On every trip, I try to find a favorite place - a small town, without pomp, without a crowd of tourists. In the French Riviera - it is Eze's town - a romantic old medieval town with a lot of narrow streets, villas, cafés, shops and an exotic garden.
The medieval village of Eze received its name, according to one version, in honor of Isis, the most significant goddess of Ancient Egypt. It's a mountain village in the Alpes, located at an altitude of 427 meters above sea level. It is there that the town of Eze is located, and the famous Fragonard perfume factory operates there.
Quite a long staircase leads to the city from the bus stop. It makes an elegant curve along the hill, and at this moment, the town shows you its most attractive sides. Entering the gate, you find yourself in the world of art galleries and salons, bright paintings of Provencal nature, souvenir masterpieces from local manufacturers. Around there are cafes, various souvenir shops, the Fragonard perfume factory, a small spontaneous fair with Provence products, lavender bouquets and soaps with different aromas.
Eze is a typical medieval stone nest, but due to its proximity to the coast, it is very popular with tourists. In addition, directly from the numerous and rather expensive hotels of the city, magnificent views of the blue of the Cote d'Azur open up. There are several five-star hotels here, which is quite surprising for such a small town. There are also gourmet restaurants with terraces with stunning views.
But we did not come here for haute cuisine, we love medieval buildings and streets. Unfortunately, in July it is difficult to enjoy peaceful walks within the walls of the town. Crowds of tourists, speaking different languages, filled the city.
The town itself is, of course, very interesting. All the streets are paved with old stone, leading up and down, and it turns out like a labyrinth. You walk around and you won’t understand where you will get out. Some houses are completely entwined with greenery and flowers. They look very picturesque, I just imagine how it is to live in such beauty every day. And among all this greenery, you can always find a cafe where it's nice to sit in a cool place, slowly drink coffee, and lazily watching everything that happens around you. Winding through the streets, I caught myself thinking that I had gone into a fairy-tale city from some cartoon.
Walking through the streets, we came to one of the oldest buildings in the city - the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in the 18th century. The church is very modest, absolutely devoid of pomposity. I'm not a big fan of temples at all, but I love these tiny little churches. They were created not to suppress a person, like colossal structures in large cities, not to inspire fear, but for everyday needs: to baptize a child, to unite lovers, to send the deceased on his last journey with dignity.
The cemetery in the city is quite old. There are graves from the 17th and 18th centuries. There is a sign - no photography. We didn’t, we wanted to show respect to those who are not at all interested in the huge tourist flow of Eze. It should be peaceful and quiet here.
At the very top, there is another attraction that you should definitely climb. This is an exotic garden with many different cacti. Entry there is paid, but it is worth the money, and the view that opens from there is breathtaking, so it is definitely recommended to visit.
I have never seen so many cacti and succulent plants in one place. From the smallest to largest 3 meter cacti. All plant's names can be read on small plates next to each plant. Also, from the back of the garden, you can go down to a small waterfall. Everywhere there are many small benches, where you can take a break from the many ups and downs. By the way, a very convenient thing, there are taps everywhere, where, having an empty bottle, you can get drinking water, which is very important, especially in summer.
There are several viewing platforms in the park. You stand on one of them and it seems that you are floating above the sea. To the other side from the observation desk, you can see the most beautiful arched bridge immersed in greenery and rocks leading to Nice, which can be reached by car or by bus.
Yes, and for the most extreme, there is a famous Nietzsche Path. Following the famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, you can go down to the sea, which is not very easy to do, so you have to rely on your own strength here, although he did it every day. By the way, if anyone is interested, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote his literary masterpiece under the title “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” in Eze. We left this route for the next visit. They say the views on this route are crazy! No photos to show you.
In Eze, things became different in the evening. Local residents removed the railing from the stairs with the inscription "Privat" and began to go about their business. Having survived the human flood, they returned to normal life. But let them live their life.
Old stone houses with decorative elements, tiled roofs, cobblestone pavements, winding streets, flowers, a riot of greenery - all this is Eze. Now the village of Eze lives off tourism. Its stone houses are numerous restaurants, boutiques and art galleries that cordially open their doors to every visitor.
You definitely fall in love with the town itself at first sight, and you can wander and wander around it for hours, finding new, unexplored places. I don't know how it is at another time of the year, but in the summer when everything is green and everything blooms, together with all this many years of history, it gives a unique charm that belongs only to Eze. If someone wants to see a real French village, then you can safely come and get a full idea what the beauty it is.
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