Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild gardens

Béatrice de Rothschild built this house in 1907 on the ridge where Cap-Ferrat is narrowest, so the water is visible on two sides at once. The villa is pink with a loggia and marble columns; in front of it the French garden runs down to a temple of love, with a long musical fountain in the middle of it and Villefranche's bay behind.

Around that centrepiece are eight more: Spanish, Florentine, stone, Japanese, exotic, a rose garden, a Provençal garden and a lapidary one. They are small, walled and completely different from one another, which means a session can change backdrop every few minutes without leaving the property — from clipped box and gravel to cactus, to a pond with carp under maples.

The garden is at its best from March to June, when the roses and the Provençal beds are out; high summer flattens the colour and the exposed terraces get very hot. Overcast light suits the pink stone and the water better than a hard midday sky.

The practical point comes first, not last: the villa is ticketed, it keeps a seasonal calendar, and it sets its own conditions for professional photography — tripods, shoot fees, permitted areas. Check with the villa before promising a client this location, and build the walk from the port, about two kilometres, into the timing.