Everyone has heard stories about the legendary French Riviera. Did you know these facts?
1. Côte d’Azur, the blue coast
The Riviera on the south coast of the country, also known as the Côte d’Azur, or blue coast, is considered the most glamorous part of all of France.
The area has no precise geographical boundaries, but is considered to start from Toulon and continue to the Italian border. The core of the French Riviera stretches from St. Tropez to Menton.
The mini-state of Monaco is of course not part of France, but it is widely regarded as one of the Riviera’s destinations and most popular day trips.
2. The world’s earliest tourist destinations
The French Riviera is considered one of the first places in the world where a model for modern tourism was born. The Riviera was already traveled to in the 18th century, and in the 19th century its popularity rose among the upper class, all the way up to royalty.
The French Riviera experienced a new boom in the 1950s and 1960s, when the rich and famous traveled in droves to coastal resorts.
3. “Promenade of the English” is the most famous street in Nice
Nice’s seven kilometer long Promenade des Anglais literally refers to the “promenade of the English”. In the 19th century, many wealthy Britons traveled to the south of France for health reasons and wanted to walk along the coast in the fresh sea air. In the end, the British even financed the renovation of the dilapidated promenade.
Nice’s most famous hotel Negresco, which opened in 1913, is also located along the same street.
4. Cannes Film Festival, the highlight of the event calendar
The biggest event on the French Riviera is the Cannes Film Festival in May. The festival gathers the cream of the entire film industry in southern France, and the festivities culminate in the distribution of the Palme d’Or award. The event has been organized since 1946.
Other important annual events are the Nice Carnival in February and the Jazz Festival in July, as well as the F1 Monaco Grand Prix.
5. Grasse is a city of perfumes
Located inland about 20 kilometers from Cannes, Grasse is called the perfume capital of the world. Dozens of perfume companies operate in the city of more than 50,000 inhabitants, employing thousands of residents.
In Grasse, you can learn about perfume making, visit the perfume museum and tour the gardens where the flowers used in perfume production grow.
6. The Riviera inspires artists
The French Riviera is known as the coast of artists. They have been inspired by the landscapes of the area, for example Pablo Picasso, by Henri Matisse, Claude Monet’n and Paul Cezannen names like The boom started in the 1880s.
American author Scott F. Fitzgerald spent time on the French Riviera, and there he also wrote his novel Gold hat (engl. Great Gatsby) in the 1920s. Unfortunately, the book did not become popular until after Fitzgerald’s death, so the man did not learn of his success.
7. Locals are not allowed in Monaco’s casinos
Monaco is one of the most popular day trips among tourists vacationing on the French Riviera. Monaco is the second smallest country in the world and one of the few countries in the world without an airport.
However, Monaco is best known for its casinos and gambling. Did you know that casinos only run for foreign guests? Locals can’t even enter the casinos. Behind the special rule is the desire to prevent gambling addiction.
8. Film shooting location
Popular with celebrities, the Riviera has also served as a filming location for movies. When a horror movie And god created woman appeared in 1956, it did Brigitte Bardot’sta star and put the unknown fishing village of St. Tropez on the world map.
Films have also been shot on the Riviera, among other things Welcome miss you, 007 and the golden eye mixed Magic in the Moonlight. In a Finnish-French co-production Moomins on the Riviera the fairy-tale characters everyone knows go to the South of France in the form of animation.
9. Iron Mask Island
Île Sainte-Marguerite, an island standing in front of Cannes, is located only about a quarter of a mile by boat from the coast. The island is a popular day trip destination known for its secretive history. A man known as the Iron Mask, whose face was never revealed to anyone because of the mask, was held captive in the island’s prison at Fort Royal.
The story has been immortalized Alexandre Dumas’n to the novel and to the film released in 1998 Iron Mask.
10. Beep at 12 o’clock
If you’re on vacation in Nice, you might be surprised to hear a cannon fire at lunch time at 12 o’clock. There’s no need to be alarmed by the boom – it’s a “noon cannon” that repeats daily.
The custom dates back to the 1860s. According to legend, the Scottish aristocrat was frustrated with his wife, who was constantly late for lunch while she was walking with friends on the beach promenade. The warning signal requested from the mayor of Nice has lived on long after the people involved.
Read also: Do you want to see more than Nice on the French Riviera? Introducing three charming neighboring towns
Source: www.rantapallo.fi
