Villefranche sur Mer | French Riviera - Cote d'Azur

Villefranche is situated on the French Riviera and it has a population of just fewer than 7,000; (Niçard: Vilafranca de Mar, Italian: Villafranca Marittima) is a special place.

It is a small town and commune in the Alpes Maritimes département.

It is also a pretty little coastal port with a natural deep harbour - the town feels more real than some of its bigger and more glitzy Riviera neighbours.

Set in the heart of one of the world's most beautiful bay, the town is often called: "the terraced hills of the Riviera" - facing the sea.

Man has settled the site of what are now Villefranche and surrounding Beaulieu sur Mer and Saint Jean Cap Ferrat since prehistoric times.

Celto-ligurian tribes roamed the area and established farming communities on the hills surrounding.

The Greeks and later the Romans used the natural harbour as a stopover en route to the Greek settlements around the Western Mediterranean.

After the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar, the Romans built an extension of the Via Aurelia (Aurelian Way), which passed through the settlement of Montolivo.

By the fall of the Carolingian Empire, the area was part of Lotharingia and later part of the County of Provence.

In 1295, Charles II, Duke of Anjou, then Count of Provence, enticed the inhabitants of Montolivo and surroundings to settle closer to the coastline in order to secure the area from pirates.

By charter, he established Villefranche as a "free port" thus the name, granting tax privileges and port fee rights that lasted well into the 18th Century.

By 1388, East Provence became part of the Duchy of Savoy as a result of the disputed succession to the heirless Queen Joan I of Naples.

For the next 400 years, the area known as the County of Nice was hotly disputed between the Holy Roman Empire to which Savoy was an ally and the French.

In 1543, the Franco-Turkish armies sacked and occupied the city after the siege of Nice, prompting Duke Emmanuel Philibert to secure the site by building an impressive citadel and a fort on nearby Mont Alban.

In the late 17th century, the area fell to the French but was returned to Savoy after the Peace of Utrecht.

During the 18th century, Villefranche lost of its maritime importance to the new harbour being built in Nice but remained a military and naval base.

In 1744, a Franco-Spanish army under the Prince of Conti overran Sardinian entrenchments in the heights above the town (then part of Piedmont).

In 1793, the French occupied once again Villefranche and the county of Nice remained part of the Napoleonic Empire until 1814.

It was returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia by the Congress of Vienna. In 1860, as a consequence of the Risorgimento, it was given to France by treaty following a plebiscite.

By the late 19th century it had become an important Russian Navy base and the Russians established an oceanographic laboratory in the Old Lazaret.

The site was also the winter residence for royalties and wealthy visitors.

After World War I, the United States Navy called on a regular basis and the town became the home port of the U.S. 6th Fleet from 1948 to 1966.

Since the 1980’s Villefranche has become a noted cruise ships port of call, the first in importance in France.

The harbour: Port de la Santé has its special quay where the large cruise ships embark and disembark the tourists.

The building houses the Customs and the Maritime Affairs Office.

The bay (rade) of Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbours of any port in the Mediterranean Sea.

It provides safe anchorage for large ships, reaching depths of 95 m (320 ft) between the Cape of Nice and Cap Ferrat.

It extends to the south to form a 500 m (1700 ft)n abyss known as the undersea Canyon of Villefranche at about one nautical mile off the coastline.

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More History: Rue Obscure

The Rue Obscure or Dark Street in English, for better understanding the real meaning will be Hidden Street.

Just a street now but it was a road before located under the city.

It is not built underground, but the buildings in this area were built over the road.

All of the buildings, including houses, that are built here have access from this hidden road.

The road was built this way to protect the people from the town and allow them to travel unharmed during attacks during the town more violent past.

Evidently, the town was overtaken by barbarians in the fifth century and the villagers fled to the hills.

In 1295 the Duke of Provence was being threatened by the Turks and asked the villagers to move back into the town to protect the town and stop the Turks from gaining control and attacking Nice.

The villagers agreed, after they were given tax free status, hence the name of the town: Ville (town) franche (without taxes) and the need for protected walkways through the city.

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Videos

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Geography

Villefranche sur Mer is located about 4 miles (6km) east of the city of Nice.

It isseparated by Mont Boron, Mont Alban and Mont Vinaigrier, and 6 miles (10km) west of Monaco.

The city limits extend to the hills surrounding the bay climbing from sea level to an altitude of 1750 ft (520 m) at Mont-Leuze.

The three "Corniches" or main roads linking Nice to Italy pass through Villefranche and offer spectacular vistas of the coast and surrounding hills.

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Festivals

We really know on the French Riveria how to take advantage of our benign climate - February witnesses a whole series of festivals (Menton Lemons, Nice Flowers and Carnival, Mimosas).

Here in Villefrance we celebrate a Battle of the Flowers on water - in the Port de la Santé (which literally translates as Health Port) , fun guaranteed!.

Traditional fishing boats (“pointus”) decorated with local flowers (carnations, mimosas) arranged in different motifs are in the harbour and a flower battle ensues between the boats whilst there are various other attractions on the quayside.

When you come here, don't miss it out!

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Sights

On the water's edge is the massive wall and Citadel.

It is a fortress built in 1557 by Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.

Today, the Citadel houses the Town Hall, a congress centre, three museums, and an open air theatre.

Do not forget to pay a visit to la Chapelle Saint Pierre also called la Chapelle Jean Cocteau on the Quai Courbet.

It is an ancient Romanesque Chapel dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint of fishermen, entirely restored and decorated by Jean Cocteau.

On the hills surrounding, the fort of Mont Alban offers an incomparable view of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and the Eastern coastline as far as Italy.

From the Plateau Saint-Michel, the view stretches westward to the Bay of Angels in Nice, Cap d'Antibes and the Esterel in the distance more than 25 miles (40 km) away.

On a clear winter day, one may also observe the mountains of Corsica in the distance.

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Miscellaneous

The moderate climate, sandy beaches, and ambiance of its Old Town make Villefranche sur Mer a popular tourist stops.

Currently, real estate prices are such that property here is affordable by only the very wealthy.

Stunning estates such as the Villa Leopolda (former residence of King Leopold II), La Bastide (built by Lord Salisbury), Villa Schiffanoia, Castèu Cansoun de la Mar or Domaine du Castelet are but a few examples of the wealth and luxury surrounding the magnificent bay.

In the past, Villefranche sur Mer was home to personalities as Katherine Mansfield, Jean Cocteau and Aldous Huxley and today its famous residents include Tina Turner who just bought also two huge properties in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.

The old town and the bay have offered for years a natural set for movie makers.

Among many productions to name just a few:

Adventures of Captain Fabian,
Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief ,
The Count of Monte Cristo,
An Affair to Remember,
The Madwoman of Chaillot with Katharine Hepburn,
Never Say Never with Sean Connery,
The Jewel of the Nile with Michael Douglas,
The Bourne Identity with Richard Chamberlain,
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin,
as well as numerous video clips and commercials.

Tip: If there is one place where you must pay a stop for a drink, a coffee or a pleasant stay: it is the Bar-Hotel La Régence at the entrance of the town on your left, you can't miss it!

It is the place where you will have a wireless Internet connection.

But most importantly this is THE friendly place in town.

Arlette, Betty (the owner for more than 30 years) and Thierry her son (also my old friend) will welcome you.

You will certainly find me there when I am on the French Riviera as I come very often!

This is also the headquarters of the students going to the Institut de Français de Villefranche sur Mer, a place where you will learn French as a rocket!

It is an expensive school but very efficient, it worth the investment...

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Villa Nellcôte

In the late 1890s, a former banker, Eugene Thomas, built the imposing villa whose frontage was decorated with ionic columns made out of marble.

At the outset, the villa bore the name of "Amicitia Castle".

In 1919, the villa, since baptized "Nellcôte", was acquired by the Bordes family, famous shipowners specializing in the transport of soda nitrate between Chile and France.

Adding infamy to the residence's history, Nellcôte served as the headquarters of the local Gestapo during the Nazi occupation of France in the early 1940s, with the floor vents in the basement of the villa reportedly being decorated with swastikas.

Nellcôte and its surrounding private beach was leased for an extended period of time during the summer of 1971 by Keith Richards, guitarist for The Rolling Stones.

The Villa was the legendary site for recording sessions of the band's seminal album, Exile on Main Street, #7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Richards, along with the other members of The Rolling Stones, had fled England in response to the large amount of taxes the British government wanted to collect from the band.

Along with his band mates, Richards had to be out of the country by April 5, 1971, or the government would have forcibly confiscated the funds in their bank accounts.

As such, Nellcôte and the south of France became an unlikely refuge for the group of "exiles".

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Twin Towns

Villefranche sur Mer is twinned with:

• Bordighera,  Italy.
• Newport,  United Kingdom.
• Plan les Ouates,  Switzerland.
• Reiskirchen,  Germany.

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Virtual Tours

Choose your viewer, Quicktime or Java by clicking on the corresponding logo.

Old town 1 Old town 2 Quai Courbet Promenade des Marinières Virtual tours courtesy of Philippe Laval for this page. Port de la Santé at night (and other different locations on the French Riviera) Virtual tours courtesy of VRMAG Project for this page.

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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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