As the oldest villa of Monaco, La Vigie has been a garden of earthly delights for most of its existence since 1902. It was built for the Englishman Sir William Ingram who cultivated tropical gardens with free-roaming birds, adding an exotic flair to the spectacular views over the bays of Monaco and Cap Martin. The golden years were briefly suspended during World War II when house and garden became trenches due to their strategically valuable location. In 1952, La Societe Bains de Mer bought the property and tried to bring the marble columns, fireplaces, and high ceilings back to their original pre-war glory. Finally, it was fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld who restored and occupied the 600 m2 villa over ten consecutive summers between 1986 and 1997. With elegance and glamour back in the right place, La Vigie’s three floors and 230 m2 terrace are open to the public for the first time since 100 years.