Monday, August 20, 2018

Duranus


Duranus is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department, in the Vesubie valley. The road to get there sometimes takes your breath away but still it is worth going. Even in August, when Nice bursts at the seams from the tourists, Duranus is quiet and peaceful.

This site is associated with the resistance of the “Barbets”, who were in opposition to the integration of the County of Nice to the revolutionary France. According to the legend they threw prisoners (French soldiers) from a nearby three-hundred-meters rock to the Vesubie river. The place is now called “le saut des français”  ̴ the French jump…

If you have enough time, you can go to visit the ruins of the arsenic mine (about 2 hours uphill).





                   




Friday, June 30, 2017

Cap Ferrat

There are many reasons to visit Cap Ferrat. One of them is the incredible history of this place: a rocky, uncultivated, wild countryside finds its prince (actually the king) and became a peninsula of millionaires. Yes, one of the most expensive real estates in the world are located in this small patch of France. So, if you have hundreds of millions of dollars to spend - you can buy a house there; though it may not be enough...

Coming back to the king Leopold II, who first saw the financial potential of this land. Was he really a farsighted businessman or was it just luck? Anyway, Cap Ferrat became a perfect scenery for his famous romance with Caroline Lacroix (there was 48 years age difference between them and Leopold was married already). 


Over the years celebrities and royalties fell in love with Cap Ferrat. The stylish villas hide many stories of their owners and their guests. The list of people who have lived or spent their holidays there includes: Winston Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Giscard d’Estaing, Charlie Chaplin, David Niven, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Paul Allen, Michele Ferrero and many, many others.

You can also skip the history of this place with all the gossips and rumours and just admire the spectacular views from the seaside path. It goes around the peninsula or to be more precise the Presque-isle (from the French presqu'île, meaning almost island).

Modern architecture's admirers will find there houses of Oscar Niemeyer and Norman Foster.
















More informations:
http://www.saintjeancapferrat-tourisme.fr/discover-saint-jean-cap-ferrat/history/?lang=en
http://www.alexandra-lloyd.com/little-history-saint-jean-cap-ferrat/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/08/20/at-1-1-billion-the-most-expensive-house-in-the-world-in-france-goes-to-market/#66a03ef815fc