Celebrity Homes

and Restaurants Part Deux
By Alexa Boyce
Back by popular demand… More Celebrity homes and Restaurants abroad!! Last time I gave you the (virtual) tour of Marbella, Spain and the surrounding Costa del Sol. This time in keeping with the Mediterranean theme I thought I would take you through some of the other European hotspots. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Swiss Riviera was the place for the elite to spend their summers. In the 50's and 60's the French Riviera came into vogue, followed by the Spanish Riviera in the 80's and 90's. Most recently, celebs such as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt have been seen carousing along the shores of Croatia.
Swiss Riviera
I know that some of you might be thinking the obvious: Switzerland is a landlocked country, how could it have a "Riviera"? Well, my friend, the answer to that is that the 99 kilometers between Geneva and Montreaux is filled with Lac Leman, also known as Lake Geneva. This famous lake has beaches that rival the nearby shores of the Mediterranean. Charlie Chaplin and Audrey Hepburn were among the first to set up permanent getaways here in the first half of the twentieth century. Audrey Hepburn had her villa in the quaint village of Tolochenz. Charlie Chaplain's property, the Manoir de Ban, was located in the town of Corsier-sur- Vevey. Montreux even features a statue of the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury, memorialized in the town where he lived out the last few months of his life.
French Riviera
The French Riviera, however, is one of the most famous getaways for the historically rich and famous. The sunset over the clear-blue Mediterranean has inspired the likes of Cezanne, Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Matisse and Picasso. Ivana Trump recently bought a new villa in Saint-Tropez and can be seen docking her 105-foot yacht along the waterfront in Cannes. Bill Cosby does not own any land in the area, but spends summers at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cannes with his family.
Celebrity sightings in Cannes usually become more frequent with the festival in May. Actors such as Clint Eastwood, Meg Ryan and Arnold Schwarzenegger can be seen along the famous promenade. Among the glitterati to set up permanent residence here in the French Riviera are Brigette Bardot, Tina Turner, Elton John and Bono of U2 fame.
I guess we will have to wait and see what fun accommodations celebrities set up on the sun-soaked beaches of Croatia!
SOURCE:
* Daily Press
* SMH