Page 9 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

HOW T O USE THIS GUIDE  7

Major Towns
4An introduction covers the history,
character and geography of the town.
The main sights are described individually A Visitors’ Checklist gives contact
and plotted on a Town Map. points for tourist and transport
information, plus details of market
days and local festival dates.
72  PROVENCE AREA B Y AREA THE RIVIER A AND THE ALPES M ARITIMES  73
7 Cannes 15 giant murals inspired by the VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Seventh Art, which can be found
Lord Brougham, British Lord Chancellor, put Cannes on the map at various locations across town. Practical Information
in 1834 when he stopped there on his way to Nice. He was The main hotels in Cannes Road map E4. * 74,600. n 1
so entranced by the climate of what was then a tiny fishing have their own beaches with blvd de la Croisette (04 92 99 84 22).
village that he built a villa and started a trend for upper-class bars and restaurants, where ( Tue–Sun. _ Film Festival (May).
∑ cannes-destination.com
prices match their standing.
English visitors. Today, Cannes may not attract blue blood but Celebrities are most likely to
it has become a town of festivals, the resort of the rich and be seen at the Carlton, Majestic Transport
£ rue Jean-Jaurès.
famous. It is busy all year round, its image reinforced by the and Martinez. There is a cover @ pl de l’Hôtel de Ville.
Film Festival (see p36). With its casinos, fairs, beach, boat and charge to enter most beaches
street life, there is plenty to do, even though Cannes lacks the in Cannes, where imported sand E Musée de la Castre
great museums and monuments of less glamorous resorts.
covers the natural pebbles, and
sun-loungers cost extra. Just Château de la Castre, Le Suquet.
next to the festival building Tel 04 93 38 55 26. Open Tue–Sun
and cheese. This leads you to the there is also a free public beach. (Jul–Aug: daily). Closed 1 Jan, 1 May,
Marché Forville. Fresh regional InterContinental Carlton, the height of luxury at Cannes
1 & 11 Nov, 25 Dec. & 8 by appt.
produce turns up here every P Palais des Festivals et The old Cannes castle, erected
day except Monday. The small des Congrès P InterContinental Carlton is studded with tiny balconies, by the Lérins monks in the
streets meander up from the 1 blvd de la Croisette. Tel 04 92 58 la Croisette. Tel 04 93 06 40 06. and the window frames, 11th and 12th centuries, The town map shows all main
mar mar marché to the old Roman town ché to the old Roman town ché 99 84 00. n 04 92 99 84 22. ∑ carlton-cannes.com See Where cornices and attic pediments houses this museum. Set
of Canoïs Castrum. This area ∑ palaisdesfestivals.com to Stay p198. are decorated with stucco. The up in 1877, it contains some
was named after the reeds that Built in 1982, this unmistakably This ultimate symbol of comfort hotel’s twin black cupolas are fine archaeological and through roads as well as minor
grew by the seashore, and is modern building stands beside and grace contains 343 rooms and said to be modelled on the ethnographical collections
now known as Le Suquet. The the Vieux Port at the west end 39 suites, and has its own private breasts of the notorious Belle from all over the world,
Provençal Gothic church in the of the promenade. It is the chief sandy beach. It was designed and Otéro, a Spanish courtesan and ranging from South Sea Island
centre of the old town, Notre- venue for the Palmes d’Or and Palmes d’Or and Palmes d’Or built in 1911 by the architect, dancer who captivated Dalmas. costumes to Asian art and streets of interest to visitors. All
Dame de l’Espérance, was other internationally recognised Charles Dalmas. The huge The Carlton was so revered African masks. Also housed in
completed in 1648. awards sufficiently prestigious for Rococo-style dining room, where that in World War II, a New the Cistercian St-Anne chapel
The Cannes Film Festival has
a commanding officer to
Relaxing deck chairs on the seafront, been held here every May since the film business to take them the colonnades rise to an ornate York Times journalist asked is a collection of superb the sights are plotted, along with
musical instruments. The
ceiling with finely wrought
seriously, and much business
Hôtel Martinez 1946. The main venue is the goes on, so that the festival is not cornices, is unchanged. The protect what he considered 11th-century Tour de la Castre
Palais des Festivals, all hype and publicity. hotel’s wedding-cake exterior to be the world’s finest hotel. is worth climbing for the view. the bus and train stations, parking,
Exploring Cannes but there are cinemas Some 78,000 official
The heart of the city is built all over town, some tickets are distributed Cannes
around the Bay of Cannes and of which are open to to professionals only. SUPER- tourist offices and churches.
the palm-fringed seafront boule- the public, and film Apart from its use for 1 Palais des Festivals et AVENUE I SOLA B EL L CANNES
vard de la Croisette. Here there screening starts as the great Film Festival, des Congrès
are luxury boutiques and hotels early as 8:30am. The the building also 2 InterContinental Carlton BOU L EVARD MONTFLE U RY
and fine views of La Napoule beach has been a focus houses a casino and 3 Musée de la Castre BOULEVARD
Bay and the Esterel heights. The for paparazzi since a nightclub, and is R U E D E MIMONT RUE H. SIMON BOULEVARD DE LA R. LOUIS NOUVEAU D. STRASBOURG
eastern end of the bay curves 1953, when Brigitte a regular conference
out to Pointe de la Croisette, Bardot’s beautiful Famous handprint venue. In the nearby GRASSE BOULE VA RD D ’ ALSACE
where the medieval Fort de pout put her on the of Faye Dunaway allée des Stars, hand- PLACE V O I E F E R R E E C O U LV E R T E Gare Routière
la Croix once stood. The town’s world’s front pages. prints of such famous DU 18 JUN Gare SNCF RUE JEAN JAURES REPUBLIQUE
two gaming houses, Casino Les The city’s connection to celebrities as American actress RUE D’ANTIB ES
Princes and Casino Croisette, cinema is also highlighted by Faye Dunaway are immortalized AVE B . BOU ALAM RUE HOC HE
are both open all year. the Murs peints de Cannes, in pavement cement. RUE MEYNADIER RUE B U TT U RA RUE D. BELGES R UE D ES SER B ES RUE MOLIE R E ROND POINT
Brougham persuaded King
BUBOYS
D'ANGERS
Louis-Philippe to donate two AVE ANC. COMBATTANTS A AT RU E LO UI S BLANC B D . DE L A FE RRAGE RU E J. DE R IOU F FE R U E D E S ETATS- UN IS RU E MA C E C O MM A N D AN T AN DR E R UE D U R UE DU CAN ADA BD. GENER AL VA U TR I N
RUE FELIX-FAURE
million francs to build the Cannes D‘AFRIQUE DU NORD PL. GEN. Casino R UE PA S T EU R
harbour wall. Between La Pantiero BD. VIC TOR TUBY Marché Allées de la Liberté DE GAULLE Croisette RUE F. AMOURETTI R U E DE LATOUR-MAUBO URGE
and rue Félix Faure are the allées Hôtel de Ville Forville LA PANTIERO Esplanade
des Allies
de la Liberté. Shaded by plane RUE D U SUQUET Gare PROMENADE DE L A C R O IS E T T E
trees and surveyed by a statue la Castre Tour de Routière JETTEE A. EDOUARD Palais des Festivals InterContinental
of Lord Brougham, this open Musée de Plage de la Croisette Carlton Espace
et des Congrès
space is ideal both for boules RUE L. PE R I S S O L la Castre QUAI ST-PIERRE Vieux Miramar
and the colourful morning R U E G . C L E M E N C E A U Port Baie de
flower market. It provides a fine J. HIBERT SQUARE ILES DE Cannes
view of the harbour, which is BD . JE A N -H I B ER T Maritime Gare LÉRINS 0 metres 250
filled with pleasure craft and QUAI LAUBEUF 0 yards 250
fishing boats. Behind the allées
is the rue Meynadier, where you Plages du Midi
can buy delicious pasta, bread Cannes Old Town, known locally as Le Suquet, overlooking the harbour Key to Symbols see back flap
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp198–9 and pp208–11
THE RIVIER A AND THE ALPES M ARITIMES  85
u Street-by-Street: Nice Chapelle de la Miséricorde VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Designed in 1740 by Guarino
Guarinone, this Baroque
A dense network of pedestrian alleys, narrow buildings masterpiece has a fine Rococo Practical Information
and pastel, Italianate façades make up Vieux Nice or interior. The Nice altarpieces are by Road map F3. * 347,800.
the Old Town. Its streets contain many fine 17th- Louis Bréa and Jean Miralhet. n 5 prom des Anglais (08 92 70
74 07). ( Tue–Sun. _ Carnival
century Italianate churches, among them St-François- (Feb), Nice Jazz Festival (July).
de-Paule, behind the Opéra, and l’Eglise du Jésus in ∑ nicetourisme.com
Street-by-Street Map the rue Droite. Most of the seafront, at quai des Etats- Transport
Unis, is taken up by the Ponchettes, a double row of
k 7 km (4.5 miles) SW.
low houses with flat roofs, a fashionable walk before £ av Thiers. @ 5 blvd Jean
Jaurès. g quai du Commerce.
5Towns or districts of the promenade des Anglais was built. To the east of . Cathédrale Ste-Réparate R U E C E N T R A L R U E C E N T R A L E E R U E D E L A L O G E
this lies the Colline du Château, occupied in the 4th
century by Greeks who kept
Built in 1650 by the Nice
architect J-A Guiberto
special interest to visitors fishing nets on the quay. in Baroque style, this R U E D E L A B O U C H E R I E R U E D U P O N T V I E U X R U E D R O I T E R U E R O S S E T T I
has a fine dome of
glazed tiles and an
Palais de Justice
This awesome building 18th-century tower.
are shown in detailed 3-D, October 1892, replacing PLACE R U E S T - J O S E P H
was inaugurated on 17
the smaller quarters
ROSSETT
used before Nice R U E F G A L L A O ROSSETT
with photographs of the became part of France. R U E B E N O I T - B U N I C O R U E D R O I T E RUE DU CHATEAU
On the same site was a
13th-century church
most important sights. and convent. R U E D U M A R C H E R U E C O L O N N A D ’I S T R I R U E C O L O N N A D ’I S T R I A A RUE STE-REPARATE RUE STE-REPARATE R U E D U M A L O N AT
This gives a bird’s-eye view R U E D E L A P R E F E C T U R E RUE DE L’ANCIEN SENAT . Palais Lascaris
18th-century statues of Mars
and Venus flank the staircase.
The trompe l’oeil ceiling is by trompe l’oeil ceiling is by trompe l’oeil
of towns or districts of P L A C E PA L A I S D U RUE ST GAETAN R U E B A R I L L E R I E R U E J U L E S - G I L LY Genoese artists.
special interest. R U E R A O U L G A U T I E R P L A C E E S
P L A C E
P I E R R E
F E L I
R U E A L E X A N D R E M A R I RUE L GASSIN C H A R L X
. Cours Saleya B O S I O S A L E YA
T The site of an enticing vegehe site of an enticing vegetable C O U R S
and flo
and flower market, it is also a lively wer market, it is also a lively Q U A I D E S E TAT S - U N I S
area at night. RUE ST-F DE PAULE Tourist Train
A suggested route for a walk It passes the market, old
town and castle gardens.
covers the most interesting One of Nice’s most 0 metres 0 yards 100 100
Les Ponchettes
unusual architectural
streets in the area. low white buildings along
features is the row of
the sea-front once used
by fishermen, now a
Opera House mix of galleries and
ethnic restaurants.
Built in 1855, the ornate and sumptuous Key
Opéra de Nice has its entrance just off the
quai des Etats-Unis. Suggested route
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp198–201 and pp208–217
80  PROVENCE AREA B Y AREA
Fondation Maeght La Partie de VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Campagne (1954)
Nestling amid the umbrella pines in the hills above St-Paul . Cour Giacometti Fernand Léger lends Practical Information For all the top sights, a Visitors’
his unique vision to the
de Vence, this small modern art museum is one of the world’s Slender bronze figures by classic artistic scene of 623 chemin Gardettes, St-Paul-
finest. Aimé and Marguerite Maeght were Cannes art dealers Alberto Giacometti, such a country outing. de-Vence. Tel 04 93 32 81 63.
as L’Homme Qui Marche I
Open 10am–6pm daily (Jul–Sep:
who numbered the likes of Chagall, Matisse and Miró among (1960), inhabit their own to 7pm). Closed 24 & 31 Dec. & Checklist provides the practical
their clients and friends. Their private collection formed the shady courtyard or - = Library. ∑ fondation-
basis for the museum, which opened in 1964. Like St-Paul appear about the maeght.com
itself, the Maeght has been a magnet for celebrities: Duke grounds as if they information you will need to
have a life of
Ellington, Samuel Beckett, André Malraux, Merce their own.
Cunningham and, of course, a galaxy of the artists
themselves have mingled at fundraising events. The plan your visit.
museum now receives over 200,000 visitors each year.
La Vie (1964)
Marc Chagall’s painting is
full of humanity: here is love,
parenthood, religion, society,
nature; all part of a swirling,
circus-like tableau of dancers
and musicians, acrobats
and clowns.
. Labyrinthe de Miró
Joan Miró’s l’Oiseau Lunaire (1968) is one
of the many statues in this multi-levelled
maze of trees, water and gargoyles.
Oiseau dans le Feuillage (1961) 6 The Top Sights
Georges Braque’s bird nestles
amongst “foliage” made of newsprint. 6These are given two or
Braque was highly influential in the
Les Renforts (1963) creation of the Fondation, but died
before he could see the museum
One of many works of art that greet arriving finally opened to the public. more pages. Important
visitors, Alexander Calder’s creation is a “stabile”
– a counterpart to his more familiar mobiles.
KEY Gallery buildings are dissected
Guide
1 Cowled roofs allow indirect The permanent
light to filter into the galleries. The collection is
building was designed by Spanish comprised entirely to reveal their interiors;
architect Josep Lluis Sert. of 20th-century art.
2 Les Poissons is a mosaic pool The only items on
designed by Georges Braque in 1963. permanent view are the
3 Chapelle St-Bernard was built large sculptures in the museums have colour-
in memory of the Maeghts’ son, who grounds. The indoor galleries L’Eté (1917)
died in 1953, aged 11. Above the display works from the Pierre Bonnard settled in Provence
altarpiece, a 12th-century Christ, is collection in rotation but, for the last 22 years of his life, becoming coded floorplans to help
in summer, only temp, only temporary
a stained-glass window by Braque. in summer Main entrance and a close friend of Aimé Maeght. Matisse
exhibitions are held. information called Bonnard “the greatest of us all”.
you locate the most
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp198–9 and pp208–11
interesting exhibits.
The gallery guide explains the layout of
the museum and gives details on the
arrangement and display of the collection.