Cannes, Cap d'Antibes, Nice & Menton – The French Riviera

Cannes, Cap d'Antibes, Nice & Menton – The French Riviera

Ferne Arfin

Hunter Publishing, Inc.

E-mail: michael@hunterpublishing.com

© Hunter Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim any responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any liability or any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Introduction

• The Land: A Microcosm

All of Provence could be tucked into an area one-fifth the size of New England. From the Rhône on its western edge, to the Italian border on the east, it is barely 150 miles wide. North-to-south, the region stretches a mere 100 miles, from Lac de Serre-Ponçon, Europe's largest artificial lake, to a scattering of Mediterranean islets off Hyères. Yet, the variety of the landscapes and ecosystems crammed into this relatively compact region rivals that of many countries.

Alpine peaks, hidden valleys and gorges, arid plateaus, even a stony desert, The Crau, are all part of the Provençal experience. In the Southwest, the Rhône Delta spreads and floods, forming a vast and mysterious salt marsh, The Camargue. Here sea and sky merge across flat vistas, punctuated by plantations of salt pans and mountains of drying salt. The Camargue is a naturalist's paradise, home to feral white horses, herds of black bulls and thousands of migratory birds, including flocks of African flamingo.

Wild horses of the Camargue

Inland, much of Provence is dry and stony. Some areas are virtually paved with pale, calcareous pebbles that give the land a characteristic sun baked look. Yet the region also supports vineyards, olive and almond groves and acres of nodding sunflowers. It is the fruit basket of France and its floriculture provides a large percentage of the raw materials for the world's perfume industry. Provence boasts mountain lakes, vast caves, thick Mediterranean forests of umbrella pine and cork oak, soft hills fragrant with wild herbs and cultivated lavender and, arguably, the most naturally glamorous coastline in the world.

This is a land that supports an exceptional range of outdoor activities – from spelunking to hang gliding, white water rafting to skiing (on water or snow), cycling to rock climbing to bird watching. The French occasionally boast that they have no need to travel abroad for their vacations because they have everything they need – plus exquisite food and wine – right at home. After even a short visit to Provence, it is hard to argue.

Geology has been almost artful in Provence. Caught between the Pyrénnéan and Alpine folds, the land mounts toward the Alps from the broad alluvial plain of the Rhône. Most of Provence east of the Rhône is criss-crossed by a complex system of small, east-to-west mountain ranges, high or enclosed plateaus and dense mountain clusters, called massifs. Glaciation, rushing rivers and Mediterranean downpours, have carved and shaped the underlying structure of soft, sedimentary rock, limestone and bauxite. Today, millennia of erosion show in the precipitous slopes and deep ravines that give an awesome appearance to mountains barely 3,000 feet high. Snow-capped Mt. Ventoux is one eccentric exception. Although, at 6,263 feet, it is surpassed by a number of Provence's Alpine and Pre-Alpine peaks, its splendid isolation on the plains above Carpentras gives it a particular grandeur.

Mt. Ventoux, with lavender flowers below

The River Durance and its tributaries, including the green Verdon, were tamed by a series of dams about 30 years ago. Today, they often seem like nothing more than sluggish waterways as they snake through the region. But they were once wild seasonal torrents flooding their valleys with Alpine melt. Depending upon the time of year (even the time of day) and the operation of the hydroelectric dams, they can still be counted on for white water adventure. The evidence of their past is visible in several kinds of geological formations.

Most mysterious are the cluses (clues in Provençal), deep, transverse valleys. These are often so narrow that they are virtually hidden beneath arid, highland plains. Thousands of years of rushing water have undercut their vertical walls so that, at the bottoms, they often widen into cool, moist secret worlds. Deep pools, waterfalls and shaded microclimates that harbor lush ecosystems are not uncommon.

Water has also riddled the Provençal hills with networks of caves. Some of the best show caves in Europe are here, many open to the public. Some feature prehistoric cave paintings. Others can boast history of a more recent and daring kind. During World War II, local caves provided excellent cover for the French Resistance and Allied soldiers.

The Grand Canyon of Verdon is worth a trip all on its own. Thirteen miles long and between 1,000 and 2,000 feet deep, it is one of Europe's outstanding natural features. Access to the bottom has only been possible since the late 1970s when a series of dams reduced the flow of the Verdon. But even with the flow cut 100 fold (from 800 cubic meters** per second to eight cubic meters per second), the canyon is an exciting place of rocky, white water straights and challenging hiking trails for fit travelers.

The Mediterranean Alps traverse the entire eastern border of Provence, separating France from Italy with a thick wall, 5,000 to 9,500 feet high. The Pre-Alps, along the coast between Nice and Menton, are nowhere near as high but their position, crowding the coast, makes them equally dramatic. Most Pre-Alpine peaks are about 3,000 feet high, then fall away abruptly and plunge toward the sea. Looking up, snowy peaks dotted with perched villages, form the backdrop for the chic yacht harbors of Villefranche, Beaulieu and Monte Carlo. Looking down, the prospect from the famously vertiginous Riviera road, The Grande Corniche, encompasses the golden beaches of Cap Ferrat and Èze-Bord-de-Mer beside the teal blue waters of the Mediterranean. It is impossible to say whether up or down is the better view.

• History & Pre-History

500,000 BC

Until relatively recently in geologic terms, a land bridge at Gibraltar provided a route between Europe and Africa for Stone Age hunter-gatherers. Some of the earliest European evidence of human habitation has been found in Provence.

At the Terra Amata site near Nice, the remains of shallow huts, made of wooden poles supported by stones, have been found. Some of the huts, which date between 450,000 and 380,000 BC, had hearths which are believed to be the earliest evidence of humankind's controlled use of fire. A dwelling of animal skins draped over a wooden framework, found inside Lazaret Cave, may be even older; at between 500,000 and 400,000 BC, it predates Neanderthal man. These finds, which can be viewed nearby at the Prehistoric Museum of Terra Amata, include axes and stone tools as well as the bones of elephants, rhinos, red deer and giant oxen.

The first visitors were probably seasonal nomads. For many years, archeologists believed that poor local hunting precluded any long-term, early settlement in Provence. As proof, they cited the absence of early cave paintings of large game animals such as those found at Lascaux. But in 1991, a remarkable discovery by a local diver, Henri Cosquer, changed everything.

Diving in the calanques, deep narrow inlets in the rocky coastal cliffs between Cassis and Marseilles, Cosquer entered a cave about 120 feet below sea level and, after swimming upward into a vast, air-filled chamber, found himself surrounded by pictures of stenciled human hands, animals and, unusually for Paleolithic cave paintings, sea creatures. Scientists found enough charcoal and carbon in the primitive artwork for very accurate radio carbon dating. 

Horse painting, Cosquer's Cave

Tests showed that Cosquer's Cave was in continuous use over a period of almost 9,000 years, until the seas rose and concealed the entrance after the last Ice Age. The stenciled hands have been firmly dated to 27,000 years ago. Some of the animals, including aurochs, horses, chamoix and megaloceros, a giant Ice Age deer, are about 18,500 years old. Cosquer's Cave is considered one of the most important and well-dated Paleolithic caves in the world. The entrance is now blocked, but Henri Cosquer still takes divers on guided tours of the calanques and can probably tell you all about it.

Another Cosquer painting

Elsewhere in Provence, The Bories provide more evidence of Prehistoric, probably Iron Age, habitation. Thousands of these beehive-shaped, mortarless stone dwellings are scattered across the Lubéron and the Vaucluse Plateau. Water-tight, thick-walled and relatively warm inside, Bories remained in use as animal pens, tool sheds and, occasionally, dwellings, through the 18th century.

The Greeks & Romans

Provence seems to have provided a meeting ground for the mingling Northern European and Southern Mediterranean cultures for as long as humans have had the urge to travel. From about 1000 BC, there is clear evidence that Ligurians from Northwest Italy were well-established along the coast. Germanic Celts, noted for their pottery, were settled inland, north of the Durance. It is likely that the two groups had social and trade connections even earlier. Some examples of etched Celtic pottery dating from the Bronze Age, around 6,000 BC, have been found in the area.

In any case, by the time the Phocean Greeks arrived in 600 BC, a local culture was already flourishing. According to legend, the Greeks acquired the harbor at Massalia (modern Marseille) as part of the marriage dowry for a Ligurian princess. We'll never know, but there seems no evidence that they acquired it through warfare.

Massalia was a perfect trading base. Located near the mouth of the Rhône, it provided easy communication for inland trade. Soon, the Greeks were exporting local livestock, pewter and pottery, as well as tin from Brittany and copper from Spain. Along the nearby coast, adventurous divers have located a range of sunken vessels still carrying evidence of these trade goods.

In their turn, the Greeks bartered their ancient Mediterranean crops – olives, figs, walnuts, cherries and grape vines, changing local agriculture forever. They prospered here for several centuries, establishing colonial outposts at Hyères, St. Tropez, Antibes, Nice and Monaco, and intermarrying with the local population.

Massalia earned itself the mixed blessing of Roman favor when, in the third century BC, it sided with Rome against the Carthaginians. At the time, many other Provençal towns supported Hannibal, who crossed Provence on his way to Rome via the Alps. A century later, the Greeks called upon Rome to defend them against pirates attacking Antibes and Nice, as well as Celtic tribes attacking from the North. Romans came to the rescue and, as was so often the case, decided to stay. Massalia became Massilia under the Romans.

Transalpine Gaul, established about 121 BC, was the first Roman province in France. Initially, the Romans looked to routes through Provence to protect their trade with Spain. By the time Julius Caesar officially conquered Gaul (58-51 BC), Roman garrisons reached from the Alps to the Pyrénées. The Romans built more than 13,000 miles of road, some of which can still be seen today. Vestiges of the Domitian Way, the route from the Italian Alps, are visible in Cavaillon, Bonnieux and Apt. The Pont Julien, a three-arched bridge on the D149 between Bonnieux and Apt, is still in use. Also in use, the Aurelian Way took travellers from Rome to Arles. Its modern features included raised sidewalks and milestones marking each Roman mile along the way. A good section of it can be seen east of Tourtour and the RN7 between Aix en Provence and Nice follows this route.

The Romans called the area Provincia Romana, from which modern Provence takes its name. Altogether, they prospered here for more than 600 years. Evidence of the Roman era, in the form of villas, temples, baths, theaters, arenas, aqueducts, triumphal arches, circuses and forums, can be visited all over Provence. It is, in fact, the rare village that lacks a Roman site. A remarkable percentage of these antiquities are still being used for their original purposes.

Medieval Provence

The Middle Ages were marked by cycles of plague and almost ceaseless warfare. Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, various warrior tribes – Vandals, Visigoths, Ostrogoths and Burgundians –