billion bucks.

photos: NiceLife via VirtualTourist

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

That beautiful upper loggia will be a great place for Brad to go sneak a cigarette. Although Europe is slightly behind our draconian anti-smoking culture, he will probably will need the coach class assistants to make sure no one sees him smoking. What a gorgeous property!

Anonymous said...

It's cool, Paul Allen is a smoker himself so Brad can relax and enjoy a smoke.

Anonymous said...

Mega-spectacular getaway! Never had much of a thing for interest in this couple til the humanitarian side of them started stirring it up. They are using their profiles to raise awareness for such outstanding causes. Decent people to be sure.

Anonymous said...

I am so over them.
they're rootless nomads.. granted RICH nomads.

Anonymous said...

I am so over them.
they're rootless nomads.. granted RICH nomads.

Anonymous said...

They are there for a while it seems. Angelina has 2 movies at nearby Cannes FF May 15th and May 20th. Only child old enough for school goes to a French Lycee. Number of staff said to be with them is exact same people they had in Texas while filming Brad's new film. Supposely Brad quit smoking again last fall.

Anonymous said...

One of the uglier houses on Cap Ferrat - the peninsula has so many amazing grand Belle Epoque residencies yet he buys this ugly orange monstrosity & docks his even uglier Octopus yacht along at the I.Y.C.A ... Lots of celebrities around Cap Ferrat - Elton John just across the water in Mont Boron, Tina Turner is/was in Villefranche & a whole host of others I can't be bothered naming ... But in reality, this little corner of France is probably even to expensive for most celebrities - $40M/50M/60M+ is the going rate for a large estate.

Alessandra said...

I'm kind of with you, Anon 5:55. Whenever I see "Brangelina", the word "Brandgelina" comes to mind. They just seem branded within an inch of their lives.

That said, I admire all their good works and while I don't find Brad Pitt sexy as such, I do find his love of architecture and design to be incredibly enchanting. So, hope they enjoy their stay and that Brad gets to sneak a few cigs on a secluded bacony.

Anonymous said...

I've never been a fan of this villa, but the Villa Leopold is spectacular. I have been a fan of this property since Edmond Safra walked it's grounds. I remember reading after his death (murder) that there were only about 20 people on earth rich enough to afford the upkeep on the villa. It is definitely in my top five favorite homes/mansions/estates on EARTH

Anonymous said...

Yeah right, Brad quit smoking like Mama gave up the G&T. This guy is the quintessential icon of cigarette smoking...check out Fight Club. No one who looks that cool smoking will ever quit no matter what the risk.

so_chic_darling said...

Oh the South of France,when I was 15 years old my amazing father gave me 50 pounds and a one way plane ticket to Nice at the start of the summer,and he said go find a job and we'll pick you up in 8 weeks.OK yeah no problem dad I'm off!
At the airport in Nice I decided to get on a bus that was headed to Monaco,there I would find a summer job with my high school French.Anyway the bus stopped in a small town called Beaulieu Sur Mer.This looked very nice so I decided to get off the bus for a look see,and as I walked through the town I saw a notice in the window of a flower shop for a delivery person.
The couple who owned the shop were so shocked to see such a young English boy asking for the job that I got it and a place to stay at their apartment.
Oh children what a summer that was,my first topless beach,delivering flowers to Princess grace(OK so it was only to the service entrance of the palace) and various movie stars in their villas was so glamourous to me a novice in such a world.In the evenings I would make small bouquets of flowers and take them in a basket to sell to the girlfriends of the playboys and millionaires(there weren't many billionaires then)sitting around the harborfront bars.OK so I did feel a little bit like a gypsy child doing that but I was shameless and I made good money!
On my days off I hiked up to Eze or took the bus into Nice or Monaco.After 8 weeks my family showed up in the station wagon to drive me home.I went back for two more summers after that.
My father had wanted to do the same thing when he was 17 but it was 1939 and it was not on the cards that year.So that children is my South of France story.

StPaulSnowman said...

Your story is a real Madelaine...thanks for sharing. I am seeing your part played by either Jude Law or Natalie Portman. Great plot line to showcase local high end real estate.
Willds, thanks for the Villa Leopold reference. Thanks to you and the web I discovered something fabulous. That is the real beauty of this site.....BRAVAMAMA!

Anonymous said...

Please tell us more about Villa La Leopolda. It was valued at 250 MILLION after the Safra death.

With the value of the dollar, a 75 million dollar sale is just about right. I just doesn't seem like Gates would be interested in that showy display for the Villa.

Anonymous said...

just doesn't seem like Gates would be interested in that showy display for the Villa.

I can see him buying if if he thinks it is an estate of historical importance. To him it would be like buying a work of art or Leonardo da Vinci's notebook (which he paid $30+ million for.)

StPaulSnowman said...

I found only a few photos of Villa Leopolda through perfunctory googling. Anyone know where to view the floorplan or interior shots? Perhaps it is so private that none are to be found. It does look magnificent from the few snapshots I located.

Anonymous said...

I'm right about fifteen/twenty minutes away from this house. Just a little more inland and west. The weather outside is sunny, clear blue skies so I should enjoy my morning coffee and croissant on the deck.

That's a nice South of France story by the way. It's always good to learn how to manage yourself at a young age. I always loved to venture somewhere alone and let everything come at me but never like that. props. Still have to go to LA like that sometime. It just sounds less romantic than the south of france already.

Anonymous said...

The whole peninsula was owned by King
Leopold 2 from Belgium. He also build the most beautiful avenue in Brussels. But at the moment there is a amazing 30000 sft palace for sale in Villefranche sur Mer for just 85 million. Quintessentially Estates.

Anonymous said...

Here is the address for a great view of the rear and surrounding grounds of Villa Leopold. You can rotate the view to look north, south, east and west. Sorry, I don't know how to imbed links (*yet)
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?wip=2&v=2&style=r&rtp=~&&msnurl=home.aspx?%26redirect%3dfalse&msnculture=en-US

Another house in the south of france that I have always loved is this one featured in the movie "Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels"

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?wip=2&v=2&style=r&rtp=~&&msnurl=home.aspx?%26redirect%3dfalse&msnculture=en-US

Anonymous said...

The whole peninsula was owned by King
Leopold 2 from Belgium. He also build the most beautiful avenue in Brussels. But at the moment there is a amazing 30000 sft palace for sale in Villefranche sur Mer for just 85 million. Quintessentially Estates.

StPaulSnowman said...

willds......an informatrion goldmine. Thanks. There was a great spread on HRH Tina Turner's place in Architectural Digest a few years ago.....complete with interviews with her nice gay decorators.

Anonymous said...

Humbled, very humbled. At the ripe age of 35, I have apparently lost all technical ability with electronic stuff.....

Here is the address for Villa Leopold:

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=r8jf26hm919t&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=10998230&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Here is the address for my version of an ideal Cote D'Azure villa (as featured in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=r7r4zghktm85&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=10976377&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Sorry for my ignorance, but it is morning and I haven't had my Diet Dr. Pepper yet!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Willlds

Do you also have the map of the paul allen house

Anonymous said...

Thanks Willlds

Do you also have the map of the paul allen house

Anonymous said...

Thanks Willlds

Do you also have the map of the paul allen house

Anonymous said...

Most of the Cap Ferrat area is not in "Bird's Eye View", how depressing! Even the Satellite resolution is not very impressive, but this shot in google maps will give you some idea of the largesse of the Paul Allen villa and how it can afford the privacy needed by celebrity.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=43.693182,7.330853&spn=0.002855,0.005&t=h&z=18

As stated, I've never beena fan of this house, but looking just to the north is the grounds and mansion known as the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. I'm not a big fan of pink houses, but I make an exception for this one.

http://www.villa-ephrussi.com/en/ephrussi/609-photo_gallery/

Anonymous said...

Oh, So_Chic, how lucky you were to have parents to let you do that. What memories you have to share. I've told you before you must write your memoirs. My parents wouldn't let me ride a bus to SanFrancisco from Seattle to visit an aunt when I was 16. I've been as over-protective of my children and my son had to go all the way to Africa to live for 3 years to escape my hovering. C'est la vie! (2 years of high school French and 2 years of college French, never got to use it.)

Anonymous said...

Yes Willlds it is a shame that
Most of Cap Ferrat area is not in Bird's Eye View
just like St Tropez or my favourite area Portofino

Parker said...

so_chic, fabulous! Tell us more! I'd traveled the world with my parents many times, but my best trip was the trip to Europe by myself when I was 23. Your summer sounds far more intriguing though...

lil' gay boy said...

Lovely story, So_Chic; my only foray to France was a couple of working trips to Paris and Chamonix.

Would love to back there for a more leisurely stay with BGD; especially the south.

I agree that the villa chosen by "Brangelina" lacks a certain charm (other than its location), but frankly, I'd be happy in a tent at the edge of the grounds . . .

;-)

Now the Villa La Leopolda is another story entirely; absolutely charming.

Anonymous said...

Having holidayed around this area many times - last time just down the hill from Elton Johns place - which is across a small bay to Cap Ferrat - you could walk it. The area I find odd that Brangelina bunch would chose its hardly private - cruise ships put down anchor for the night at least one per night and you can walk around a path all around the cap (although locals dont except to walk dogs - dog doings everywhere and it stinks) the cap is very small and has a brilliant little zoo and small beaches (you pay but anyone can so very public) and Hotel Du Cap is at the end. We used to drive around it alot as a friend of a friend lives there. The entire area is CCTV'd but is very dangerous (due to breakins) the people we know who live there are totally paranoid about security as are most on South of France - the doors to buildings are like fort knox and every where has electronic shutters which you must use in the night - when renting it is a selling point to have the type of airconditioning that can not be interfered with i.e. gas put in to knock out residents which is prolific in this area. As for her chosing to live here and give birth in Marseille thats miles away three or four hours the South of France traffic hardly local - Monaco is about 10 mins away and Nice centre about 5 mins in other direction.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't be suprised if at least one of those nannies is also a teacher. Though Brangelina seem like they make arrangements whether they go to enroll Maddox in local school. It probably depends on how long they are going to be there for. If it is a couple of weeks, there might not be a need for it and Brangelina and/or the nannies can help Maddox with his work. Plus, he is only in first grade. It's not like the work he is doing is that complicated.

Anonymous said...

dude the Paul Allen house?....
is Earth Goggle flying by tonite?
Mar 08 ...We regret to inform you... Pickfair... the Enchanted Hill
Harold Lloyd Shady Acres?
please Come forth please Lord.

Anonymous said...
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