–Villa Narcissa, The Peninsula’s Crown Jewel–
The Vanderlip Estate, originally part of the 16,000-acre site purchased over a century ago, still stands as the crown jewel, the one that started it all, the Villa Narcissa. Private and gated, much of its surroundings are protected by the land conservancy where nothing can be built to block the views of this natural environment and its epic panorama of the Pacific Ocean. A gradual 246-step cypress allée ascends to a Doric colonnade where you can enjoy breathtaking sights of the peaceful hillside with its olive and citrus tree-lined lanes and its amphitheater. Turn around at any point during your ascent and you’re awestruck, because no other estate on the Peninsula matches what you see, which is an 11.5 acre property with a historic 7,700 square foot Tuscan residence and 10 guest houses with tennis court and pool. A restoration process could be the most heart-warming endeavor you ever do, because this property was made for family, for events and for entertaining. The list of guests and events throughout the past century is just legendary. As you saunter towards the main house from the parking lot, you enter through a lush green archway and are taken by the blissful splendor of the swimming pool only to then marvel at the villa itself, one of the original Tuscans ever to be built in the South Bay.