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Corniche Inférieure
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The characteristic Côte d'Azur mansions that represent the stylistically incompatible fantasies of their original owners parade along the Corniche Inférieure. Or they lurk screened from view on the promontories of Cap Ferrat, their gardens infested with killer cacti and piranha ponds if the "Défense d'entrer – Danger de Mort" signs are anything to go by.

VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER is just over the other side of Mont Alban from Nice, and has been spared architectural eyesores only to be marred by lurking US and French warships, attracted by the deep waters of the bay. But as long as your visit doesn't coincide with shore leave, the old town on the waterfront, with its active fleet of fishing boats, sixteenth-century Citadel and its rue Obscure running beneath the houses, feels almost like the genuine article – an illusion which the quayside restaurants' prices quickly dispel.

The tiny fishing harbour is overlooked by the medieval Chapelle de St-Pierre, (April–Oct Mon & Wed–Fri 2.30–6.30pm, Sat 10am–1pm & 2.30–6.30pm; Nov–March Mon & Wed–Fri 1.30–5.30pm, Sat 10am–1pm & 1.30–5.30pm; €2), decorated by Jean Cocteau in 1957 in shades he described as "ghosts of colours". The drawings portray scenes from the life of St Peter and homages to the women of Villefranche and to the gypsies. The chapel is used just once a year, on June 29, when local fishermen celebrate the feast day of St Peter and St Paul with a Mass.

On the main road along the neck of the Cap Ferrat peninsula, between Villefranche and Beaulieu, stands the Villa Éphrusi (mid-Feb to mid-Nov 10am–6pm; mid-Nov to mid-Feb Mon–Fri limited visit 2–6pm, Sat & Sun 10am–6pm; €7.63). Built in 1912 for a Rothschild heiress, it overflows with decorative art, paintings, sculpture and artefacts ranging from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and from European to Far Eastern origins. In addition, the villa is surrounded by huge, elaborate gardens.

BEAULIEU, overlooking the pretty Baie des Fourmis, is sheltered by a ring of hills that ensure some of the highest temperatures on the Côte. Its main point of interest is the Villa Kérylos (mid-Feb to June & Sept to mid-Nov daily 10.30am–6pm; July & Aug daily 10.30am–7pm; mid-Dec to mid-Feb Mon–Fri 2–6pm, Sat & Sun 10.30am–6pm; €7), a near-perfect reproduction of an ancient Greek villa, just east of the casino on avenue Gustav-Eiffel. Théodore Reinach, the archeologist who had it built in 1900, lived here for twenty years, eating, dressing and acting like an Athenian citizen, taking baths with his male friends and assigning separate suites to women. However perverse the concept, it's a visual knockout, with faithfully reproduced mosaics and vases and lavish use of marble and alabaster. The villa is only five minutes' walk from the gare SNCF. For those tempted to stay overnight, two economical options are the family-run Hôtel Riviera, at 6 rue Paul Doumer, right in the centre near the sea (tel 04.93.01.04.92, [email protected]; €40–55), and the Select, 1 place Général-de-Gaulle (tel 04.93.01.05.42, fax 04.93.01.34.30; €55–70), which is basic but clean, comfortable and excellent value for this part of the world.


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