The steep climbing paths that wind through the tiny medieval village of Eze, have been frequently trodden by Frederich Nietzsche, Walt Disney, Bill Clinton and a host of other famous names.

Perched on cliffs 429 metres above the sea, Eze is situated on a corniche (coastal road) between Nice and Monaco.

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Villefranche is separated from Nice by the verdant heights of Mont-Boron, whose Belle-Époque villas offer fabulous panoramas of either Nice or Villefranche and remain relatively tranquil due to the neighbouring nature reserve. For example the Villa la Romarine offers views right across Nice and the Baie des Anges.

The coastal area of south-eastern France received its highly marketable brand-name from Stéphen Liégeard’s 1887 book, the Côte d'Azur, meaning ‘azure coast’. He coined the name to describe the region’s, “countryside of blue sea, sun and flowers”.

Due to the tourist implications of being part of the Côte d'Azur, there is some ambiguity as to where it actually begins. There is an argument that it commences as far west as the town of Cassis, 20 km outside of Marseille; although the general perception is that it stretches from around Toulon and Hyères to Menton on the Franco-Italian border. Its territory spreads over both the Var and Alpes-Maritimes departments and includes the principality of Monaco.