Monet in Bordighera

Monet's stay in Bordighera

In December 1883 Monet and Renoir travelled along the Riviera, from Marseille to Genoa. Monet was struck by Bordighera and decided to come back alone, without telling Renoir. He arrived on 18 January 1884 and took a room at the Pension Anglaise, one of the guesthouses popular with the town’s English visitors.

He meant to stay a few weeks; he remained until early April. In his letters to his partner Alice Hoschedé he describes both his enthusiasm and his struggle: the light was so intense and the colours so vivid that he said he had to change his palette, and the palms drove him mad. He painted outdoors every day, moving between the gardens, the hillside and the village, and working on several canvases at once depending on the time of day.

During his stay he also made a trip to Dolceacqua, where he painted the castle and the medieval bridge, and passed through Ventimiglia.

The places Monet painted

Many of the spots where Monet set up his easel can still be recognised, even though the town has grown in 140 years. These are the main ones.

Where to see the Bordighera paintings today

The canvases painted in Bordighera are scattered around the world, in museums and private collections. Among the best known are “Villas at Bordighera” at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, “Bordighera” at the Art Institute of Chicago and a view of the town at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. There are no original Monet paintings on permanent display in Bordighera; from time to time the town organises exhibitions and events dedicated to him, such as the one planned for 5 December 2026 to mark the centenary of his death.

In Monet's footsteps in Bordighera

The best way to discover Monet’s places is on a guided tour. The tourist office runs “I luoghi di Monet”, a walk of about three hours, and tours with experts are held during the year, such as those organised by Villa Pompeo Mariani. If you prefer to go on your own, you can follow this route:

• Start from the Giardini Monet and via Romana, with its Belle Époque villas and Villa Etelinda.
• Climb towards Bordighera Alta and the area around the Torre dei Mostaccini for the view of the village.
• Continue along the Beodo path towards the Vallone del Sasso, among olive trees and palms.
• If you have booked, visit the park of Villa Pompeo Mariani.

By car or on bus 7 from Ventimiglia you can round off the trip in Dolceacqua, where Monet painted the bridge and the castle: there, reproductions of the paintings stand on panels along the route.

5 December 2026 marks a hundred years since Monet’s death: an event is planned in Bordighera at Villa Regina Margherita, which is not usually open to the public. It is also a good reason to discover the town in winter, the season in which he painted it: see Bordighera all year round.

Why Monet chose Bordighera

At the end of the 19th century Bordighera was one of the most elegant winter destinations in Europe, with hotels, villas and exotic gardens created by the English. For a painter from the north it was a new world: palms, citrus trees, silvery olives and a sharp white light, very different from that of Normandy. The Bordighera canvases mark Monet’s shift towards brighter colours and stronger contrasts, which would return in the years that followed.