Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia cherishes the grand stone villa along Lake Geneva

The castle is a celebration of the ’70s, crafted in staggered tiers and undulating walls

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The villa has an impressive swimming pool that stretches from the inside out to the garden terrace. The outdoor section is surrounded by lush greenery, along the shore of Lake Geneva. Photography: Gianni Franchellucci / Living Inside

Published: 10:00pm, 3 Nov 2016Updated: 10:50am, 18 Nov 2016

If you’ve ever wondered where exiled royalty live, look no further. The parents of Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, grandson of the last king of Italy, built this stunning stone villa on the shore of Lake Geneva during the family’s exile, and this modern-day castle still remains exactly the same today as it did in the 1970s.

As much as Filiberto loves the villa, he doesn’t live in it long term. He travels often to Italy, where he’s a television star, and to Paris, where he lives with his wife, French actress Clotilde Courau and their two daughters Vittoria and Luisa.

Within the stone walls of the villa is an elegant mix of old and new. The 1970s style of the house is enriched by contemporary artworks, which are often featured alongside ancient family treasures – family portraits throughout the ages.

“At more than 1,000 square metres, it’s a very large house, too large for us to live there permanently,” he says. Nevertheless, he still finds the time to return to the villa in Geneva where he spent much of his childhood, a warm, charming home that is the source of many fond memories.

“Some of my favourite recollections of this home are the times I spent here with my grandmother,” Filiberto says. Having spent Christmas holidays with her and much of his youth in this house, he is familiar with every nook and cranny of this villa, which he describes as “late ’70s – very Austin Powers”.