Ancient villages, WWII forts, walking paths, fields of lavender, and few tourists make for idyllic days in the hill towns above the sea.

On the Riviera you can don your diamonds and head to Monaco by night, and by day, langor on the rocky beaches on a padded blue lounge chair and have the garcon bring you cold rose wine til your head spins. But you can also mountain bike to crumbling hilltop castles, explore World War II forts, tour a perfumerie, wander a restored castle with a dungeon, gaze at the works of Matisse and Picasso, Chagall and Jean Cocteau, learn to play petanque and maybe, just maybe, aquire a taste for Pernod. The French have known about Nice and the back country for years. Here's their secret.

Food and Attitude

Nice and the Eastern Riviera is heavily influenced by the nearby cultures of Italy, Spain, and Africa. Off season, Nice has the laziness of a retirement town. The surrounding region is full of retirees, too, and many native Nicoise, a highly independent people, still speak the old Nissard language, especially in the perched villages of the back country, or l'arriere payes.

You won't find the fussy sauces of Paris in the cuisine here. Garlic and olive oil are used in practically everything. One specialty is the Pan Bagnat, a sandwich stuffed with onions, tomatoes, black olives, lettuce, cooked egg, tuna and anchovies, and dosed with oil and pepper. Other specialties are Pissaladiere, which is a sweet onion tart; and there are many kinds of pasta, including a giant, overstuffed raviloi for the carbo-deprived. Fish from the Mediterranian sea is also plentiful, served simply grilled or in a complex bouillabaisse. Not to be missed is the regional specialty, a blette tart. Blette is actually a white beet, but it's the spinach-like leaves that are used, cooked down with nuts and sugar and sandwiched in pastry.

Africa's culinary influence is apparent on many corners where an Algerian specialty called socca, a delicious chickpea crepe served, is served hot in the streets of Nice's vielle village, or old town. And you'll never experience better rose wine. Is it the vintage, or the setting that makes this cold, crisp wine so refreshing during those warm Riviera evenings?

The old town is filled with quick and inexpensive eating options, but my favorite is Chez René (2 rue Miralhetti). The cobblestoned street leading from Nice's Cours Salaya to this classic boisterous food counter is a classic, so leave time for a nice slow stroll. Once there, choose from any number of local specialties: socca, fried anchovies, baked Provencal vegetables, Pissaladerie, then sit down at one of the picnic tables where a waiter will take your drink order.

Climate and Terrain

Nice enjoys a temperate climate which makes any time of year a pleasant visiting experience. Winter can get a bit chilly, especially in the back country where snow is not uncommon. A trip to Isolda 2000 ski resort may be in order at this time of year. In spring and fall you might ski half the day, and swim in the warm Mediterranean sea the other half! Spring is warm, bringing short, violent showers and luscious fields of wildflowers. Summertime is hot and dry and the hills glow with the light purple of lavender flowers and the dusky green of olive trees. Cicadas screech their mating call and heavily laden bees tend hives bursting with sweet lavender honey. I'd argue that fall is the most perfect time to visit, when most of the tourists are gone, the locals go mushrooming in the forests, harvesting the fields, and waiting for the first dusting of snow to decorate the not so distant Alps.

Ancient Perched Villages

Behind the Riviera is a treasure trove of ancient villages that display the history of the area in the layers of its architecture. The foundations for these villages were laid during Roman invasions of the 2nd century B.C. The Barbarian and Saracens further personalized the structures during invasions in the 8th, 9th, and 10th, but the most striking feature is 11th century constructions around the watchtowers of a feudal lord. They've survived all this, and the Protestant-Catholic wars, secession from Austria, the French Revolution, and most recently World War II, when many of them were outfitted with modern forts and weapons to fend off ground and air attacks at the volatile Italian border.

St. Paul de Vence is the most famous art village in France. Spend a day relaxing, shopping, and visiting the very manageable Fondation Maeght. If you're going to splurge on something, consider lunch at La Colombe d'Or. The food and atmosphere can't be beat, and since the proprietor used to take payment in artists' works his collection includes works of Picasso and many others, which hung uncerimoniously on the walls for customers (and ONLY customers) to admire.

Eze Village is perhaps the most touristed perched village, due to its very close proximity to Nice. Have a drink on the terrace of the restaurant for a lovely view of Monaco. The carnival atmosphere is just about unbearable in August, but in fall things tone down. The same goes for Gourdon, with its beautifully restored castle (complete with dungeon, take the guided tour), views, and shopping (all kinds of tourist junk, candy, and lavender honey).

My favorite loop includes Gorbio, Ste. Agnes, and Peille. It's a great day trip, whether you're driving, hiking, or biking. These lovely perched villages are secluded and peaceful, and you can linger over views, stroll through cobblestoned streets, and participate in festivals like the lavendar pressing festival in Peille.

Finally, you might want to take a look at Grasse, the perfume capitol of France. Essences captured are jasmine, rose, lavender, mimosa, orange blossom and narcissus. You can visit the Fragonard parfumerie to watch the process from beginning to end, and cruise the surrounding countryside to enjoy the flowers in their natural state. Lavender fields are everywhere! In the fall, check with the Nice tourist office to see when the village of Peille has its demonstration of extracting the essence from the flowers, the old fashioned way, by heating the blossoms in a long-handled copper pot over a blazing fire.

World War II Forts

The most impressive WWII fort in the area is in nearby Sospel. You'll be given an army jacket to keep yourself warm while you explore the 330-foot deep structure dug into a conical hill. The kitchen served up to 230 soldiers who lived there for months at a time, sheltered from Hitler's and Mussolini's armies who bombarded the area, destroying many villages and even capturing Nice. You can explore almost all of the rooms they lived in-their sleeping quarters, their communications room, their kitchen, and you can even look through the machine-gunners' periscopes to the outside world. A museum is now housed in the lower level of the fort, complete with film footage, uniforms, weapons, photos, and articles about the invasion of the Alpes Maritimes and the fall of Nice. The place offers a fascinating and up-close view of wartime life that will not fail to send shivers down your spine. If you hike or bike in this area you'll see the tops of other forts like this, though most are filled with rocks and closed off for safety reasons.

Getting Around: Car, Train, Bike, or Hike?

There are many car rental agencies in Nice, but my favorite way to explore the area is by train, bicycle, and on foot. Bicycles rental agencies are plentiful, and bicycles are allowed on the train's baggage car so that you can ride uphill into the Pre-Alps and cruise back to Nice at your leisure. You should be in pretty good shape, though, and be ready to cycle up an eight-kilometer switchback road. All efforts are worth it, the French really respect cyclists!

You may also consider hiking. The balcons trail runs parallel to the coast and gives you good views of the sea. A good day hike begins in Gorbio, with lunch in Ste. Agnes, the highest of the perched villages (lovely crepes, too) and ends in Peille, my favorite perched village. You may also opt for a longer hiking trip between village gites. The Nice tourist office can help you plan this.

A 14 kilometer long footpath begins at the Lingostière station, which is served by the Chemins de fer de Provence train and continues along the old country lanes past the Bellet vineyards, olive groves, flower gardens, forests, and many views of the of the Baie des Anges. If you tire you can take a bus (stops intersect the route) back to Nice.

MORE INFO

Rail and Rental Resources

Rail Europe lets you buy tickets on line, from all-Europe passes to one point to point ticket. Have great rail/drive packages and 'flexotel'(pre paid hotel vouchers) programs

TGV train (Train Grande Vitesse) or bullet train goes from Paris to Marseille and takes about 8 hours. You can put your bike on the train but you may have to negotiate for it to be the same train you are on!

In Nice you will take the local trains to Ventimiglia (in Italy) for the Friday market, Menton, Antibes and Cannes.

The narrow gauge train from Nice to Digne takes you to some wonderful hiking an biking country. If you have your own bike, take it to the station the night before your trip.

Visit the Nice tourist on the seafront at 5 Promenade Anglais. For a long term stay (more than a week), ask them about long-term rentals of apartments or villas. In the poor tourist economy you're likely to find a great deal. For more information see Jacqueline's articles:

Living in Paris: A Week at a Time
Living in Europe: A Week at a Time

Traveling to the South of France

The Eastern Riviera is the coastline between Cannes and Menton at the Italian border, as opposed to the Western Riviera, which includes the famous (and overrated) San Tropez. The land between the coast and the Alps behind Nice is called by several names: the Alpes-Maritimes, the "back country" (l'arriere payes), and the Nice pre-Alps (pre-Alpes Nicoise). Here's a tip: make Nice your hometown. Don't be tempted to stay in Cannes, which is famous for the film festival, but basically it's a conference town and doesn't offer much but overpriced hotels and restaurants geared to business travelers on expense accounts. Besides Nice's nearby airport, it also has two train stations that serve the coastline and the back country, so it's easier to get around.

Nice's international airport is located only 15 minutes from the heart of the city. You can fly direct from the United States or connect in Paris. If you're taking a grand tour of France you may want to consider taking the TGV (bullet train) from Paris to Beaune (Burgandy wine country) to Lyon (the gastronomique capital of the world), Province, and finally, to Nice.

If you're staying a week or more, you may want to consider renting an apartment or villa. They're a bargain option and run the gamut from noisy downtown apartments to quiet hillside villas. The tourist office at the Nice train station has a long list of them.

Hiking and Bicycling

Avid cyclists will love cycling in the South of France. Contact us for information on Carla's guidebook to the region, Cycling the French Riveria: Day trips between the sea and the Alps, which includes detailed day trip itineraries and bicycle rental information. Buy it now, for $9.95:

The Sentiers de Grande Randonnie (GR), like the Appalachian Trail, runs for many miles. The GR5 goes North from Nice and the GR51, the "Balcony of the Cote d'Azure," runs east-west along the Mediterranean coast.

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