Grab the big sunglasses and floppy hat; it’s time to vacation like a VIP.
Across Europe, glamorous properties that once (or still do) belong to the rich and famous let guests get a glimpse of the high life.
From Coco Chanel’s favorite suite to Sting’s summer retreat, here are six homes of the stars you can stay in.
A famed film director’s villa on the Amalfi Coast
Villa Treville ripples down the rugged cliffside of the glitzy Amalfi Coast in Italy near the precipitous town of Positano.
The whitewashed villa of terraced gardens was once the private residence of Italian film and opera director Franco Zeffirelli and is now a five-star hotel.
This year marks the centenary of Zeffirelli’s birth and the property is celebrating accordingly, with original sketches adorning the walls and one-off menus.
Sting’s summer residence in Italy
The 16th-century villa Il Palagio belongs to Sting and Trudie Styler, but they weren’t the first celebrities to reside there.
The property and vast estate among the hills south of Florence once belonged to Duke Simone Vincenzo Velluti Zati di San Clemente.
The residence is used in the summer by Sting and Styler but is available for rent for the rest of the year.
Expect vistas of vineyards, olive groves and the Apennine peaks plus access to a recording studio, playground, tennis court and concierge services.
A crime writer’s country getaway
For some fabled English charm, follow in the footsteps of crime writer supreme Agatha Christie.
Amateur sleuths can stay at the stone gate lodge at the entrance to the novelist’s much-loved holiday home.
Christie would spend her summers and Christmases at Greenway, a stately Georgian villa that is now a National Trust property.
The lodge has its own private patio area and full access to the gardens where Christie would play croquet and clock golf.
Guests can then settle down for an evening in the cottage’s homely living room before the log burner.
Coco Chanel’s home in a hotel suite
When Coco Chanel decided to stay at the Ritz Paris in 1937, she ended up living in one of its suites for 34 years.
Her famous refrain was “The Ritz is my home,” and she gradually made tweaks to the hotel’s decor until she had redecorated the entire suite on the third floor with her own furnishings.
To honor its long-standing guest, the hotel has designed a 2,024-square-foot suite on the second floor, which has better views of Paris.
The design of the elegant rooms was masterminded by the late Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld.
Audrey’s escape in the Swiss Alps
For 14 years, the Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland was the home of Audrey Hepburn. It was also here that she married Mel Ferrer in 1954.
The actress would be spotted driving to her local dentist outside the resort daily to maintain her pristine Hollywood look. Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti also lived at Bürgenstock at one point.
The 60-acre resort overlooks the waters of Lake Lucerne and the imposing Swiss Alps. There are now two hotels on-site and a variety of residences. Guests can also visit the chapel where the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s star got married.
Julia Child’s cottage in France
Once the French vacation home of famous American cook Julia Child and her husband Paul, La Pitchoune at La Peetch is available for holiday rentals alongside the property’s Courageous Cooking School.
The ivy-covered cottage in Châteauneuf de Grasse accommodates up to 8 adults and still has the original kitchen built and designed by Julia and Paul.
The property is surrounded by acres of gardens and provides easy access to nearby beaches and the idyllic French countryside.
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