The French Riviera
Imagine this: a buttery, flaky croissant in your hand, you stroll through the open-air market to pick out the fresh pasta and perfect bottle of wine for tonight’s meal that you’ll cook back at the villa. As you walk, you make note of the small Gelato shop that has been run by the same Italian family for decades. Maybe you’ll come get a scoop before your nighttime dip in the Mediterranean.
This describes an average morning in one of the beautiful small towns that pepper the southern coast of France. Nice and Cannes and St. Tropez are the bigger towns that we’ve all heard about - but we’d like to argue that the true magic of the French Riviera is found in the smaller towns inbetween. Here we feature out two favorites.
Antibes
Perhaps our favorite, Antibes has amazing historical roots that still vibrate through the old town today. Antibes has always been an important historic trading post which was founded by the Greeks in the 5th century BC. Initially called 'Antipolis', the town became part of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century BC. Pablo Picasso came to the town in 1946, having visited his friend and fellow painter Gerald Murphy. During his six-month stay at Chateau Grimaldi, Picasso painted and drew as well as crafting ceramics and tapestries. When he departed Picasso left a number of his works to the municipality. The castle has since become the Picasso Museum. Today while visiting Antibes you will be sure to enjoy the open air markets, winding cobblestone streets and hidden gems like the the Boulangerie by the square and the Absinthe bar where hats and singalongs are required.
Villefranche-Sur-Mer
The Bay of Villefranche, reputed as one of the five most beautiful bays in the world, is embraced by the Cap of Nice to its west and Cap Ferrat to the east. The village of Villefranche sur Mer, perched on the bay, is located just over the hill from Nice (5 minutes away) and 10 minutes away from Monaco. The charming Old Town of Villefranche cascades down the hillside to the sea, and the bay’s sandy one-kilometer long beach offers great recreation throughout the year. We have found that this small village is is a bit off the radar from your typical hoards of summer tourists. The French culture is strong and the streets mainly full of locals. This is the perfect day trip of exploring!
