From Roman emperors in their country villas to Europe's ruling classes with their hunting lodges and rural estates,people have atways sought to escape the mundane realities of life. In the America of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, industrial tycoons headed for the mountains, while in eighteenth-century Europe, perhaps the most extravagant escape was that of Queen MarieAntoinette, whose Petit Hameau at Versailles enabled her to play at being a milkmaid.

From Roman emperors in their country villas to Europe's ruling classes with their hunting lodges and rural estates,people have atways sought to escape the mundane realities of life. In the America of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, industrial tycoons headed for the mountains, while in eighteenth-century Europe, perhaps the most extravagant escape was that of Queen MarieAntoinette, whose Petit Hameau at Versailles enabled her to play at being a milkmaid.

In modern times, a fortunate few have managed to achieve a simitar state of bliss by retreating to homes in some of the world's most beautiful locations. Here,in mountains, hills, woods and waterscapes, these lucky peopte have found rest and relaxation - somewhere to restore their spirits and recharge their batteries.

Great Escapes celebrates each glorious hideaway in turn,be it a tiny fisherman's cottage on the Moroccan coast,a chalet in the Swiss Alps, a secluded Welsh farmhouse,or a concrete and glass water tower in a wooded copse.In every case the result is idiosyncratic - a dazzling combination of environment and the proprietor's personality. These are homes whose atmosphere will haunt you tong after you have closed the pages of the book.

Foreword

Introduction

RURAL ESCAPES

The crooked house

Moroccan chiaroscuro

A sylvan retreat

WATERSIDE ESCAPES

Recollections of Tangier

Minimal in Malibu

Atlantic bastion

Sea, sky and seclusion

The magic of the medina

MOUNTAIN ESCAPES

Stairway to heaven

Adventures in the Adirondacks

Mountain rescue

Castle in the air

WOODLAND ESCAPES

The glass tower

Spiritual haven

Independent spirit

Woodland Hideaway

Acknowledgments