Bastide de Mougins

This 18th-century bastide sits in five acres of lavender and rosemary above Mougins, the village that drew Picasso for the final 12 years of his life. Stone walls two feet thick keep the interior cool through July and August without air conditioning. The kitchen was designed in collaboration with a former sous-chef from Mirazur, and the herb garden provides the base for most evening meals. Mougins is one of the Cote d'Azur's most appealing inland villages - a cluster of stone houses on a hilltop above the coastal strip, with views toward the Esterel mountains to the west and the pre-Alps to the north. Picasso lived and worked here from 1961 until his death in 1973, and the Musee de la Photographie in the village centre documents his time on the hill. The village has several good restaurants and a peaceful quality that the coast lacks during high season. The bastide itself is a textbook example of Provencal rural architecture. Thick stone walls, small windows on the north side to block the Mistral, larger openings on the south to admit winter sun, and a pitched tile roof that has been patched and maintained for three centuries. Inside, the original features have been preserved: terracotta floor tiles, beamed ceilings, and stone fireplaces in the main living rooms and the master bedroom. Six bedrooms are arranged over two floors. The three upper rooms have views over the lavender fields to the mountains; the three ground-floor rooms open onto the garden through French doors. The master bedroom occupies the bastide's original bedroom - the largest room in the house, with a stone fireplace and an ensuite bathroom inserted into what was once a dressing room. The kitchen is where the property truly distinguishes itself. Designed with input from a chef who worked at Mirazur (Menton's three-Michelin-star restaurant) before the property was completed, it has a La Canche range, a professional extraction system, and a cold room. The herb garden directly outside the kitchen door supplies the raw materials for most evening meals: rosemary for lamb, thyme for roasted vegetables, basil for salads, lavender for desserts. A private chef is available for the duration of each stay. The five acres of grounds include the lavender and rosemary that define the property's character, along with mature olive trees, a boules court, and a 20-metre pool positioned at the edge of the garden with an unobstructed view toward the sea. Cannes and the Croisette are 15 minutes' drive; the old port of Antibes is 20 minutes; and Grasse, the perfume capital, is 10 minutes into the hills.