SDP on tour ... Hyères: Castel Sainte-Claire

This villa, Castel Sainte-Claire, was owned by American novelist Edith Wharton, who spent winter and spring here from 1927 until she died in 1937.  She finished her novel, The Age of Innocence here.

The villa previously belonged to Olivier Voutier, a French naval officer. He discovered the Venus de Milo in 1820, on the greek island of Milos.


Voutier's grave is in the garden. In 1955 the city of  Hyères bought the villa. The grounds are now a public botanic garden.