Think of Nice and images of the glistening Mediterranean bordering the iconic Promenade des Anglais swim into view. Less well-known are the many sites and neighborhoods that achieved UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2021. According to UNESCO, Nice “reflects the development of a city devoted to winter tourism, making the most of its mild climate and its coastal situation, between sea and mountains.” Jeanne Oliver, author of Nice Uncovered: Walks Through the Secret Heart of a Historic City, explores the tourist heritage of Nice…

UNESCO-listed “Nice Winter Resort Town of the Riviera”

Tourism has defined the development of Nice for well over 200 years. And it’s this that has seen UNESCO recognise the “Outstanding Universal Value” of Nice’s heritage in terms of architecture, landscape and urban planning, and an area of 522 hectares shaped by the cosmopolitan winter resort which has resulted in a spectacular fusion of international cultural influences.

The first tourist was arguably Scotsman Tobias Smollett who praised Nice in his bestseller Travels Through France and Italy published in 1766. His British readers were intrigued and began visiting Nice in the late 18^th century. They first settled on the land west of Cours Saleya, which opened for development after the town walls were destroyed in 1706. Rue François de Paule was considered chic even before the Opera was built in the late 19^th century.

By the beginning of the 19th century the trickle of British visitors turned into a steady stream. They fanned out to what is now the Carré d’Or and clustered in a community around the Croix de Marbre. Stores selling products from home sprouted up in the neighborhood they called “Newborough”.

How Nice developed due to tourists

These early Brits avoided the crowded, dirty streets of the Old Town but they liked to stroll the rue des Ponchettes which bordered the square Cours Saleya which was turned into a garden promenade. However, to access the walkways, they had to cross a bridge which spanned the Paillon river and then make their way through the Old Town. In 1822 the Reverend Lewis Way of Nice’s new Anglican Church raised money to construct a path along the sea, easily accessible from their neighborhood. The path, Chemin des Anglais, was completed in 1824. It reached from the western banks of the Paillon river to rue Meyerbeer. Over the course of the 19^th century, it was extended west and eventually became the Promenade des Anglais.

A stroll west along the Promenade reveals spectacular examples of Belle Epoque architecture. The Villa Masséna, now the Masséna Museum, is a fine example of a private villa on the Promenade, while the Hotel Negresco heads a procession of elegant 19^th century hotels.

Nice’s 19th-century rulers, the Dukes of Savoy, quickly recognized the potential of the “distinguished foreign visitors” which included Russians, Germans, and Americans. From the mid-19th century onward, every urbanization decision taken was aimed at increasing the comfort and enjoyment of holidaymakers. Foreign tourists liked exotic vegetation? Let’s plant the Promenade des Anglais with palm trees! Foreign tourists liked gardens? The Jardin Albert 1er became a 19th-century seaside park, while the ruins of the old Colline du Chateau became a hilltop park with sea views.

Architectural style

The opening of the Nice train station in 1864 shortly after Nice became part of France in 1860, sparked the development of the Quartier des Musiciens. Boulevard Victor Hugo was the first street to be laid out and the rest followed in a grid pattern. Fabulous Belle Epoque residences such as the Palais Baréty were followed by a new style, Art Deco, in the interwar period.

The verdant hill of Cimiez already had a few Belle Epoque hotels even before Queen Victoria chose the Excelsior Regina Hotel as her preferred holiday spot in 1895. Within a decade the entire neighborhood was transformed from farmland to a playground for European nobility. The stately apartment buildings now lining the Boulevard de Cimiez were designed as hotels and followed contemporary tastes. When Orientalism came into vogue at the turn of the 20th century, minarets were chosen to adorn the Hotel Alhambra.

Another neighborhood favored by 19th-century Brits was Mont Boron, the hill between Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer. In 1891 they founded the l’Association Des Amis Des Arbres to protect trees and wooded areas against over-development. The Chateau de l’Anglais, built by Colonel Robert Smith was inspired by his tour of duty in India and brings a touch of exoticism to this forested hill.

Just as the British aristocracy congregated in Cimiez and Mont Boron, the Russian aristocracy followed Tsar Alexander II to the Piol neighborhood after he wintered there in 1864. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, consecrated in 1912, testifies to the long Russian presence in Nice.

A world famous heritage site

The only part of the more than 500-hectare UNESCO-protected area that had little to do with tourism development is Port Lympia. It was vital to Nice’s export trade however and most of it does date from the late 19th-century.

Nice’s World Heritage designated area covers almost all the city’s highlights except for one surprising omission. The winding streets of Vieux Nice north of Cours Saleya are not UNESCO listed. Most of the baroque churches and pastel buildings date from the 18th century and thus are before Nice’s development as a tourist destination.

Jeanne Oliver is a travel writer who lives in Nice. She is the author of Nice Uncovered: Walks through the Secret Heart of a Historic City. Find out more at jeanneoliver.net

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Each year there is a contest in France in which the French vote for their favourite monument. Every region puts forward a candidate and a TV Show features each monument and the public get to decide who the winner is.

It’s not an easy choice, more than a dozen truly magnificent venues are put forward each year. In 2022 the list consisted of:

The Cherbourg Transatlantic Maritime Station and the Le Redoutable submarine in Normandy

The largest visitable submarine in the world and the Transatlantic Maritime station, in its time, the largest construction in France after Versailles. An aquarium, exhibitions, permanent collection – it’s an extraordinary ode to maritime history. This was the winner of France’s 2022 contest for Favourite Monument of the French

The Rock and the Chapel of Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

The chapel built on top of a tall rock is nothing short of mind-blowing. How did they do it? 268 steps to the top, the work that must have been involved in building this incredible monument is simply astonishing.

The Château d’Azay-le-Rideau in the Centre-Val de Loire

A romantic 16^th century castle on its own island in the middle of the Indre river in the Loire Valley – the Chateau of Azay le Rideau is utterly irresistible.

The prehistoric site of Filitosa in Corsica

The 8000 year old megalithic site in southern Corsica is truly stunning. Statues-menhirs and monuments trace the footsteps of one of the earliest civilisations on the island of beauty.

Read more about Corsica

The Chapel of the Maison Saint-Yves in Brittany

The chapel, a jewel of art deco style, was opened to the public in 2017. In the lovely Saint-Brieuc area, it’s just another reason to fall in love with Brittany’s Cote d’Armor.

Fontenay Abbey in Burgundy-Franche-Comté

Founded by Saint Bernard in 1118, the Abbey of Fontenay is one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in France. Following Saint Bernard’s careful layout, visitors first explore the church, followed by the dormitory, the cloisters, the chapter house, the scriptorium, the warming room and the forge. It is one of the first French monuments to have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Fort of Schoenenbourg in the Grand Est

30 metres underground, 3 kilometres of galleries of the famed Maginot line a  vast fortified defence line built in the early 20^th century. A visit to this preserved section in Schoenenbourg near Riquewihr Alsace, speaks of the past.

The historic mining center of Lewarde in Hauts-de-France

Discover three centuries of the history of mining in France, a jewel of industrial heritage near Lens.

The Zévallos Habitation in Guadeloupe (Overseas)

In the overseas ‘department’ of France in sunny Guadeloupe, the heritage site and gardens are being restored and preserved.

The Castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte in Île-de-France

The Chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte was commissioned by Louis XIV’s finance Minister Nicholas Fouquet. He lavished money on the design, employing the best artisans of the day. It took 20 years to build and Fouquet intended it to be good enough to house a King and invited Louis XIV to stay when it was complete. The King in a fit of jealousy threw Fouquet in prison – surely only by stealing could a non-royal build a better home than the King. Later Louis built Versailles. Never again would anyone outshine him…

The Rochefort Transporter Bridge in New Aquitaine

Inaugurated in July 1900, this is the last working ferry bridge in France. Travel back through history when you cross the River Charente on this extraordinary heritage mobile bridge near the historic city of Rochefort.

Saint-Martin-du-Canigou Abbey in Occitanie

Discover a thousand years of history at the 11^th century abbey built on a rock promontory near Perpignan.

The Robert Tatin Museum in Pays de la Loire

This weird, whacky and wonderful monument was the home of extraordinary French artist Robert Tatin. It features a walkway of giants, and the most incredible home which looks like it has been beamed to the countryside of Laval from an ancient south American site…

The Synagogue of Carpentras in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

The oldest active Synagogue in France, this 14^th century monument in Carpentras in Provence, is exceptionally beautiful and historic.

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live in a chateau? Nearly half of France’s 44,000 heritage sites are castles in various states of repair and author Catherine Scotto embarked on a journey to find out who lived in these medieval fortresses, and what they were like inside…

From the moment that Jean-Louis Remilleux took in hand the extraordinary feat implied in its preservation, Digoine, nestling in its vast Burgundian demesne, can once again reveal its splendor. The château invites us to take a nostalgia-free deluxe promenade through the universe of this captivating art collector.

The Never-Ending Story

Remilleux is a lucky man. A former journalist who currently produces the TV program Secrets d’Histoire, he explains his success as follows: Before buying Digoine in 2012, he had owned the Château de Groussay (just west of Versailles), the celebrated residence of Charles de Beistegui, which he sold after ten years of passionate loving care. In order to be able to afford Groussay he had sold a small eighteenth-century house in the Berry region. He started from nothing—but not everything can be explained by chance.

A great lover of decorative art, whose expertise and aesthetic make him the envy of his profession, he is a prudent collector whose taste was formed at a very early age in the flea markets of Paris and London, as well as in auction houses. “I’ve done the only thing I know how to do: please myself,” he explains by way of justification, accusing himself of a bulimic urge to acquire the inordinate number of books, items of furniture and works of art that surround him. Jean-Louis Remilleux has found in the Château de Digoine an endless playground, endowed with hundreds of hectares of land, a pond, and several outbuildings, which he is restoring with gusto.

But this is a man for whom nothing is set in aspic. In September 2015 he sold off part of Digoine’s furnishings to Christie’s. “When I run out of space, I sell something off. Rather like being at the casino, where you cash in your chips and leave. I am fond of my possessions, but they are not human: they remain objects.”

Within five years the empty spaces left by these sales have already been filled up again. The decor of each room is executed with exquisite taste, the fruit of feverish trips to antique shops, or the painstaking study of auction house catalogs. Remilleux never tires of telling the story of his finds; to follow him through the maze of his château is to be guaranteed protection against boredom.

Every piece of furniture, every painting and every ornament provides the backdrop to an enthusiastic digression, peppered with hilarious anecdotes that cannot fail to amuse the listener. A natural storyteller, he considers himself both lucky and lazy, but is a man of true culture notwithstanding, combined with a strong will. “Ornaments, whether taken separately or together, besides the fact that they are poems, are a way for the connoisseur to express himself in secret, to whisper secrets to all and sundry,” as Paul Morand aptly puts it in L’Enfant de cent ans. Jean-Louis Remilleux’s residence is far more than a pretty interior.

Everything had to be started from scratch in the case of Digoine; fortunately, the sale of Groussay, coming as it did as a sort of miraculous manna from heaven, rendered the task that much easier. “I’ve been here ten years now; who knows, perhaps one day I’ll grow tired of it. People are prisoners of family ties. As for me, I didn’t inherit a château and can sell it if the fancy takes me. I like to vary my pleasures.”

A diversionary tactic? It’s difficult to imagine Jean-Louis Remilleux abandoning the peaceful Charolais-Brionne countryside…

The Story of Digoine

The lords of Digoine had owned the terrain that bears their name since the eleventh century. Following the marriage of Marie de Digoine to Robert de Damas, the ancient medieval castle began to take on the aspect we recognize today. The Damas of Digoine thought big: the construction had to be rock solid. Two imposing towers protected the north façade, while two others were constructed at the end of the south esplanade, enclosed by dry moats.

When the wealthy Reclesne family bought the demesne in the eighteenth century, the castle was turned into a château de plaisance. Transformations, in which architect Edme Verniquet played a key role from 1750 on, lasted fifty years. The founder of the School of Fine Arts in Dijon and a friend of Buffon, Verniquet had participated in the laying out of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, as well as designing several imposing townhouses in the capital.

Throughout his career the architect was responsible for designing a dozen or so châteaux in his native Burgundy, including that of Digoine. Under his supervision the austere north façade was endowed with a double colonnaded portico, a pilastered top floor surmounted with a carved trophy (in the eighteenth century the term “trophy” referred to military exploits), and superb wrought-iron balconies. The metamorphosis reached its apotheosis with the entrance to the south façade, adorned with two high French windows and a neoclassical pediment. The two medieval towers surrounding the new construction were graced with lantern domes.

The first half of the nineteenth century saw Digoine at its most splendid. Its new owners, Count Aimé de Chabrillan, chamberlain to Napoleon, and Countess Zéphyrine Olympe de Choiseul Gouffier, heiress of Digoine, continued the transformation, adding a heated greenhouse, a library and a small theatre in which Jacques Offenbach and Sarah Bernhardt performed. The count, whom Remilleux nicknames “Le Beistegui de Digoine,” had benches installed in the vestibule, bas-reliefs, and consoles supported by legs carved in the shape of lions’ paws, designed by Clodion, which the Count had inherited: they came from the monumental nymphaeum of the Hôtel de Besenval (now the Swiss Embassy) in Paris.

Digoine was sold in 1908 to the Marquis de Croix, who bequeathed it to his descendants. When Remilleux bought the château in 2012, it was empty. However, he succeeded in buying some of its furniture during a large auction organized by auctioneers Beaussant-Lefèvre. Having made further improvements with the help of pieces from his own collection, he embarked on an enormous restoration: floors, paintwork, roof repairs, electricity, and the installation of cast-iron radiators. An additional, prestigious project is on the horizon: the restoration of the small amateur theatre, designed in 1842.

Extracted from French Chateau Style: Inside France’s Most Exquisite Private Homes Text by Catherine Scotto.

Images by Marie Pierre Morel.

Published by Prestel, 2022

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Paris is a city of contrasts. Light and dark. Old and new. Past and present. Erased from the memories of most Parisians, however, is the Palais du Trocadéro. This ephemeral construction of grandeur was richly imagined for the Paris World Fairs Expositions Universelle. Paris hosted seven world fairs beginning in 1855 and ending in 1937. Visitors flocked from around the world. And in 1900, Paris broke records with more than 50 million visitors and 83,000 exhibitors at that year’s Fair.

 Palais du Trocadéro

The Palais du Trocadéro was built for the Exposition Universelle of 1878 by architect Gabriel Davioud. He was a colleague of Georges-Eugène “Baron” Haussmann. He was the urban planner responsible for the spectacular renovation of Paris during the reign of Napoléon III in the mid-19th century. Davioud designed most of the Parisian street furniture we see today. Benches, lamp-posts, signposts, fences, balustrades, kiosks, pavilions, bandstands, monuments and fountains.

The Palais du Trocadéro was built on the hill of Chaillot, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower in the 16th arrondissement. The Palais was named in honour of the 1823 Battle of Trocadéro. The fortified Isla del Trocadero in Spain was captured by French forces under the leadership of the Duc d’Angoulême, the son of Charles X. Davioud conceived the elaborate palace as a pastiche of Byzantine and Moorish architecture. It was to be a place where meetings of international organizations could be held during the fair.

There was a large concert hall flanked by two 76-meter (249-foot) towers. The hall contained a large organ built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. It was the first large organ to be installed in a concert hall in France. You can see it at the Auditorium Maurice Ravel in Lyon where it is still in use. The building proved unpopular. However the cost of its construction delayed its replacement for nearly 50 years. Only in 1937 was the central building finally demolished.

Palais de Chaillot

It was replaced by the Palais de Chaillot for the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques held in 1937. The wings of the Palais du Trocadéro were reused for the Chaillot building. It’s now home to four cultural institutions: the City of Architecture and Heritage, the National Maritime Museum, the Musée de l’Homme and Chaillot – National Dance Theater.

Often left off of tourist itineraries, the Palais de Chaillot is worth visiting for the magnificent architecture as well as the extraordinary museums. Plus there is a wonderful view over the Eiffel Tower and the Champs du de Mars from the Esplanade des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme, between the two wings. And there are several places to eat. Pop to the Café de l’Homme, at the back of the back of the Musée de l’Homme. It’s one of the favourite spots for Parisians in summer with a terrace overlooking the tower.

The space between the palais and the Seine is set with gardens and fountains, designed by Jean-Charles Alphand. Two large animal statues stood there once – a rhinoceros and an elephant. They were removed and stored during the demolition of the old palace, and have been located next to the entrance of the Musée d’Orsay since 1986.

Statue of Liberty in Paris

The head of the Statue of Liberty was also showcased in the garden until it was packed in one of 214 wooden crates for shipment to the United States. The Statue of Liberty was designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. It was given by the people of France to the United States and dedicated in situ in 1886. There are more than 100 replicas of the iconic statue including more than 30 in France!

Sue Aran lives in the Gers department of southwest France where she runs French Country Adventures which provides private, personally-guided, small-group food & wine adventures into Gascony, the Pays Basque, Tarn and beyond…

More on old Paris

Rue Mouffetard – one of the oldest streets in Paris

Stohrer – one of the oldest cake shops in Paris

Sainte-Chapelle, the church that’s like a jewel box

Clos Montmartre, the secret vineyard of Paris

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The Palais du Bardo was built for the Exposition Universelle of 1867 in the 14th arrondissement at Parc Montsouris. It was designed by the French architect, Alfred Chapon. The original Bardo Palace was the 13th-century royal residence of the Hafsid family, located in the suburbs of Tunis. It was one of the most important museums of the Mediterranean basin, tracing the history of Tunisia over several millennia. Chapon carefully recreated a reduced-scale replica of the Bardo Palace in Tunisia in pure Moorish style. Six statues of lions flanked the staircase of honor that led to a brilliantly green-tiled, colonnaded courtyard evoking A Thousand and One Nights. The Bey of Tunis rested here during his visits to the expo in a private bed chamber with an adjoining harem room.

After the expo, the City of Paris bought the Palais and commissioned a redesign by Gabriel Davioud. It accommodated housing for the staff of the astronomical and meteorological Observatoire de Paris, installed on its premises in 1876. In 1974 the building had deteriorated to such an extent that its occupants were evacuated. A fire destroyed it completely in 1991.

Most buildings of the Expositions Universelle were meant to be temporary. Only a few vestiges remain, most famously the Eiffel Tower (1889), the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Alexandre III Bridge (1900), the Palais de la Porte Dorée (1931) and the Palais de Chaillot and Palais de Tokyo (1937). But you’ll find drawings, paintings and maps of all the buildings created at the Musée Carnavalet museum.

The Palais du Trocadero – another lost monument of Paris

Sue Aran lives in the Gers department of southwest France where she runs French Country Adventures which provides private, personally-guided, small-group food & wine adventures into Gascony, the Pays Basque, Tarn and beyond…

More on old Paris

Maison Sennelier art shop – a blast from the past

Step back in time at Maison Soubrier Antiques

Hotel de la Marine

Opera Garnier – a mini Versailles

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Before the French Revolution, France wasn’t centralised as it is now. Though ruled by the French King, regions were effectively governed by local aristocracy and the church. They were the main landowners, the holders of political and economic power. Regions often did their own thing administratively and language. It’s estimated that only around half of France spoke French at the time of the Revolution. The rest spoke different dialects – Breton, Occitan, Basque, Flemish and more. Over time, French replaced the local languages and local cultures became diminished.

After the French Revolution, government, systems and rules were centralised. And so was the language. But in some regions, such as the Pyrénées-Orientales, the cultural identity of the past remains strong and is revered and celebrated by the locals…

Culture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department

The Pyrénées-Orientales in the far south of France borders Spain and is lapped by the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a department that boasts a variety of landscapes, golden sandy beaches, rocky coast, a large rural area and agricultural plains, mountains and valleys. Despite the diversity in landscapes, the people are united by their Catalan heritage and the department is also known as the “Catalan Pyrenees” or “Le Pays Catalan”, the Catalan Country.

Catalan is a Romance language, spoken for at least 1000 years and originating in Catalonia on the Spanish side. Catalonia was once a larger area which in the middle ages encompassed part of France – now the Pyrénées-Orientales. A roughly triangular region in Spain’s far north-east corner, Catalonia is separated from southern France by the snow-peaked Pyrenean mountains. After the French beat Spain at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1658, a treaty ceded the northern parts of Catalonia to the French crown, and the area has remained French ever since. But many communities in the Pyrénées-Orientales have never forgotten their heritage.

The Catalan language has never died, even though for a period it was illegal. You’ll see street signs with text in bright red, set against a rich yellow background, the colours of Catalonia. Many houses display the Catalan flag and Perpignan, the department capital is the biggest Catalan city after Barcelona.

Catalan specialities are proudly served in restaurants and traditions such as folk songs and dances, especially the Sardana, a community dance, are performed with enthusiasm.

Top places to visit in the Pyrénées-Orientales

This is a land of contrasts where it is possible to lie in the sun on a Mediterranean beach in the morning and ski in the mountains in the afternoon. There are glorious vineyards, olive groves and hiking through forests and up mountains and through enchanting villages. The enormous Corbières and Fenouillèdes National Park is home to outstanding natural beautify and forty classified sites, plus numerous castles and monuments.

The main city of Perpignan is a recognised ‘Art Deco Town’ and it’s also where you will find the 13th century Palace of the Kings of Majorca. Palm tree lined streets, colourful markets, elegant shaded squares and beautiful mansions make Perpignan a fabulous place to visit. There are charming towns like Ceret, with its cobbled streets and quirky cafes plus beautiful and Collioure on the coast.

In this most beautiful and unspoiled part of France you’ll discover a land rich in history and a warm welcome…

Property guide to Pyrénées-Orientales

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Department stores and shopping malls are so often banal and uninspired. But in Paris, there is a department store interior of such exquisite beauty that your first glimpse of it will be forever etched upon your memory. It’s a catch-your-breath moment that will rank with your very first view of the Eiffel Tower, the sails of the Sydney Opera House or the spires of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. And yes, we really are talking about a department store: the incomparable Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann – and most particularly its ornate glass domed ceiling or cupola.

History of the glass dome of Galeries Lafayette

From modest beginnings in 1893, by 1912 the building had been transformed into a sinuous and flowing Art Nouveau-influenced landmark, complete with an astonishing neo-Byzantine-infused polychrome glass cupola. It was created by master glassworker Jacques Grüber. In 1932, the building underwent a renovation that introduced some ‘modern’ angular and faceted Art Deco elements into its structure and decoration. Despite the blending of these different architectural styles, the inherent elegance of the building avoided jumbled pastiche.

With the outbreak of war with Germany in 1939, memories were revived of the catastrophic impact of explosive concussion on stained glass cathedral windows in northern France in the previous war, 1914-1918. Fearing the shattering of the glass cupola in this new conflict, in 1940 the coloured glass of the dome was painstakingly removed for safekeeping.

The mystery of Galeries Lafayette’s missing glass

While this precaution was understandable, it was to prove unnecessary. Paris came under bombardment neither during the German occupation in May 1940, nor during the withdrawal in August 1944. But ironically, some of the coloured glass was lost completely. After the war, nobody could recall where all of the cupola’s glass was hidden and its location remains a mystery to this day. With no colour photography for guidance, the cupola’s missing polychrome glass was replaced with largely clear glass. Essentially, the stained glass dome forms an immense flower comprised of 10 luminous sections stretching over a total of 1000m². It’s one of the most visited monuments in Paris.

The glass is regularly checked and underwent a restoration recently to ensure it remains in tip top condition. The glass panels are removed at night to be cleaned at a workshop in Paris. The panels are replaced with temporary panels so that visitors to the store don’t miss out.

The store’s unique profile is beloved by Parisians and visitors alike. Its physical scale and layout – being 70,000 square metres (750,000 square feet) accommodated over eight open levels – means that the experience of being in the Galeries Lafayette is impressive while nevertheless maintaining a sense of human intimacy and avoiding monumental intimidation.

And the spot where you will most likely experience that connection with the art and enduring warm spirit of Galleries Lafayette is in the middle of the ground floor, staring up into the dazzling glass cupola.

Galleries Lafayette is located at 40 Boulevard Haussmann in the 9^th arrondisement of Paris.

By Brad Allan, writer and wine tasting host in Melbourne, Australia and frequent visitor to France…

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26 reasons to fall head over heels for France! Everyone has their own personal reason for falling in love with France. For some it’s the Eiffel Tower, for others it’s boulangeries or fromageries. For some it’s sipping a glass of Sancerre in Sancerre or indulging in a ripe Camembert in its home town in Normandy. We asked Martine-Bertin Peterson of Goût et Voyage cultural and gastronomic tours of France, what her favourite French things are…

Apéro, bread, cafés

Apéro. This delightful tradition is such a pleasant and social way to wind down the day – in a cafe or at home with friends. A glass of wine or pastis or Lillet and some nibbles and good conversation…ahhhh.

Bread. Let’s be honest. Is there any bread, anywhere in the world that can beat an artisanal baguette? I suggest not.

Cafés. This French institution is still alive and well throughout France. Each one is similar yet each one is different- from the view to the regulars to the people watching, nothing compares to the experience of whiling away some time in a French cafe.

Dehilleren, Eze, Fromage

Dehilleren. As a foodie and ardent cook, I cannot resist wandering around cookery stores and E. Dehillerin on rue Coquillière in Paris, is the granddaddy of all cookery stores. Founded in 1820, the store carries every imaginable cooking, cutting and baking tool. Every time I visit, I discover items I never knew I needed but immediately must have – a parsley mill? Bien sûr! A small copper pot for making flambé? How did I live without it!

Eze Village. For one of the best views of the French Riviera and the Mediterranean Sea, take the winding road up from Nice to this charming and glitzy small town. Stroll through the botanical garden featuring a wide variety of succulents and cacti, tour the castle, wander (up, up, up) the narrow streets and pop into the boutiques. Lunch on the terrace at Les Remparts restaurant at the 5-star Chèvre d”Or Hotel is a splurge and a very special treat.

Fromage! Estimates of how many different French cheeses there are range from 250 -1000. Whenever I go to a market, I try to taste as many different ones as I can. The cheese mongers are eager to provide a taste of their wares and it is the best way to discover your favorites.

Gordes, Hermès, Ile-sur-Sorgue

Gordes. One of the prettiest Luberon hill towns, the stone houses precariously perched on the hillside are best viewed in the late afternoon when they are bathed in a golden light.

Hermès. This longtime French luxury brand still maintains all of its cachet. You may not be able to afford a Birkin handbag, but stop into an Hermès boutique and spring for a much more modestly priced signature scarf.  You’ll feel oh so chic and  you’ll marvel at the precise and time-honored wrapping of your purchase.

Ile-sur-Sorgue. This pretty town on the Sorgue River hosts a great Sunday antique market as well as a sprawling traditional market. I love majolica and have picked up several asparagus dishes and strawberry dishes over the years. If you can’t find gifts and souvenirs here, you won’t find them anywhere!

Jams, kugelhopf, lavender

Jams and jellies. The traditional jam and jelly techniques are still alive and well in France. Lovingly prepared jams such as apricot and thyme, melon and mint and sweet cherry are prepared in copper pots according to recipes passed down from generation to generation and will spoil your taste buds forever.

Kugelhopf. A German-style cheesecake baked with raisins and almonds and shaped like a bundt cake is an Alsatian treat. Often served for breakfast, it is a delicious way to fortify yourself before heading out the Christmas markets.

Lavender. There’s a good reason those Provencal fields of lavender garner thousands of likes on Instagram. The lavender fields at the Abbey of Sénanque have been photographed millions of times but go down any small road in Provence at the end of May or early June, and you’ll be rewarded with a riot of purple color and the sweet scent of the blossoms.

Menu, Navettes de Marseille, omelettes

Menu. When dining in France, whether at a small family-owned restaurant or a Michelin starred palace of fine dining, you can never go wrong with the “menu” – the chef’s selection of today’s 3 or 4 course meal. Unlike the often sad and uninspired “prix fixe” menu reserved for those pinching pennies in other countries, savvy French people know the “menu” is often the freshest and best price/performance option.

Navettes de Marseille. The navette is an orange-blossom flavored, boat-shaped cookie which can be found in markets and pastry shops in and around Marseille. One legend has it that the cookie was named to commemorate the voyage of Mary Magdalene and Saint Martha to Marseille by boat. Since they are quite firm,  I enjoy dipping my navettes in a steaming cup of café au lait.

Omelette. I love eggs and fancy myself a pretty good omelet-maker. But my technique pales when presented with a perfectly prepared “omelette aux herbes fines”. It is said that one of the key tests of a French chef is his or her ability to prepare an “omelette a la bave” -a perfectly soft and runny omelet. France’s most famous omelet is that of La Mere Poulard in Mont St. Michel, Normandy.

Pétanque, Quimper, Roussillon

Pétanque. Drive through any small town in Southern France in the late afternoon and you are likely to see a group of older men playing “pétanque” also known as “les boules.” In our busy, digitally-driven world, it is a delight to see this traditional pastime survive.

Quimper. An historic town with half-timbered houses in Brittany. It gives its name to the distinctive faience pottery which has been manufactured there for more than 300 years. The hand-painted table service pieces are decorated with villagers in traditional attire and can turn any kitchen into French country chic.

Roussillon. Dramatic ochre cliffs mark the area around Roussillon. Take a stroll through two marked paths of the sentier d’ocres (the ochre path). And marvel at the contrast between the deep blue sky, dark green trees and red, orange and yellow landscape.

Supermarché, transhumance, Uzès

Supermarché. French supermarkets are a wonder to behold. The variety of yogurt, the selection of wines, the deli and prepared foods sections are superior to any of my supermarkets back home. I particularly like to browse the infant food section –  pureed spinach and salmon, pureed artichokes, pureed carrots and cod.  No wonder French children develop a sophisticated palate an early age.

Transhumance. The seasonal practice of transferring livestock from low pasture to high pasture, and the reverse, often involves herding the animals through town. If you have never seen hundreds of sheep filling the streets of St. Rémy while shepherds, often in traditional attire, coax their animals to move along, you are in for a very unique and charming experience.

Uzès. This city in Le Gard is an easy 40 km from Avignon and not far from the Port du Gard. You can visit the famous Roman bridge and Uzès on the same day.  I love the architecture in Uzès. All of the buildings are made of the same light-colored limestone and so many of the old houses have been restored to their former glory. The heart of Uzès, the lovely Place aux Herbes, is the site of a very lively – and  less touristy- market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Mont Ventoux, wine, Xmas markets, Zut alors!

Mont Ventoux. The highest peak (1909 meters) in Provence, Mont Ventoux towers over the landscape. The ride to the summit has broken the spirit of many a Tour de France cyclist, but you can opt for an easier way to reach the top by driving. Allow 4-5 hours to reach the peak and return. Be sure to stop on the ascent and take in the view of the lavender fields, the Puveze and Groseau Valleys, the Luberon, Ste-Victoire and on a very clear day, Marseille.

Wine. Whether your preference is red, white or rose, a French meal is never complete without a bottle of wine. Contrary to popular perception, the French are not generally wine snobs and are as happy to sip a 12 euro rose as they are to drink a 50-euro Sancerre.

Xmas markets. From late November through December, Christmas markets and fairs take place all across France. My favorites include the the fairy-tale markets in Strasbourg and Colmar as well as the santon markets in Marseille and Arles.

Zut alors! Oh darn (or damn). I couldn’t talk about my love of France without also mentioning my love of the language. Mellifluous, sonorous and often maddeningly frustrating  la guerre, war, is feminine, le sein, the breast is masculine), the French don’t mess around with their language. The venerable Académie Française.

Martine Bertin-Peterson of Gout et Voyage, runs cultural and gourmet tours of Provence where you’ll make heart-warming memories and visit the most magical markets, villages and sites…

The post 26 reasons to fall head over heels for France! appeared first on The Good Life France.

You might think, when you visit Montmartre and gaze at the beautiful church of Sacré-Coeur, perched on a hill in the highest part of Paris, that is has been there for centuries. There is something timeless about the iconic luminous domes, pure white walls and elegant lines. But this is a relatively modern church. The first stone was laid in 1875 and it was consecrated in 1918…

Fascinating facts about Sacré-Coeur

The site is old though the church is new

The hill of Montmartre has been a place of worship since long before anyone dreamed of the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur. Millennia ago, the Gallic druids claimed the top of Montmartre to practice their rituals. When the Romans arrived, they chose this spot to build temples honouring their gods Mercury and Mars. It’s not hard to understand why – it’s the highest natural spot in Paris.

If you pop to the church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, close to the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur you’ll spot four Roman columns. Far less well-known than its more modern neighbour, this church is in fact one of the oldest in Paris, 800 years older than Sacré-Coeur and often missed by visitors. Pop in to admire its medieval nave, Roman temple remnants and to stand where St Thomas A Becket once prayed. It’s also claimed that Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits took his final vows here in the 16^th century.

Sacré-Coeur is one of the most popular sites in Paris

Notre-Dame is officially the most visited church in Paris, Sacré-Coeur is in second place. People visit to admire the beautiful architecture, the glorious interior and for the stunning views. From the steps in front you can gaze over Paris and on sunny evenings at sunset, it is quite spectacular. If you want to get a top deck view, to the left of the Basilica are steps to the top of the dome (you’ll need to buy a ticket) for 360˚ views over the city.

Built to inspire

The Prussian Army defeated the French army in 1870, and the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur was conceived as a symbol of penitence, trust, hope and faith. A public competition was held and architect Paul Abadie was appointed to create the Roman-Byzantine style church with the first stone being laid in 1875. The beautiful white stone used in the construction came from Souppes-sur-Loing quarry in Seine et Marne. It’s essentially a “self-cleaning” stone. The Arc de Triomphe and Pont Alexandre III are built from the same material.

Work went on for years, with the inauguration taking place in 1891. A giant bell was funded by the people of Savoie, at 19 tons, it’s still one of the heaviest in the world and was dragged up the hill by 21 sturdy horses in 1895. The church was finally consecrated in 1919. The name reflects that the church is dedicated to the “sacred heart of Jesus”. It was listed as a historical monument in 2020.

Visiting Sacré-Coeur

The basilica is a “Sanctuary of Eucharistic Adoration and Divine Mercy”. Pilgrims come from all over the world to pray here in “silent adoration”. Each evening after the doors close at 10.30, the prayer relay continues. Those that wish to join the prayers can register to take part. Accommodation is offered (a contribution is welcomed) and you’ll receive a pass to participate in the nighttime adoration which includes mass, song and the chance to pray for an hour or more to ensure continuous relay of prayer through the night. You’ll find details on the Sacré-Coeur website: www.Sacré-Coeur-montmartre.com/english/night-adoration

There are several masses throughout the day and whether you’re a believer or not, there is something majestic and moving as the sound of song and prayer fills the vast interior.

Inside Sacré-Coeur

On the ceiling above the alter is one of the largest mosaics in the world at 475m₂. Created in 1922 by Luc-Olivier Merson it depicts the risen Christ, clothed in white and revealing a golden heart. Surrounding him, a world of adorers is represented, including the Saints who protect France: St Joan of Arc, the Virgin Mary and Saint Michael.

The huge pipe organ of Sacré-Coeur is a national monument, built in 1898 and installed in the church in 1919.

The crypt is worth visiting and contains statues, religious artefacts and tombs.

The Guest house of the Basilica Sacré-Coeur

Of the 10 million or so people who visit this legendary church each year, just a handful are aware of the Maison d’accueil d’Ephrem, the guesthouse of the Basilica of Sacré Coeur. There are 180 beds –  dormitory as well as bedrooms in a grand building next door. Rooms are available to those who wish to pray, visit as part of a pilgrimage or join in the eucharistic adoration, day and night. The guest  house is run by Benedictine Sisters and it’s a unique experience for the faithful. Details: www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/english/guesthouse-and-pilgrimages/

Getting to Sacré-Coeur

There are several metro stations close by but not at the top of the hill. The nearest metro station is Anvers, Line 2.

If you’re a fan of metro stations then alight at Abbesses Station (line 12). If you’re very fit climb the winding staircase to the top (it’s the deepest metro station in Paris) and admire the art on the walls. Beware, it really isn’t for the faint-hearted.

You can climb the main staircase of Montmartre to reach the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur. Or, take the funicular railway using a metro ticket – it’s fun to do as well! There’s also a staircase to the side of the funicular and you can stop for a drink at a bar en route.

There’s also the Montmartrobus which traverses Montmartre. It doesn’t stop at Sacré-Coeur but at Place du Tertre very close by.

More on Montmartre

The secret Vineyard of Paris
Place du Tertre, the artists’ square
5 Must-sees in Montmartre
What to see and do in Montmartre

The post Guide to the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur Paris appeared first on The Good Life France.

The French call their flag Le drapeau tricolore. English speakers know it as the French Tricolore. It’s one of the most iconic flags in European history. But how did it come to be?

The evolution of the French Flag

The flag of France before the French Revolution featured the fleur-de-lis on a blue background. The Bourbon family who ruled from the late 1500’s to the time of the French Revolution (and for a short while in the 1800s) had a white flag with gold fleur-de-Lis.

As a symbol of the despised royal family and aristocracy, come the French Revolution, the fleurs-de-lis had to go. During the uprising the blue and red colours of the Paris flag as we know it, were taken up by the militia. It was based on the blue and red rosettes they wore. They came about  thanks to Marie Joseph Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. He was made commander of the newly formed National Guard (a national police force) in 1789. And he created a rosette of red, white and blue for his force. It’s thought to be the first time the colours were used to represent France.

Now you might think it odd that an aristocrat was appointed to this position when all around him were losing their heads. But he was a hero of the people after going to America to fight in the American Revolution. When he returned he joined the cause of the revolutionaries in France. The colours were adopted for the French flag. And, for a while the flag even featured a rooster, another emblem of France.

The flag underwent a short-lived amendment when Napoleon Bonaparte added gold eagles. Then it was abolished for a few years when France become a constitutional monarchy again (1830-1848). It finally made a come-back when France returned to being a republic.

Read about Picpus Cemetery, Paris where the Marquis de Lafayette, French hero of the American Revolution is buried. Here each year there is a remembrance service on 4th July.

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