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Eze & the Côte d'Azur

Eze rewards the climb: the Nietzsche Trail's steep stone steps — the same former mule path the philosopher climbed daily in 1883, reportedly finding inspiration for "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" along the way — lead up through the old town, jasmine and bougainvillea spilling over every wall, to a hilltop village that looks much as it must have centuries ago. At the top, the Jardin Exotique d'Èze fills the ruins of an old château with cacti and succulents, framing one of the best views on the whole coast — the sea spreading out far below, boats anchored along the rocky shoreline. Down at the water's edge, Anjuna keeps the day going late, a Balinese-style beach club built right into the cliffside. Day trips fan out from there: the lighthouse at the tip of Cap Ferrat, reached along a coastal path that slips past grand villas half-hidden in the pines, and Villefranche-sur-Mer's ochre-faced Église Saint-Michel just next door. Inland, Renoir's own bronze Venus Victrix still stands in the citrus grove at Les Collettes in Cagnes-sur-Mer, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence holds its own layered history — the house where the poet Jacques Prévert lived in the 1940s, the Collegiate Church's bell tower rising over the rooftops, and a worn stone stairway winding through the old town. Back in Eze, a bottle of Château La Coste rosé closes out the day, and the terrace goes quiet as evening settles over the water.

The Nietzsche Trail's stone steps climbing up to Eze village in France — The Nietzsche Trail's stone steps, climbing to Eze village

Eze's hilltop village seen from the trail below, with its church bell tower — Eze's hilltop village, seen from the trail below

A jasmine-covered doorway in Eze's old town — A jasmine-covered doorway in the old town

A narrow jasmine-lined street and stairway in Eze — A narrow, jasmine-lined street and stairway

The Jardin Exotique d'Eze, cacti framing the coastline below — The Jardin Exotique d'Èze, cacti framing the coastline below

A modern sculpture amid cacti in the Jardin Exotique d'Eze, overlooking the sea — A modern sculpture amid the cacti of the Jardin Exotique

The cactus garden of the Jardin Exotique d'Eze with the coast beyond — The Jardin Exotique's cactus garden, the coast beyond

A stone archway framing a stairway down through the Jardin Exotique d'Eze — A stone archway framing the stairway down through the garden

Eze's rooftops and the coastline seen from above — Eze's rooftops and the coastline, seen from above

The rocky coastline below Eze, boats anchored offshore

A bougainvillea-covered stone house near Eze-sur-Mer

Anjuna, a Balinese-style beach club at Eze-sur-Mer

The rocky coastline near Cap Ferrat, France — The rocky coastline near Cap Ferrat

The lighthouse at the tip of the Cap Ferrat peninsula

A villa glimpsed through umbrella pines along the Cap Ferrat coastal path — A villa glimpsed through pines along the Cap Ferrat coastal path

The Baroque facade of the Eglise Saint-Michel in Villefranche-sur-Mer — The Baroque facade of the Église Saint-Michel

Renoir's bronze sculpture Venus Victrix in the gardens of Les Collettes, Cagnes-sur-Mer — Renoir's own Venus Victrix, in the gardens of Les Collettes

The house where the poet Jacques Prevert lived in the 1940s, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence — The house where the poet Jacques Prévert lived in the 1940s

The bell tower of the Collegiate Church in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the highest point in the village — The Collegiate Church's bell tower, the village's highest point

A stone stairway winding through the old town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence — A stone stairway winding through the old town

Two glasses and a bottle of Chateau La Coste rose wine — A toast with a bottle of Château La Coste rosé

A terrace at night in Eze, the sea just visible beyond the trees — The terrace at night, the sea just visible beyond the trees

← 2022 Italy & France