Vallauris - Golfe Juan | French Riviera - Cote d'Azur

Vallauris - Golfe Juan a commune in the "département" of Alpes-Maritimes on the French Riviera.

It is located in the metropolitan Community of Agglomeration of Sophia Antipolis.

It is a suburb of the city of Antibes, bordering it on its west side. Cannes is at 5 kilometres, Mougins 8 kilometres and Antibes at 5 kilometres.

One does not speak about this place without evoking the pottery, whose origins would go back at the beginning of our era thanks to its basement rich in argillaceous ground and to the wood of the forests of pine of Alep.

In the 16th century, the installation of families coming from the surroundings of Genoa among which many potters make pottery naturally the first "artisanal" and commercial activity of the inhabitants.

The re-birth of pottery was launched by Picasso, who took a great interest in painted decorations on earthenware.

Many of Picasso's works are exhibited in the Ceramics Museum, the Modern Art Museum and the Picasso Museum.

The city boasts more than two hundred master potters.

This traditional activity combined with a mellow Mediterranean atmosphere has made it a place apart on the French Riviera.

Every year, Golfe Juan, the pleasant seaside resort down below Vallauris, celebrates Napoleon's landing on his return to France from the Isle of Elba.

It is in the magnificent setting of Golfe Juan that the city of Vallauris is located.

The panoramic views of the Bay of Cannes, the lles de Lerins, and the Esterel mountains are exceptional.

The old village will charm you with its typical Mediterranean atmosphere.

You will also appreciate the picturesque shoreline from the Quai Saint Pierre to Port Camille Rayon, with its restaurants of Provencal or fish specialities and colourful little shops.

The workmanship can be seen in many different boutiques and in the pottery museum.

The castle museum hosts the International Biennial of Ceramic Arts.

You must not miss the jovial, friendly spectacle of the Provencal market.

Do stroll around the little streets to discover the artists' workshops, the ceramic artists, the olive woodcarving, glassworks, and the local perfume creators.

They will all welcome you with warmth and kindness.

The shore offers a superb view of the Lérins Islands and of the Cap d'Antibes.

Golfe Juan is in the centre of a large natural harbour stretching from Cap d'Antibes to the East, to the Cap de la Croisette to the West, on the outskirts of Cannes.

It was on the beach of Golfe Juan - on March 1st 1815 - that Napoleon I landed on his return from the island of Elba and gave the order to march first towards Cannes and Grasse, then further north: the route taken by Napoleon I as far as Laffrey, a small village to the north of Grenoble, is now known as the "Route Napoléon".

In 1948 when Picasso came to live in the commune where he stayed until 1955.

During his time there, he created a great many sculptures and paintings including War and Peace, which was one of the major artworks of the period.

He also developed a fascination for the two techniques of ceramics and linocuts. As freeman of the town, Picasso greatly contributed to the renaissance of the pottery industry in the 1950s, this mythical golden age and time when everyone was a potter.

Many inhabitants still evoke his presence and that of his contemporaries (Françoise Gilot and her children Claude and Paloma, then Jacqueline Roque, his last partner whom he married in the greatest secrecy at Vallauris town hall in 1961), the bullfights, exhibitions and visits by all kinds of famous people.

In 2007 Jonathan Adler introduced a new line of ceramics named for the town.

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Useful Links and Resources

• City council and Tourism official website.
• The Riviera Times Website (English newspaper).
• The Riviera Reporter Website (English magazine).
• Riviera Radio Website (English radio).
• International Radio Website (English radio).

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