IMAGE: Saint-Paul
Read all of JOY DODDS’ previous Mediterranean Musings – from Italy to Spain and France, and including gastronomic delights …
The Alpes-Maritimes region near Nice boasts fascinating inland jewels, a stone’s throw from the Côte d’Azur. Inland from Nice lies a fascinating web of mountain villages, with panoramic views over the Mediterranean and a history of their own.
Nice
Certainly it is tempting to concentrate on elegant and cultured Nice – “La Belle de Cote d’Azur”. Devotees of art can overdose on the assorted rich pickings from Musée Matisse and the Chagall Museum which celebrate the artists’ rich output, to the out-there Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain which includes such exhibits as a model-T Ford crunched into a block and items wrapped by Christo. Each to his own!
Nice is also synonymous with festivals, whether it be a jazz festival al fresco in Cimiez Arenes in July, classical music in August or the colourful Carnaval de Nice around Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday), celebrated since 1294, with a flower battle and the burning of the king.
Architecturally Nice is from La Belle Epoque, and the Musée Massena, itself a neoclassical villa, chronicles the history of the city. Nice’s Vieux Ville is marked by the Parc du Chateau, flanked by the Baie des Anges and the port, where once a C12th castle stood, and Port Lympia. Nice’s Cathedrale St Nicolas is the largest Russian Orthodox church outside Russia. Those with a nose for fresh food, wine and bargains can ravish its bustling markets on the Cours Saleya and other narrow laneways in the Vieux Nice or the early morning fish markets at Place St Francois.
However, if the above is too bustling and crowded, this strip of Mediterranean foreshore also beckons those who prefer the great outdoors. For a panorama of Nice head to Colline du Chateau. The hills overlooking the Cote d’Azur include Arriere-Pays Nicois, a landscape of deserted villages and tough walks, while the Parc Naturel Departmental de la Grande Corniche includes scented hillsides peppered with pine trees. Some of the walks are truly steep and invigorating, such as that between Ste-Agnes and Gorbio. Another exhilarating walk is between the ancient ruins of Chateauneuf-Villevieille to the peak of Mt Macaron.
Vence
Vence
And what of the towns and villages overlooking Nice? The steep Baous ranges, known as the “Balcony of the Côte d’Azur”, are covered by olive orchards, orange trees and flowers. These shelter Vence, an ancient city of art and history with Gallo-Roman remains renowned for its mild climate and spectacular views of the Mediterranean coastline.
Its medieval walls include five gates, the oldest being 13th century Portail Levis. Squares and ancient houses adorn the narrow streets of the centre, including an 11th century Romanesque cathedral in Place Clemenceau, with its 15th century choir stalls and a 6th century marble sarcophagus of St Véran. Nearby are the 12th century Saint Accolade Tower and the Rosaire Chapel, designed by Henri Matisse.
Vence is famous for its numerous fountains fed by the Foux spring and, in particular, that in Place du Peyra. Once a Roman forum, this much-painted fountain is shaped in the form of an urn. The town’s spring water is much sought after. The surrounding narrow alleys are lined with stalls of local fruit and vegetables, ripened by its gentle micro-climate. The local market in Rue des Marchands is outstanding, with its stalls of seafood, fruit and vegetables, wine, cheeses and herbs. On Friday mornings, even this is overshadowed by the Provençal market on Place Clemençeau.
Vence also has strong cultural importance. The Nuits du Sud festival of international music is staged every summer on the Place du Grand Jardin, where the big names of rock and reggae perform outdoors. The Chateau de Villeneuve contemporary art centre is well worth visiting.
Biot
While Vence attracts hordes of visitors, its smaller neighbours may be far lesser known – but not-to-be-missed. One, Biot, is a superb medieval village, complete with ancient parapet walk and medieval gates. From Calade des Migraniers to Place de l’Airette, including the picturesque Place des Arcades, history exudes, and everywhere there are ivy-covered houses straddling narrow passageways with fascinating doors, vaults, sculpted stones and arched stairs. Dominated by hills covered with olive trees and mimosa, the town is a magnet for artisans – artists, craftsmen, potters and glassblowers.
Vallauris Golfe-Juan
The commune of Vallauris Golfe-Juan includes Vallauris, a 16th century village located inland with a pottery- making tradition springing from its repopulation in the 16th century, mainly from Genoan artisan families. This attracted Picasso to his Madoura studio in 1946, and other great masters followed, including Matisse and Chagall. The village highlights include its Chapelle de la Miséricorde, Notre-Dame des Grâces and its ancient castle, the latter now home to the Picasso Natural Museum, which includes his famous “War and Peace” (“La Guerre et la Paix”). The commune’s seaside resort of Golfe-Juan is historically important as Napoleon’s landing site at the start of his ‘Hundred Days’.
Villeneuve-Loubet
Villeneuve-Loubet, the birthplace of famous chef Auguste Escoffier, sits at the confluence of the Mardaric and Loup rivers. His house is now a museum to the man who created, inter alia, Peach Melba. The old centre contains a set of steps leading up to a huge 15th century church and the remains of a 13th century castle. The town stretches down to the sea to the rather tacky Marina Baie des Anges.
Chateauneuf
Offering a fine panorama from the Italian Alps to Esterel, Chateauneuf is built on a hill of aged olive trees overlooking the plain of Opio. Its 16th century houses sit on flower-festooned streets. Sights include its ramparts and the tower of its 11th century castle as well as the “new” castle built on its ruins in 1625. At the top of a small plateau in the plain overlooking Chateauneuf is the Chapelle du Brusc, the remains of a vast basilica built in the 11th century, now listed as a historic building.
Opio
The small village of Opio (from Latin “stronghold”) lies nestled amid pine trees, cork oaks and heather. It grows and supplies much of the roses and jasmine required for Grasse’s perfume industry. The 15th century mill, still operating today, known as le Moulin d’Opio produces delicious olive oil. There is also a golf course, La Bégude, in the grounds of a 19th century chateau.
Le Rouret
With its cypress, pine and olive trees, Le Rouret is the quintessential Provençal village with its ancient stone houses and a square with beautiful plane trees and a fountain. The remains of a Roman camp, Le Castellaras, can be seen as well as the grotte de la Beaume-Robert. Its fragrant roses, jasmine, violets and the like also contribute to the Grasse perfume industry.
Saint-Paul
The historic village of Saint-Paul and its almost-intact ramparts, hailing from the 16th century, sits like an eagle’s nest overlooking the sea, mountains and surrounding valleys. Its ancient houses are fascinating to explore, be it the sight of a coat-of-arms on a façade or a bronze knocker on the door. I love the array of artistic and decorative artisan ware that can be bought in its quaint shops and ateliers. The Margeurite and Aimé Maeght Foundation, the gardens of which are filled with sculptures including Miró’s famous ‘Labyrinth’, holds prestigious modern exhibitions throughout the year.
Le Bar-Sur-Loup
American War of Independence hero Admiral de Grasse was the glorious son of Le Bar-Sur-Loup and his statue stands in front of the medieval castle of the Counts of Grasse. The stepped streets from Porte Sarrasine are lined with old tall houses and more fountains. Staying overnight in the town allows a refreshing trek through its vineyards and olive groves, with the scent of roses, jasmine and oranges adding to the exhilaration.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup
Tourrettes-sur-Loup
Another unique location is Tourrettes-sur-Loup, just 20kms from the coast, perched on a rocky spur overlooking the Côte d’Azur. Around its 15th century castle are the remains of a medieval village, now occupied by fascinating shops and studios. Each March the Violet Festival is staged here.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup
Gourdon
Very few towns are as ancient or aerie-like as Gourdon. Perched on a rocky peak which was a place of refuge and defence for Ligurians and Celts long before the Romans, its sheer cliffs fall directly into the Loup Valley. Gourdon attracts many tourists, not only for its views but also its superb medieval castle and gardens, the latter designed by Le Nôtre. Like so many of the local towns, Gourdon is home to many craftsmen and artists – glassblowers and glassmakers; artists on silk and enamel; perfumiers and bakers. Queen Victoria painted her watercolours on the town square that bears her name, with its panorama which stretches from the Italian Alps to 100 kilometres of Cote d’Azur coastline.
Caussols
However, there’s another appealing aspect to the area, centred on Caussols. With its Bronze Age attributes, it is a favourite of nature lovers and cavers. The rocky plateau is known as ‘Les Claps’, its meadows in the middle containing karstic landscapes with dolines, sinkholes and fissures. Despite being just over 20kms from the coast, Caussols is truly serene and dream-like with beautiful flora and fauna.
These little-known towns and villages offer a completely different dimension to the ritzy coastal strip. As tempting as it is to concentrate on the coast, centres of history and art, offering produce markets and artisan studios in a beautiful landscape are on offer in spades a mere 10 minutes’ drive inland. Vence may be the Super Star of the mountains and yet the smaller neighbouring villages ooze magnetic character and charm.
