Alain Delon and Mireille Darc lived at number 11 rue du Quatre-Septembre in Aix-en-Provence between 1970 and 1975. It's near the Hôtel de Boisgelin, near the fountain on Place des Quatre-Dauphins, between the walls of a typically Provencal townhouse built by Aix architect Pierre Pavillon.
Recognisable by its ochre-toned walls, it was listed as a historic monument in 1964, just before the couple moved in on the first floor, renting a 300-square-meter space opening onto a small garden, according to local newspaper La Provence. Alain Delon and Mireille Darc even had a small swimming pool dug there, against the wishes of many. Built in 1650, the residence is formed by two L-shaped buildings, and features an angled fore-building reworked in the 19th century.
In her memoir Tant que mon cœur battra, Mireille Darc describes the house as "a place of forbidding beauty". The house was used as a set for several films, including Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Le Hussard sur le toit (2005). The actress met Alain Delon on the set of Jean Herman's film Jeff (1968), and their love affair lasted until 1983. In an interview with Michel Caste for the program Côté jardin on September 29, 1978, archived by INA, she painted a glowing portrait of Alain Delon, describing him as "an extraordinary being, with different dimensions. With his own moral compass. He's a visionary, someone who sees things with rapid acuity. He's also someone with a sense of responsibility like few others I know. "
She continued: "He's also the head of the family, with his place. The lord in the good sense of the word. He protects his brood, he protects his house, he's not there to parade around (...) I think he's someone who could have lived a few centuries ago and who would have had the life of a warrior, of a leader, and at the same time, he's someone so available, so tender. I don't think many people know him like that. "Although they separated after more than ten years together, they remained close friends. In Aix-en-Provence, the house remains, but is not open to visitors.
In addition to his home in Aix-en-Provence, Alain Delon lived most of his life at Château de Douchy, in the Loiret region of France. The property was acquired by the actor in the early 1970s, and he lived there with Mireille Darc and their 14 dogs, all of whom were later buried in the property's garden. The French film legend also owned an apartment in western Paris, a huge triplex overlooking the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. Located on avenue du Président-Kennedy, the Art Deco-inspired apartment boasted a surface area of 780 square meters. "So, what's it like at Alain Delon's place? " a 1 p.m. presenter asked the actor in 1987, during a program filmed at his home and subsequently archived by INA. The presenter answered the question himself: "It's the home of an art lover, and among the paintings and objects there are some bronzes of which he is very proud. "And with good reason: the famous bronze works are by Rembrandt Bugatti, one of the world's greatest animal sculptors. Royal tigers and lions cohabit Alain Delon's Paris apartment on Quai Kennedy.
This story originally featured on Admagazine.fr
