Editor notes: The following was posted by the author Geir Hørnes on Sept 19 in the original 2021 Villa Nellcote thread. As it is a separate book, in French, it deserves a separate thread. Also, soon there will be a link to a review of the book HERE:

Les Curieuses Chroniques de la Villa Nellcote
by Geir Hørnes
Review by Bjornulf Vik, IORR Editor
November 3, 2025

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IORR friends,
While we all wait (im)patiently for the Black and Blue deluxe and the Hackney follow-up, here’s something a little different to sink your teeth into — especially if you like your Stones stories served à la mode François:

Les Curieuses Chroniques de la Villa Nellcote

An updated and expanded French edition of the 2021 book — now with 60 extra pages, fresh interviews, and even more Riviera mischief.
Several of you lovely people here on IORR contributed ideas, insights, or support. I hope I’ve done you justice — merci!

The new French edition is more than a straight translation:
It includes new interviews with Nellcote guests like Marshall Chess and Gretchen Parsons-Carpenter.
You’ll meet the mysterious woman who found the residences for the band in 1971 and sealed the deals.
A former local Cowboy speaks for the first time — 18 at the time, later convicted in the 1973 drug case.
And for you courtroom nerds (you know who you are), I tracked down the family of Judge Lasfargue, the man who signed the mandat d’amener against Keith.
You´ll also find out, once and for all, whether there are any original Nellcote tapes left in the Rolling Stones Archive!
The final chapter takes us through the clean-up after the Stones, from the Black and Blue years through to Bridges to Babylon so to speak, tracing two colorful decades as Nellcote swaps rock 'n' roll for Italian glamour and Monegasque royalty.

Curious? You´ve come to the right place.

As per usual, you can purchase the signed and numbered edition from La Galerie de l´Instant in Paris : HERE!
Or, from my webshop HERE

49 euro // 1000 numbered copies // 456 pages // Hardback //










Bjornulf



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2025-11-03 19:44 by bv.

Review of the new and extended French book:

Les Curieuses Chroniques de la Villa Nellcote
by Geir Hørnes
Review by Bjornulf Vik, IORR Editor
November 3, 2025

The book is in French, but please write all comments here on IORR in English. Thank you!

Bjornulf



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2025-11-03 20:03 by bv.

Read, and loved, the first edition in English. Bought the French version for my lady. She loves France, the Côte d'Azur and speaks a perfect French. Unfortunately she's not a Stones fan. I have very low expectations that she will change her mind after reading the book, but at least I hope she will understand why Villafranca is an obligatory stop when we go to France and why a couple of months ago I asked her friend to buy me the umpteenth copy of Exile from carnaby's store in London ...

Would love to know if the starting point of the French version is a translation of the English one or if for this new edition Geir went back to the original French version of all the documents and interviews

C

C'est magnifique. Une véritable œuvre d'art.

Quote
Silver Dagger
C'est magnifique. Une véritable œuvre d'art.

Magnifique indeed, Silver Dagger. As if the original book wasn't fascinating enough, these extra pages add yet more detailed insights into the history of Villa Nellcote.

Still waiting for the book signing event date in Paris ;-)

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

Quote
bv
Review of the new and extended French book:

Les Curieuses Chroniques de la Villa Nellcote
by Geir Hørnes
Review by Bjornulf Vik, IORR Editor
November 3, 2025

Thanks, Bjornulf, for taking the time to read and review the French edition — I’m truly honoured.
This research and the new material would not have been possible without your help and the support of the IORR community.

@gotdablouse: I am waiting for confirmation on the event in Paris. I think first or second weekend in December, but its up to a third party. Will post the date here, and hope to see you!

@liddas: Regarding your question about whether I went back to the original French documents: the main narrative (the parts originally written in English) was just translated into French. In the sections based on French owners, French interviews, or French archival material, I went back to the original French phrasing, rather than translating from English.

Nerdy detail warning!
In a few places, I combined English and French archival sources. For example, when writing the footnote about how Keith travelled from London to Nellcote:
Georgia Bergman wrote in her journal that she arrived at Keith’s house at 7.30 a.m. on April 3, 1971, and that Keith was more or less packed and eager to leave. She also noted that they arrived in France “in rain.”
Robert Greenfield wrote in "Season in Hell" that Keith flew with BA — but BA didn’t exist yet at that time. So of course my Stones-nerd curiosity was activated.

Through a Swedish aviation forum, I was put in touch with an archivist named Björn, who had timetables for all flights in and out of Nice that year. He confirmed that the airline was BEA (British European Airways) and sent me the London–Nice timetable for April 3, 1971.

Then I contacted the French national meteorological service (now known as Météo-France), who very kindly provided a Stones nerd with the daily weather bulletins — four handwritten pages per day — covering the months Keith and Anita were at Nellcote. By lining up the precise minute the rain hit Nice Airport, we could identify the exact flight Mr Richards took — because obviously this is the kind of thing one must establish fifty years later.

The footnote reads:
Keith flew on BEA Flight BE076, departing Heathrow Terminal 1 at 11:45 a.m. and arriving in Nice at 1:30 p.m. The aircraft was an HS.121 Trident.

Wow, amazing detective work !

I'm staying tuned for the details on the signing event in Paris ;-)

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

I bought the English version after visiting Nellcôte in March 2023. This is a great book about Exile's venue in the South of France. The Stones' exile has great personal significance to me as I too was in exile in the southern US during this period. It was great to see in person the storied location of this mansion on the Mediterranean in a beautiful French town on the Riviera.

When you make your pilgrimage, you are likely to meet other fans standing in front of those storied gates.

Strongly recommended for all Exile fans! Geir tells the story of the development of the Côte d'Azur into the world class resort that is today with Nellcôte at the center; eventually leading up to Keith's residence there.

It sits on my coffee tabletop. If you're ready this, a copy should probably occupy yours, too.

Everybody!

Delighted to announce the vernissage at the Galerie de l’Instant POP-UP, 27 rue des Archives, Paris, this weekend — and you’re all invited !!
I’ll be there (super proud) alongside Dominique Tarlé. Yes, that Tarlé. Book signing, mansplaining, and all sorts of other stuff. A perfect chance to discover — or rediscover — Tarlé’s iconic Nellcote images.

Friday 12/12 at 18:00
Saturday 13/12 at 16:00
Sunday 14/12 at 16:00

The exhibition runs until 13 January, open every day from 11:00 to 19:00. Don’t miss it!

wwwWOWwww!

Just got back from the "Pop Up" store with my signed copy that I can't wait to dive into ! Had a wonderful time talking with Geir and some of the "usual suspects" including Mr.Tarlé ;-) Geir shared some great stories and rare documents and gave usme a tour of his multi-layer "lego" Nellcote complete with the recording booths ;-)

Just what was needed to cheer up a "stones day" that didn't start too well...stil, let's hope for the best.

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

Just came back too from Paris, after this afternoon at the exhibition.
Not that much people, and first time also I met Geir in person.Lots of discussion in a very friendly mood with DT always humble and ready to tell you his stories.
Go there if you could, you won't regret it.
The self-made Nellcote Lego itself is a piece of Art

How spectacular!!
I wish there was a Spanish edition.

Thank you to everyone who came to the gallery opening this weekend. Wow — what fun it was to meet so many IORRs, several of whom had travelled a long way to be there.

I have no idea whether I’m allowed to post photos of you lovely guys and gals, so here are a few images of some of the items instead: original Stones lyrics, the Nellcote plaque, the Lego house, and a handful of relics from the aristocratic past — including the Titanic journal and a guestbook listing the kings and queens who visited Nellcote during the First World War.

And as a perfect contrast: the framed Nellcote phone book, displaying the names (and numbers) of the new ‘rock’ aristocracy.

Nice Montage G

Below Geir explained me where were everything on 1rst floor and in the basement.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-12-16 19:40 by Honestman.

Glad to see the book getting some well-deserved attention!

(Noted some errors in the Titanic letter… glad the Stones stuff is more accurate!)

That Lego house is genius!

Congrats, Geir - well-deserved

Wonderful! Wish I'd been there.

- Doxa

Just beautiful!! I'm easily gonna order the book!

Quick New Year’s update!

The French version of The Nellcote Chronicles is now available for French-speaking fans in North America, sold online by Librairie Resonance in Montreal:
[librairieresonance.com]. Thank you to SomeTorontoGirl for help setting it up!

Also, last Sunday RTBF Classic 21 (Belgian public radio) broadcast a half-hour segment on the recording of Exile, largely based on discoveries from the book.
Might be fun for French-speaking fans:
[auvio.rtbf.be]

And finally — thank you to everyone who has come, travelled, talked Stones, Nellcote, photography, history, and made the exhibition in Paris such a great experience.
The exhibition runs until 13 January, and I will be at the gallery on:

Saturday 10/1, 15:00-17:00
Sunday 11/1, 15:00–17:00

Come by and say hello!

Thanks for the update, just started listening to that RTBF podcast !

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio