Tales from the hunt

Marrakech wakes slowly. The first rays of light slide across the ochre ramparts, the gardens still breathe jasmine and orange blossom, and the heat has not yet reached the pathways of the Palmeraie. It is in this gentle light that the first visit begins. The first time Frantz steps through the door of Villa Boccara, he says nothing for a long time. He places his hand on the pisé wall, still cool from the early morning, looks up at the height of the ceilings, and murmurs simp

Everything starts with a coffee in Puglia. May 2024. The olive trees here have mastered the art of patience. They have stood for centuries, watching empires rise and disappear, families come and go, fortunes made and lost. They have seen architects arrive from Milan, foreign buyers searching for authenticity, and more than a few people convinced they would “only need light renovations”. [...] Our clients, Niels and Maxime, had been introduced to us by a local restaurateur.

There are transactions that unfold like a waltz — elegant, predictable, three-four time. And then there are transactions that unfold like an international custody dispute conducted by correspondence, across five time zones, with August in the middle. This is the second kind. It was September. Our expert in Italy was on holiday in Turkey for a cousin’s wedding. She was seated by the swimming pool — not out of leisure, but because that was where the wifi was least hostile — w

Cap Ferret - France. We should say from the outset that no one was harmed in the making of this transaction. Although one bicycle did suffer considerably, and a notary’s patience was tested beyond what most professional qualifications prepare you for. The whole thing began, as the best things often do, through an introduction. One of our partners, a rather distinguished agency specialising in luxury villa rentals across Europe, put us in touch with Patrick.

Ibiza - Dann and Laura are Canadian. One day, Dann decided to surprise his sweetheart and dropped to one knee during a spontaneous holiday in Ibiza. Wedding celebrated, honeymoon consummated, the nostalgia of this paradise grabbed them by the gut. They decided to leave everything behind and settle for good on the White Island.

A dark parisian visit, for Julien There are days when real estate decides to test our limits. Our client of the day: Julien, CEO of a major French group, accustomed to quick trips to Paris, board meetings, and the various apartments he already owns in the capital. This time, he entrusts us with the search for the property: large, prestigious, a comfortable pied-à-terre for his travels — and, above all, a way to stop regularly “inviting himself” to stay at his son’s stud

Corsica, Porto-Vecchio - December. It’s 9:30 p.m. when we hang up with our client. He’s French, based in London, father of three, married to Nathalie, a painter. His name is Jules, 51, half-finance-half-tech prodigy. What Jules wants is to stop spending obscene amounts of money renting dream villas every summer. He wants his own. Something like the one he rented in July… but also a bit like last year’s… and of course with his own twist. Well—mostly Nathalie’s twist.