The garden around the villa is an invitation to exoticism. Reputed to be the most temperate in France, it houses a large collection of palm trees, a Dracaena Drago and a collection of Cycadaceae. At the foot of the cliffs of the Italian border
Close to the Italian border, the Villa Maria Serena was built in 1886 on the plans of Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opera, for the Foucher de Careil family, related to Ferdinand de Lesseps.
Built on the outskirts of the city, in a district called Little Africa, the garden of one and a half hectares is reputed to be the most temperate in France. It offers a large collection of palm trees, cycas and tropical plants, a veritable open-air greenhouse.