Coqui Coqui has spent two decades at the leading edge of bohemian cool. Nicolas Malleville, an Argentine-born landscape architect, perfumer, and former model, and Francesca Bonato, an Italian, met on the Yucatán Peninsula in the early 2000s and soon opened their first boutique hotel there. Around the same time, Malleville researched and created his first botanically-based perfume, inspired by Yucatán flora, and that research became the basis of Coqui Coqui Perfumería. He went on to develop scents and residencies based on other sub-tropical destinations rich in flora and fauna that he’d explored during his modeling career, and the couple now split their time between the Yucatán, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, and the Riviera dei Fiori spanning France and Italy.
The latter is a region whose famously mild microclimate has supported flower and olive cultivation for centuries, and which drew a wave of English and Russian aristocrats in the 1800s, decades before Portofino or St. Tropez had their moment. They’ve brought the brand to the Riviera with two boutiques: one next to the iconic Harbury Garden in La Mortola, Ventimiglia, where Nicolas found his inspiration for the Mediterranean collection 30 years ago, and a newer shop in Menton, just over the border in France. It embodies the same historically reverent, deliberately unfussy sensibility as their other shops, while also being very much of place (the town built its identity on lemons, celebrated each winter at the Fête du Citron). We asked Francesca and Nicolas to share more about their life there, and their favorite addresses across this often-overlooked region, from Sanremo to Menton.
Did you have a personal connection to the Riviera dei Fiori that inspired you to open your boutiques here?
We have had a beach shack in Baia Beniamin since 2007, on the Mediterranean near Ventimiglia, next to the Giardini Botanici Hanbury: sometimes places choose you. We had been traveling through the region for years and were always fascinated by the beauty of the Riviera dei Fiori. It has a quiet elegance that has remained remarkably authentic. Historically, it has always been a place of passage between Italy and France, where cultures, gardens, architecture and traditions naturally blend.
For Coqui Coqui, whose philosophy is deeply rooted in the spirit of place, the Riviera dei Fiori felt like a natural Mediterranean home. It shares with our other destinations a stunning landscape, an extraordinary botanical richness and a strong sense of identity. It is a place where scent already exists in the landscape.
Can you describe this region’s unique character and what drew you to it?
What makes this coastline so special is that it still feels undiscovered. It has all the beauty of the Mediterranean, but without the spectacle. The villages, gardens and coastline retain a human scale, and daily life still revolves around local markets, fishing boats and family businesses.
The geography is extraordinary. In a very short distance you move from the sea to mountain villages, from citrus groves to olive terraces, from France into Italy almost without noticing. This layering of cultures, languages and landscapes creates an atmosphere that is incredibly inspiring. For us, it is precisely this understated character that makes it so compelling.
Tell us about your shops.
We have two outposts in the Riviera dei Fiore. We first restored the former carriage house of the Villa Hanbury across from the Hanbury Gardens, which serves as a boutique and showroom. This garden is the place that first inspired Nicolas to create fragrances based on Mediterranean flora and fauna. We love to send guests to visit the garden and experience all the florals that inspired the Mediterranean fragrances.
The second location is a small boutique in the historic heart of Menton, underneath the majestic Basilique de St Michel, surrounded by narrow streets. Its ochre color reminds us of our Izamal location in the heart of the Yucatan that has connected the old town to the port for centuries. We were drawn to the architecture and the building because it preserves the intimate scale and architectural character of the neighborhood. Rather than redesigning the space, we preferred to reveal what was already there—natural materials, stone walls, wood, light and simplicity. We wanted the boutique to feel less like a retail store and more like entering a small Mediterranean residence where fragrance becomes part of the architecture.
What fragrances or products have you created that capture this location, and what inspired them?
Menton immediately evokes citrus, but we wanted to go beyond that obvious association. Our fragrances explore the entire landscape: bitter orange blossoms, lemon leaves, Mediterranean herbs, cypress, sea air, fig trees, and warm stone after the sun.
They are inspired as much by walking through hidden gardens and coastal paths as by the historic perfume tradition that has existed between Liguria, Menton and nearby Grasse for centuries. Each fragrance is intended as an olfactory portrait rather than a literal interpretation.
What is your daily routine when you’re in residence?
The mornings usually begin very early with coffee by the beach. We like walking through the old streets before they fill with visitors, visiting the market, meeting local artisans and checking on the boutique. The afternoons are often dedicated to product development, photography, meetings, vintage scoutings or exploring nearby villages for inspiration.
Have you thought of opening a hotel here?
We never say never. Hospitality has always been part of Coqui Coqui’s identity, but we only pursue projects when they feel completely natural to the place. If the right story presents itself, the Riviera dei Fiori would certainly be an inspiring place.
With Coqui Coqui in Mexico and French Polynesia, you must divide your time very deliberately. What is your favorite season to be here?
Spring is extraordinary because everything is in bloom and the gardens are incredibly fragrant. But we also love autumn, when the pace becomes quieter, the light becomes softer and the Mediterranean feels more intimate. Each season has its own perfume.
What would you say is the red thread that ties all three of these places together for you?
At first glance they seem completely different, but they all share the same qualities that matter to us: a profound relationship with nature, stunning landscapes, a strong cultural identity, exceptional craftsmanship and a slower rhythm of life. Whether it is the Yucatán Peninsula, French Polynesia, or Riviera dei Fiori, we are always drawn to places where history, landscape and fragrance are inseparable. Our work is simply to translate that atmosphere into scent and create spaces where people can experience the soul of a destination through perfume.
FRANCESCA & NICOLAS’ RIVIERA DEI FIORI LIST
The Riviera dei Fiori is the westernmost stretch of the Italian Riviera, running from the French border along the Ligurian coast. It includes towns such as Sanremo, known for its pedestrian medieval quarter and Belle Époque casino; Bordighera, home to Italy’s first queen, Margaret of Savoy, and quiet palm-lined streets; Ventimiglia, which encompasses Roman ruins and a fortified medieval core; Grimaldi, site of the Balzi Rossi caves and museum housing paleolithic remains; and Menton, known for its lemons and pastel architecture that earned it the nickname, the “Pearl of France.”
EAT & DRINK
Bordighera
La Reserve, Via Arziglia, 20 – Lunch at one of the oldest bagno of Bordighera. Located on top of a reef, you can enjoy an outstanding view of the coastline.
Villa Garnier, Via Charles Garnier, 11 – Ring the bell and wait for a nun to open up the gate of one of the most famous villas of the Riviera, designed by Charles Garnier. Having lunch here is like going back to a lost time, where Claude Monet celebrated the area and its lush vegetation in his paintings.
Grimaldi, La Spiaggetta dei Balzi Rossi, P. le Alcide de Gasperi, 7 – Whether for breakfast or lunch, this glittery spot is unmissable. Pristine beach, Blue water and the charm of Vera the owner, exactly on the border between Italy and France this tiny beach club has become the place to be for locals and international tourists.
Menton
La Mandragore, Place aux Herbes – If there would be a place out of a movie that represents a bistrot in the south of France, that would be La Mandragore. A table under the ivy and have a glass of Rose.
Mitron Bakery, 8, Rue Pieta – A 3-star Michelin croissant by Mauro Colagreco. Grab your breakfast to go and walk through the streets of Menton!
Jardin Serre de la Madone, 74, Rte du Val de Gorbio – A bit South of France, a dash of an English Cottage. A coffee here is the perfect location to be away from the crowds and a throwback to the gilded age of the Riviera.
Sanremo
Pasticceria Primavera 1950, Via Palazzo, 51 Sanremo – Grab a box of baci di Sanremo and walk in the historic part of the town filled with antique stores.
Ventimiglia
Ristorante Marco Polo, Passeggiata Cavallotti, 2 – As soon as the summer ends, eating inside at Marco Polo is like having your own table in an English Yachting Club.
Il Piccolo Bistrot, Piazza Cattedrale, 1 – A small postcard from Italy, in Ventimiglia Alta overlooking the ex-convent of the Canonichesse and the old Cathedral.
TO DO
La Mortola
Giardini Botanici Hanbury (Hanbury Botanical Gardens), Corso Montecarlo, 43
Established in 1867 by British philanthropist and plant collector Sir Thomas Hanbury on the Mortola promontory, right on the Italy-France border, the gardens span roughly 18 hectares and host around 6,000 plant species — Mediterranean, tropical, and subtropical — including notable collections of succulents, citrus, and palms, all overlooking the sea. The design blends formal terraces, fountains, and sculpture with wilder, naturalistic sections, drawing on both Italian Renaissance and English landscaping traditions. A must-visit destination for nature lovers, botanists, and those seeking tranquility.
TO STAY
Latte di Ventimiglia
Villa Corinna Hotel, Corso Nizza, 134 – A family-owned Italian palazzo
Bordighera
Villa Garnier, Via Charles Garnier, 11
Menton
Hotel Villa Génesis, 7 Avenue de la Madone
SHOP
Sanremo
Zoccai G. Argenti, Corso Imperatrice, 12 – A vintage silver boutique out of the 1980s where you can surround yourself among old crystals and Russian Icons walking on a red carpet.
Menton
Allo Robert, 3, Rue du General Gallieniu – A wunderkammer of vintage treasures in the heart of Menton
Coqui Coqui Les Escaliers, 5 Rampe Chanoine Gouget– A dedicated space for showcasing the Riviera dei Fiore’s selection of fragrances for the home and body, alongside our additional fragrance lines from the Yucatan Peninsula and French Polynesia.
La Mortola
Coqui Coqui La Remise Hanbury, 68 Corso Montecarlo – Built as the Hanbury family estate in 1878 and situated across the Hanbury Botanical Gardens, La Remise Hanbury was faithfully restored to serve as a boutique and showroom for our home goods and for the Riviera dei Fiori fragrance collection.
Produced with help from Sarah Rowland.
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