Guide to the Cote d’Azur of France: the main attractions, what to see, museums, fortresses, castles, places of battles of the Second World War, interesting places on the map map. Sightseeing, historical and battlefield private tours.
Fortress city Eze (in French Èze)
Postcard from the beginning of the last century. Art publishing house “Yvon”, 14 rue Brittany, Paris. Collection of the Union of Taxi Drivers in Paris and Nice.
Official text: Eze (Alpes-Maritimes). View from the Grand Corniche route from Nice to Menton.
Eze (French: Èze) is a commune in southeastern France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, Alpes-Maritimes department, Nice district, Beausoleil canton. Until March 2015, the commune was administratively part of the abolished canton of Villefranche-sur-Mer (Nice district).
Location: Approximately 12.5 km. from Nice (to the center, a little more to the airport).
The area surrounding Eze was first settled around 2000 BC. as a commune located near Mount Bastide. The earliest mention of the name “Eze” can be found in Antoninus’ nautical books as a bay named Saint Laurent from Eze. A hoard of ancient Greek silver phials dating back to the 3rd century BC was found in Eze at the end of the 19th century and is now part of the collection of the British Museum. Subsequently, this area was occupied not only by the Romans, but also by the Moors, who owned this territory for about 80 years, until they were expelled by William of Provence in 973.
1388 Eze came under the jurisdiction of the House of Savoy, who built the city as a fortified stronghold due to its proximity to Nice. The history of Eze became turbulent several times over the next few centuries, when French and Turkish troops captured the village on the orders of Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1543, and Louis XIV destroyed the walls surrounding the city in 1706 in the War of the Spanish Succession. Finally, in April 1860, Eze was declared part of France by a unanimous decision of the people of Eze.
Eze has been described as an “eagle’s nest” due to its location above a high cliff at 427 meters above sea level in the French Mediterranean. It is so tall that the ocher-lit church inside (Notre Dame de l’Assomption, built in 1764) can be seen from afar. The Egyptian cross inside the church testifies to the ancient roots of the village, when the Phoenicians built a temple there in honor of the goddess Isis.
Traditionally, the territory of the Principality of Monaco was considered to begin in the village of Eze (outskirts of Nice), stretching along the Mediterranean coast to Menton, on the current Italian border.
Attractions, tourism, travel.
Eze, a famous tourist site on the French Riviera, is known worldwide for its panoramic sea views from the top of the hill. Its botanical garden is known for its collection of cacti and succulents, as well as panoramic views. Even Walt Disney spent a lot of time in Eze.
The oldest building in the village is the Chapelle de la Sainte Croix, built in 1306. Members of the Lay Order of the White Penitents of Eze, in charge of helping the victims of the plague, held their meetings here. The shape of the bell tower indicates that the village once belonged to the Republic of Genoa.
The small medieval village is famous for its beauty and charm. Its many shops, art galleries, hotels and restaurants attract a large number of tourists and honeymooners. As a result, Eze has been dubbed by some as a museum village, “museum village”, as few locals live here. From Eze you have a great view of the Mediterranean Sea. The village can be reached by train from Nice via Eze-sur-Mer train station or by bus from Nice. Near the station there is a bus stop, from where buses leave for tourists to the village of Eze.
The motto of the village is the phrase Isis Moriendo Renascor (meaning “In death I am reborn”), and its emblem is a phoenix sitting on a bone. The local dialect (almost extinct) is similar to the Monegasque language of the neighboring Principality of Monaco and is related to Ligurian, but with some Occitan influences.
Eze is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the tourist department of the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur under the name Route des Villages Perchés (Route of towering villages). The rest: Aspremont, Carro, Castagne, Coaraz, Colomar, Duran, Falikon, La Gode, Lantosk, Levens, La Roquette-sur-Var, Saint-Blaise, Saint-Jeannet, Tourette-Levens and Utel (Aspremont, Carros, Castagniers, Coaraze, Colomars, Duranus, Falicon, La Gaude, Lantosque, Levens, La Roquette-sur-Var, Saint-Blaise, Saint-Jeannet, Tourrette-Levens and Utelle).
How to get from Paris, Nice and Cannes
- Sightseeing private tours “The whole Riviera in one day”
- Guided tour from Nice and Cannes to Monaco-Monte-Carlo for one day
- A trip to Italy from the resort towns of the Cote d’Azur (“drop on – drop off”)
Monte Carlo, Cape Martin and the Italian border (M.B. collection)