Villa Garnier, 19th-century residence in Bordighera, Italy.

Villa Garnier is a three-story residence in Bordighera distinguished by a tower structure with Arab-inspired details. Inside, the wooden staircase imported directly from Paris connects the floors and stands out as a striking architectural feature.

In May 1871 Charles Garnier, whose Paris Opéra worksite had stalled during the war with Prussia and the Commune, chose a plot near the Arziglia occupied by a deconsecrated chapel of San Sebastiano used as a boys' school. He offered the town 6,000 lire and a project for a new school with boys', girls' and infant sections. The villa was finished in 1873; the family moved in for the winter in January 1875.

The entrance walls display frescoes and drawings left by artists including Lenepveu, Meissonier, Boulanger, and Clairin during their visits. Guests can still see these artistic marks on the walls today, showing how the house attracted creative people of its time.

The villa stands at 11 Via Garnier, outside the old town walls on the slope running down to the Arziglia fishermen's beach. The three floors are reached by a wooden staircase ordered from Paris, and the ground-floor loggia is now glazed. The garden covers 2,500 m², so allow time to walk it.

In the garden stands a bust of Charles Garnier by French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, alongside a column from the Palais des Tuileries in Paris. The grounds, laid out with his son Christian and landscaper Ludovic Winter, cover 2,500 m² and hold ten palm types, including a Nolina longifolia.