Oct. 3 – 5, 2014 –
The key towns along this part of the coast are very close together. The distance from Antibes to Villefrance is less than ten miles. From here Monaco is only six miles east and the border of Italy is only five miles beyond that. Villefrance shares a peninsula with the city of Nice, the fifth largest city in France and the second largest on the Riviera, behind Marseilles. We cruised close to the Nice harborfront to check it out—a beautiful waterfront city. We then moved on to the harbor at Villefranche to anchor. Several other cruisers had told us Villefrance was one of their favorite villages–an old town that climbs up a steep hill. 
Steep is an understatement. To get to the bus stop for Nice you climb no less than 300 steps. Many of the “streets” in the old town are steps rather than traditional paved roads. The fort on the waterfront was built in 1560.
In 1295 (yes, 1295), the Duke of Provence, feeling threatened by the Saracen Turks, offered the hillside olive farmers tax free status to move down to the waterfront and provide a front line defense against the invaders. The name Villefranche means “town without taxes”.
On Sunday we climbed those 300+ steps and after catching our breath on the 10 minute ride to Nice, we managed to find the central market. It was on my Nice bucket list as the flower market is outstanding. Flowers are a key industry for Nice. The area around Nice and right up into the French Alps north of the city is a major flower growing region. Flowers are not only enjoyed here and shipped all over the world, but they are also used to make soaps, and have resulted in perfume being a major industry. Earlier in the day we visited a very small factory/store that made wonderful soaps with the local fragrances. The variety of flowers in the market was simply amazing!
While at the market we also enjoyed a local treat called socca. It is a chickpea based pancake made like a pizza crust and baked in a brick oven. Traditionally it is served very hot right out of the oven. To accomplish this at an open market, one innovative baker delivers his right from his nearby restaurant to a market tent by a cleverly designed trailer behind his scooter. His assistant cuts and serves the socca while he rides back to pull another one out of the oven. By the way, it was delicious.
From there we headed to the Chagall Museum housing the world’s largest collection of Marc Chagall’s work. A Russian Jew, Chagall studied realistic art in Russia before moving to Paris. He emigrated to the U.S. during World War II to avoid persecution, and then returned to the south of France. He was a well-known artist in his lifetime and was involved in the design of his own museum. Chagall died in 1985. Most of his paintings are inspired by the Old Testament.
Exploring the other areas of Nice we stumbled upon a local celebration. We are not sure what they were celebrating but the costumes and dance were lovely.
(click) Local Dance Celebration Video