GETTY VILLA

Located along the beautiful Pacific coastline, the Getty Villa displays its antique art collections in a faithful reproduction of a Roman house. It is the sister of the Getty Center in Westwood, which is a building of modern architecture whose exhibitions are devoted to European art. One can therefore visit both sites without fear of "déjà vu". Jean-Paul Getty is known as one of the richest men in the world. A collector, he had a villa built in the 1970s to house his antique pottery and master paintings. It features paintings, prints and sculptures, as well as temporary exhibitions. The museum that now houses the collections is itself a collector's item: a reproduction of a villa at Herculaneum, near Pompeii, which was buried under the ashes of Vesuvius in 79 BC, when the volcano erupted. It is a place of another time with its pool surrounded by colonnades, its Mediterranean trees, its marble stairs. Niches house statues from ancient Rome; sculptures and pottery find a new dimension here. The Jean Paul Getty's collections are highlighted by a presentation and explanatory videos quite ingenious. Among the Greco-Roman antiquities, vases and mosaics can be admired. Allow yourself enough time to explore the peristyle and its beautiful gardens before heading back down to nearby Malibu or Santa Monica.