AMB Cote d'Azur

The next time you plan on visiting the beautiful medieval perched village of Eze, do climb up to its magnificent Jardin Botanic to marvel at the absolutely stunning views of the Mediterranean. While there, take a moment to walk across to the other side. When you do you'll notice the enormous but very dilapidated Château de l'Aiguetta. This fascinating building is said to have been Walt Disney's inspiration for the castle in his animated film "Sleeping Beauty", following one of his stays in Eze.

The story has it that between 1882 and 1908, Alfred Tennyson, the nephew and heir of one of the most popular and prominent English poets of late Victorian England, bought 14 hectares of cultivated land from a Monsieur Etienne Bermondi, consisting of a house, outbuildings and bread oven. In 1901 Tennyson called in a local builder and a Niçoise architect, to enlarge the house and turn it into the gothic style château as it looks today. Sadly, Tennyson's love for the roulette tables of Monte-Carlo forced him to sell this domaine after the First World War.  In 1926 it was sold to a David Hay Edie, an American, who made a few modifications to the Château, but sold it eight years later to the Société des Bains de Mer of Monaco, who planned on turning the grounds into an 18-hole golf course. When this idea was scrapped the Château was left abandonned .

It then fell into the hands of the German troops during the Second World War ,who seemingly destroyed little of what was left. After the Liberation, the Château remained empty for several decades, slowly turning into a ruin. Squatters only enhanced its dilapidation.

In 1993 it was bought by a private estate agency that planned to turn it into a magnificent mecca for prestigious and international gastronomy. Restoration work started in 1999 and continues today, eight years later.  While it is impossible to visit the Château and grounds (now private property), nevertheless, it is well worth taking a look as what remains is still testimony to its former magnificence.  A small parking can be found further up the road to the left - with some rather good views of Eze village at the same time.