Approaching Vevey, we pass two modern high-rise apartment blocks, each decorated with the distinctive figure of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp. It might seem an odd architectural choice but the message is clear: Charlie Chaplin lives here.
Or he did, at least, for this area was Chaplin's home for the last 25 years of his life. Following various legal troubles and scandals in the US, including accusations of communist sympathies, Chaplin and his fourth wife Oona settled here, in Switzerland's picturesque Montreux Riviera on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Chaplin's residence during these years was Manoir de Ban, a grand 1840s home on a 14ha estate.
In his 2014 biography of the star, Peter Ackroyd writes that politically neutral Switzerland "had certain advantages" for Chaplin. "Taxes, in particular, were very low," he notes. And, according to Yves Durand, who is showing us around the property today, "he fell in love instantly with this place - he fell in love with the garden, the trees, the flowers, the landscape".
Mr Durand is part of the team developing the site into a museum celebrating Chaplin's life and work, at a cost of about $80 million. Called Chaplin's World, it's set to open in the northern spring next year. It will be, Mr Durand hopes, "one of the most funny and touching museums in Switzerland".
Chaplin's Manoir de Ban in 1977. Picture: Supplied/Roy Export Company Establishment
Its centrepiece will be the original house, which is under renovation during my visit. It will look as it did during Chaplin's lifetime, with his original furniture and artworks.
The garden is also being restored and will be used for festivals and other events, while the estate's forest will be open to the public for free.
A new building, the Studio, is also under construction. "The keyword for this building is immersion," Mr Durand explains. It will include displays on subjects ranging from Chaplin's impoverished London childhood to the history of silent movies to the evolution of the Little Tramp.
The museum has access to all of Chaplin's 80-plus films, along with an archive of more than 200,000 pages and a library of more than 10,000 images.
Chaplin's eight children with Oona - a number of whom continue to live in the area - have been involved with the museum project, Mr Durand says. "Everything is done with the co-operation and collaboration of the children."