The Villa Nellcôte, Mon Mari, et Moi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear with me….this does have to do with France—by way of the Rolling Stones.

The very first time I laid eyes on the boy who was to become my husband, he was playing guitar in the music room of our middle school. He and his band, “Cosmic Dust” (yes, it was the 1970s) were practicing for a student talent show, and they were playing, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”

I peeked into the door of the music room and there was the cutest guy in the world, hair down to his shoulders, playing a blond Telecaster guitar. And I remember thinking, “who is that?”

I soon learned who that was, and like every other 14-year-old in our class, I was smitten with the guy. Our paths rarely crossed for the next few years, but when they did, we usually talked about music—we were both fanatics for the Rolling Stones. I remember being jealous when Dave’s mother drove him and his best friend to Kansas City (3 hours away) so they could see the Rolling Stones on their 1975 tour. What a mom! (Turns out, she’s a great mom-in-law, too).

Fast forward a few years. In college I’m looking for a ride from Iowa City to Cedar Falls so I can go to the Rolling Stones Concert on their 1981 tour. Dave’s car was full, but he hooked me up with a friend of his.

Once back in Iowa City, one thing led to another, and I finally got a date with Dave (if you could call drinking a bottle of Yukon Jack and listening to Stones album after Stones album a date).

We started kissing on Side 3, Track 5 of “Exile on Main Street,” which any Stones geek can tell you is the song “Let It Loose.”

We married five years later. And 25 years later, we still sit around and listen to vinyl records together—though we drink wine, not Yukon Jack.

So, how does this all relate to France?

When Dave and I first started spending major chunks of our summers in France, we used to rent a little apartment in the charming Côte d’Azur town of Beaulieu-sur-Mer. We knew, from our Stones history, that Exile on Main Street had been recorded in some villa in nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer. We had no idea how to find it, but we knew that whenever we walked around Cap Ferrat and Villefranche we were walking hallowed Stones grounds.

Over the years, we learned that the Villa was called “Nellcôte.” Still, we had no idea how to find the thing.

Then one day in 2003, we were walking from Beaulieu to Villefranche, on a little road that takes you right to the lovely Villefranche beach. And there it was.

Nellcôte.

Truth is, there’s not a lot to see. The villa itself is rather hidden—you can peer behind the gilded wrought-iron gates to lavish grounds and just see the white facade of the villa through some trees. But you can see the sign: “Nellcôte.” And let’s face it: Seeing the Villa Nellcôte for a Stones nut is a bit like walking across the Abbey Road crosswalk is for Beatles Fans.

If you want to find Villa Nellcôte, simply walk from Beaulieu-sur-Mer to the Villefranche-sur-Mer beach, via the Avenue Louise Bordes. You can’t miss it.

And please, don’t ring the buzzer or otherwise annoy the folks who live there….Or if you do, don’t tell them I told you where it was.

 

A couple of good links:

• Slide show of the Stones at Villa Nellcôte, summer of 1971.
• Wonderful, absolutely wonderful You-Tube video showing exact location of Nellcôte then and streaming photos of the the Stones, circa the 70s, all done to “Torn and Frayed.” Marvelous, trippy, and artsy.

 

Share