REAL ESTATE…with a difference: Brigitte Bardot’s French Villa!

Andy Warhol painted her portrait, John Lennon and Paul McCartney idolized her and musician Bob Dylan dedicated the first song he ever wrote to her. French sex kitten, film and recording star, Brigitte Bardot, was the Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton and Megan Fox of the 1950s and 60s, but prettier and sexier. In 1970, sculptor Alain Gourdon used Bardot as the model for a bust of Marianne, the French national emblem. First becoming known for her film, “And God Created Woman,” Bardot made numerous films and recorded albums. Though she retired from the spotlight in the 1970s, she’s still going strong as a political and animal activist.

Brigitte Bardot was a beloved pop culture icon who introduced us to the French bikini, the “Sauerkraut” hairstyle (beehive) and the Bardot neckline – a fetching wide open neck that exposes the shoulders. When Bardot’s films first hit America, the dark days of censorship still existed. Movie goers were expecting to see a regular two-hour movie but wondered what they were missing when it abruptly ended in only twenty minutes.

Though Bardot was largely responsible for popularizing the Mediterranean seaside town of St Tropez, she also loved the hills overlooking the Cote d’Azur. Still in her young 20s, Bardot moved to her Le Castelet estate, a home with medieval origins from the 13th Century. Within strolling distance of the village of Peymeinade, over time it has kept its original character with tasteful updating evolving to meet expectations of modern comfort. Currently used as a holiday rental, Le Castelet is now for sale. The property is made up of the main house, large guest house, an entertaining pavilion with fireplace and outdoor kitchen, a pool house, two infinity-edge swimming pools, cellars, wine cave and storerooms. The grounds are terraced with an olive grove of almost a hundred trees and three vineyards, all overlooking the Estérel Mountains and Cannes Bay with citrus trees in abundance. Buyers also have the option of placing it in the rental market at $18,560 USD or 13,500 EUR per month. Sale price by request.

More info: cotedazurvillarentals.com