The Monegasque cultural association AIDA, the Saint-jean-Cap-Ferrat town council have teamed up to bring back the French Riviera heyday, when crowned heads of Europe rushed there to enjoy its mild winter and high society life.

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Although the French Riviera craze is still going strong with around 7 million visitors each summer, everything started during the Belle Epoque thanks to these very special visitors who were affectionately nicknamed “Les Hirondelles d’Hiver” (The Winter Swallows).

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Amongst the most influential figures, Queen Victoria was often spotted, along with a court of 70 people, including her noteworthy Bengal lancers and her servant in a kilt. Luis II of Bavaria was one of the first regular visitors of the French Riviera when czar Nicolas II came here with his family.

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Most luxury hotels and hot spots for leisure in the area were built to entertain these visitors during their vacation, and provide them with a luxurious way of life which would spread across the world and receive extensive coverage from the international press.

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The Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild was one of the catalysts for this high society life on the French Riviera and at the gorgeous Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. She had the villa built in Saint-Jean-Cap-ferrat, between 1905 and 1912, to host the elite of that time. It is still one of the most beautiful properties in the area.

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The costume exhibit “les Hirondelles d’Hiver” (staged on 6 scenes) creates a cultural immersion into the history and habits of an era for a magical journey through time.

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The Exhibition is opened to public at Villa Malou in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat from the 6th to the 18 th of August between 5.00 pm and 9.00 pm.