Marseille’s architecture has much to fascinate. Between the oldest house in Marseille, the Buddhist pagodas and the MuCem, there’s another building that loosens tongues. It’s a yellow and white house overlooking Anse de Maldormé, on the Malmousque peninsula. Marseille Secrète tells the story of the Villa Petite Ourse.
The story of the Villa Petite Ourse, a house that has stood the test of time in Marseille
It’s a dream house. Both for its location, with its breathtaking sea views, and for its simple, elegant architecture. It’s also fascinating for its rocky history, which alternates between scandals, rumors and secrets.
But its destiny begins in a much simpler way. Located between the Batterie des Lions beach and Anse de Maldormé, this beautiful yellow and white house built in the 19th century began life as a restaurant.
Named the Café Buffet, it could easily have featured in our ranking of Marseille’s best seaside restaurants. But its status as a restaurant was short-lived. In the 20th century, a Japanese consul was housed here.
The villa, ideally located in Marseille, took on the name of Joconde. Visible from the Legionnaires’ beach, this house could have quietly continued its story… But this was far from being the case.
Scandals, rumours and secrets of the yellow and white house at Malmousque
246m² of floor space on a 634 m2 plot– it’s a dream come true. But only the biggest wallets can afford this kind of little gem, which has been passed from hand to hand (not always very cleanly).
Jeannie Peretti – Alexandre Guérini’s wife – bought the house for 9.25 million francs (just over 141 million euros) under dubious conditions. It was then that the house took on the name Villa Petite Ourse, after the couple’s company.
In 1996, the law caught up with Alexandre’s brother Jean-Noël Guérini– for his links with organized crime in the Marseilles area and for money laundering. A closer look at Alexandre’s bamcaire accounts reveals that the house and the work carried out on it are well beyond the couple’s means! These include the creation of a Jacuzzi, an indoor pool and an outdoor pool surrounded by rocks, as well as a cinema room. It’s safe to say that they’ve indulged themselves! The couple lost the yellow-and-white house, which became the property of the City of Marseille.
In 2007, the Villa Petite Ourse was bought by anonymous owners (all we know is that they’re very lucky). While it’s true that choreographer Roland Petit once lived in the house, Kad Merad has not. It’s rumored that he once owned La Petite Ourse. In the meantime, we can see ourselves living there.