The French Riviera is not just a coastline. Behind the beaches, the yachts and the film festivals, there is a landscape of ancient villages perched on impossible cliffs, draped in bougainvillea, smelling of lavender and warm stone. Some have been there since the Middle Ages. Some feel like they were placed there specifically to make you stop the car, sit down at a café terrace, and quietly reconsider your life choices.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!I have lived here for years and I still turn a corner in these villages and catch my breath. They are all within easy reach of our villas — most under an hour. Bring comfortable shoes, a camera, and absolutely no fixed plans. The best discoveries here happen when you get slightly lost in a back alley and stumble upon something wonderful. Which, on the Côte d'Azur, is basically guaranteed.
Village perché
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Perched 400 metres above the sea, Èze is one of the most spectacular villages on the Riviera. Medieval lanes, an exotic garden with jaw-dropping views, and Nietzsche walked up here too — on foot, unlike us.
Art & History
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Ramparts, cobblestones, galleries on every corner and the Fondation Maeght just outside the walls. Chagall, Picasso, and Yves Montand all called this village home. Hard to argue with their taste.
Eagle's Nest
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A medieval fortress village clinging to a cliff above the Gorges du Loup. The 360° panorama — sea to Alps — is among the finest views in all of France. Bring someone you want to impress.
Art & Gastronomy
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Picasso spent the last years of his life here, and you can feel why. A refined village above Cannes with extraordinary restaurants, art galleries tucked into ancient walls, and views that stop you mid-sentence.
Medieval Town
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A proper medieval town with Roman roots, a cathedral, and the famous Chapelle du Rosaire designed entirely by Matisse. Less touristed than its neighbours, and better for it. Don't miss the daily market.
Peninsula
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One of the most exclusive peninsulas in the world, with hidden coves, coastal walking paths and the extraordinary Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its nine themed gardens overlooking the sea.
Most Italian Town in France
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Pastel-coloured façades, a baroque basilica above the old port, and a lemon obsession that borders on religion. The warmest town on the French Riviera, and arguably the most beautiful. Go in February for the Fête du Citron.
Principality
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Yes, it's technically another country. Yes, it's worth it. The Prince's Palace, the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the oceanographic museum and a harbour full of superyachts — all within two square kilometres of jaw-dropping excess.
Twenty years on the Côte d'Azur — and still finding things nobody thought to write down. Real stories, real places, zero filter.
Riviera Reality
You researched. You planned. You packed light. The Côte d'Azur has a different agenda entirely — and it will not be negotiating.
It gets better. →
Life on the Riviera
Vicky is an English Setter of considerable beauty and absolutely zero courage. Lilou has never met a stranger. Every outing is an event.
It gets better. →
Cannes Life
Champagne with George Lucas, Karl Lagerfeld at dawn, Pete Doherty in a state, ten festivals a year — and the restaurant that told Hollywood to wait.
It gets better. →
My Story
I came to France for a summer. I stayed for twenty years. I let destiny decide — destiny picked Cannes. Obviously.
It gets better. →