PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE

Although Aix has retained no structures of the Roman period, it was the oldest of the colonies, having been founded by the Consul Sextius Calvinus, about 120 B.C., at the hot springs still in existence. The place was therefore called Aquæ Sextiæ, after the discoverer of the thermal waters, and is now contracted into Aix. The threatened invasion of Italy by the Teutones and Ambrones was utterly defeated by Marius, a few miles east of the city, in 102 B.C.; but Aix at the fall of Rome fell a prey to the barbarians of the north, recovering slowly, and eventually becoming the capital of Provence. Under the good King Réné of Anjou, who died in 1480, Aix was exceedingly prosperous. His statue by David can be seen in the Cours Mirabeau.

The Cathedral of St. Sauveur dates from Romanesque times, with a chancel built in 1285. The tower and façade are fifteenth century—a little earlier than the highly enriched portal, with its lovely doors ornamented with sixteen figures in niches, which dates from 1503.

In the baptistery are eight monolithic columns—probably from the Temple of Apollo, that stood on the same spot—sculptured panels by Puget, and two triptychs, on one of which King Réné is depicted on his knees.

The Romanesque cloister, with richly carved capitals, and the great Renaissance doorway of the Archbishop’s Palace should be seen.

The Hôtel de Ville, containing a big library, to which the public is admitted, except on Sundays and Mondays, and between August 15 and October 15, was built in 1640, and much altered in 1760; but the clock-tower adjoining goes back to 1512.

One relic of the medieval fortifications of Aix exists in the Tour de Tourreluco. It stands in the garden of the thermal establishment, where one can also see the slight remains of the Roman baths.

The Church of La Madeleine was built in 1703 with a later façade, and St. Jean de Malle was founded in the thirteenth century for the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. It contains on the left side of the altar the tomb of

Raymond, Count of Provence, with statues and recumbent figures.

THE ROAD TO FRÉJUS

goes out eastwards, and, after a few miles, passes through a rocky ravine before coming out into the long valley of the River Arc, bounded on the north by the gaunt grey precipices of Mont Ste. Victoire. It was into this valley that Marius with his legions drove the undisciplined invaders in 102 B.C., and near Pourrières he outflanked and defeated them. The slaughter was so enormous that the two great tribes of the Teutones and Ambrones, with their women and children, were practically annihilated, and the river ran red with their life-blood. Just after crossing the Arc, on the north side of the road, are the slight ruins of the monument put up by the Romans to celebrate the great victory achieved by the brilliant strategy of Marius, who thus saved Rome from premature extinction.

Soon after passing Pourrières, a compact village north of the road, with roofs and walls of the same dark orange-red as the soil of the vineyards, there is spread out in front a splendid mountain view, with snow-capped peaks standing out against the blue of the distant sky.

St. Maximin is a very small town with a lovely Gothic church, which should by no means be ignored. It dates from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, and stands over an early crypt containing Early Christian sarcophagi. This is kept locked, but the sacristan has the key. The altar at the east end of the north aisle is dated 1526, with the name ‘Jacques Baurmes, Chamberlain to the King,’ who gave it to the church. In one of the paintings Christ is being scourged on the Piazzetta at Venice! The choir-stalls of the seventeenth century are richly carved, the whole interior is clean and light, and the lofty arches are exceptionally beautiful.

The way out of St. Maximin is a zigzag to the right, and at the fork just outside one turns to the left, neither going under the railway-arch nor up to the station, which one can see on the left a little farther on.

The village of Tourves has an obelisk by the fine ruined Château de Valbelle, on a ridge to the left. On the steep hillsides one sees miles of terraces, where vineyards have been patiently extracted from the formerly arid slopes.

Brignoles is a small town, with a long, narrow street, and the hotel is often a convenient resting-place for déjeuner. The dried plums of Brignoles have long been famous. They were eaten by the Duc de Guise, it will be remembered, just before his assassination (p. 98). A twelfth-century house, with windows divided by columns, and the Sous-Préfecture, which was formerly the winter palace of the Counts of Provence, sacked by Charles V., are the only antiquities of the town.

Flassans is a comparatively new village on the road, with an abandoned one, now roofless and with broken walls, on the hill to the left. A conspicuous wooden cross and a little chapel by the ruined houses seem to suggest that something had to be done to keep restless spirits under proper control.

Le Luc has a narrow, shady street, with large plane-trees by a fountain, where there are often picturesque groups fetching water.

The Maure Mountains lie to the south, covered with pine, or showing crags of grey and orange rock. The coast-road from Fréjus to Hyères, round the bays of these mountains, is an exquisitely beautiful one, and those who have time should include this in their tour when staying at St. Raphaël or Valescure.

Passing through Le Muy in a serpentine fashion, with a very sharp and narrow turning, the road comes out into the flat alluvial plain of the River Argens, with the pine-clad Estérels on the left as one runs into

FRÉJUS

This is a place of vanished glories, having the atmosphere of ancient importance inseparable from ports abandoned by the sea, which was their life-blood.

Fréjus was the last harbour on the great Roman road from Rome to Provence—the Via Aurelia—which at this point turned inland to Aix. Its importance was therefore seen by Julius Cæsar, who built the town called after him Forum Julii, and now contracted into Fréjus. By the remains to be seen to-day the work appears to have been done hurriedly, for strength rather than beauty, but the interest of the place is scarcely diminished in the knowledge of this probability.

The first most imposing survival is the Amphitheatre. It stands outside the town, and a by-road passes through its longest axis. There is no fencing, nor, indeed, any restriction to the public from climbing the broken tiers of seats; nor has there been any attempt at restoration to the broken arches or the grass-grown arena. On the eastern side of the little town, where the harbour was situated, is a small tower with a conical top, called La Lanterne. This was the Roman harbour-master’s office, and not a lighthouse. The remains of the aqueduct are imposing detached masses of ivy-mantled stonework, ranging like great sentinels across cornfields and meadows to the hills to the north, from whence a pure supply of water was obtained. There are also remains of the walls of the Roman town; of three of the gateways, including the Porta Romana, which is the best; of the two citadels; the baths; and the theatre.

Modern Fréjus has some picturesque doorways and old houses spoilt with stucco. The Romanesque Cathedral has beautiful cloisters, much in need of restoration, and a baptistery with eight monolithic granite pillars from a Roman temple.

ST. RAPHAËL

stands on the opposite side of the alluvial plain, and being on the sea, has lately blossomed into a Riviera resort, with modern hotels, a huge domed church, and new streets of shops and stuccoed houses. It is a dusty and windy place compared to Valescure, a little way inland, on high ground, among the pines of the Estérel slopes.

Napoleon embarked from St. Raphaël for Elba after his abdication in 1814. The British warship Undaunted received the ex-Emperor on board on April 28. He had come through many hostile crowds on his journey from Fontainebleau, and so great was the danger to his life that he consented to disguise himself in the uniform of an Austrian officer.

THE CORNICHE D’OR

is a most beautiful road, recently built by the Touring Club de France, along the high rocky coast of the Estérels. Its dangers for motorists have been described at the beginning of this section, but in case that warning may have been overlooked, the need of driving slowly and cautiously is again emphasized.

After the somewhat arid scenery of the delta of the Rhone and of the country about Aix and Brignoles, the first few miles of the Riviera are an exquisite pleasure to the eye. The road at first winds between gardens, whose trees cast long patches of shade, and the air is deliciously scented with lemons and other plants; then one comes out by the breaking waves, and looks across little bays, ‘the peacock’s neck in hue.’ Dark masses of firs clothe the red of the porphyry cliffs, and each turn of the road brings some fresh combination of rock and wave and tree-clothed valley.

Agay is a tiny place on one of these lovely bays, and as there is a choice of hotels, it is a delightful spot for a halt for the night if one does not mind the periodic roar of the P.L.M. expresses. Beyond Théoule comes the first great view of the French Riviera. On a clear morning of typical spring sunshine the great sweep of the blue bay of Cannes, with its bold mountain background and green villa-dotted shores, is one of exquisite loveliness. It appears with a foreground of the strong, hot colour of swarthy rocks, deep green foliage, and perhaps the brilliance of lemons and oranges, or a bank of glowing flowers, emphasizing the delicate charm of the distance.

The road gradually drops down to the sea-level at La Napoule, where the famous golf-links of Cannes are situated. A short run along the villa-bordered main road brings one to the great resort founded by an English statesman—Henry, Lord Brougham and Vaux.

SECTION XVIII

CANNES TO SAN REMO, 53¾ MILES
(89 KILOMETRES)

PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE

Cannes has a sea-front broken by the isolated mass of rock called Mont Chevalier. Here was founded the early settlement which was, no doubt, the Aegytna mentioned by Polybius as the scene of a treacherous attack by some of the Ligurian tribesmen on some unarmed Romans. The hill is now picturesquely crowned with the thirteenth-century parish church, a medieval tower, and the ruins of the castle of the Counts of Provence. Down below is a small harbour.

The views westwards from the palm-shaded promenades along the shore include the rugged masses of the always attractive Estérels.

Cannes is essentially a resort of English visitors, and the winter and spring of every year bring together in the hotels and flower-scented villas a more or less regular selection of English gentlefolk. The town has grown enormously since the days when Lord Brougham, the founder, who died at Cannes and was buried in the cemetery, first began to find relaxation from his Parliamentary activities at the Villa Louise Elenore. Le Cannet, at one time a separate village among the hills, is now joined by the straggling suburbs and a tramway to the centre of the town, but the main charms of the resort are not lost.

A good road inland takes one to Grasse, an interesting old town with a curious eleventh-century church, fine views, and a huge industry in perfumery and preserved fruits. Beyond Grasse a splendid road takes one to Le Loup, and the romantic limestone gorge of that name, and farther on still is the ancient town of Vence, where a church incorporating part of a Roman temple has several other interesting features.

From Vence a road goes down to the coast at Cagnes, a village whose name the visitor finds difficult to pronounce differently to Cannes.

If this inland route has been taken the coast road is joined east of Antibes, so that one must either go back about six miles or leave that fascinating town for the return journey.

ANTIBES

There is a tendency for ordinary guide-books to say that there is nothing to see at Antibes, but all who have read of the Greek colony of Antipolis should

test this with half an hour in the old part of the town. It will not be disappointing. Facing the wide Cours Masséna is the medieval wall of the town, with a big round-towered gateway leading into a street that almost at once brings one out on to the seaward defensive wall, at the base of which the waves break continuously, often shooting up columns of spray on to the pathway above. In the narrow streets there are arches, quaint doorways, and medieval defensive towers, often incorporating Roman stones and many other details telling of the changes that time has wrought. A narrow doorway in the old wall at the harbour end of the Cours Masséna has a stone lintel from some Roman building, placed upside down by the medieval masons. One of the most interesting relics of the Greek town is a dark green diorite boulder, bearing the strange inscription: ‘I am Terpon, servant of the august goddess Aphrodite; may Cypris reward with her favours those that erected me here.’

The Îles des Lérins that lie opposite Cannes are full of interest. Steamboats ply regularly to them from the harbour. Ste. Marguerite, the larger island, retains the fort, built by Cardinal Richelieu, wherein was imprisoned by Louis XIV., at the end of the seventeenth century, the mysterious ‘Man with the Iron Mask.’

St. Honorat, the smaller island, is the Lindisfarne of the South of France, for there, during the European upheavals in the fifth century, St. Honorat founded a monastery and kept alive the sacred spark of a pure and restrained life beyond the reach of the barbarous waves of invasion that were sweeping over south-western Europe. In the eighth century Saracens wiped out the monastery and massacred the monks, but their crude weapons could not destroy the influence which had gone forth from the islet in the four centuries of its previous existence. In the ninth century the monastery was refounded, and two hundred years later the fortified building existing to-day was put up to secure the monks from attack.

NICE

may be described as ‘Paris by the Sea.’ Its wide streets are entirely reminiscent of the metropolis, and the whole life of the great resort is French, in marked contrast to the English feeling of Cannes. The enormous hotels, the plane-bordered streets, the kiosks, the trams, and the people, are all so essentially Parisian that, out of sight of the sea or the mountains, one easily forgets that one is by the

shores of the Mediterranean. Like Cannes, there is a conspicuous isolated mass of rock on the otherwise flat shore, which was the nucleus of the Greek town of Nicæa. The remains of the Greek buildings were found at the foot of the rock, which was, no doubt, a fortified place of refuge. The Romans preferred a site farther inland, and at the modern Cimiez, on the rising ground north of the present city, they built Cemenelium, of which shapeless masses of the amphitheatre remain, although a road passes right through them. The site of the Roman baths has also been found, and great quantities of small objects have been discovered. The rock down on the shore became important again after the Lombards had sacked Cimiez, and on it was built a castle, from which the counts ruled under the Frankish kings. It was besieged by the Turks in 1543, when François I. had made his infamous alliance with Kheyr-ed-Dīn, the Corsair admiral, but the bravery of a woman saved the place from being taken by assault.

When Smollett visited Nice the condition of the town must have been exceedingly primitive. He says:

Of the mosquitoes he writes:

The Nice Carnival, or Battle of Flowers, has its origin right back in the time of the floral games of the Greeks of Nicæa.

THE UPPER CORNICHE ROAD

The advantages of the upper road over the lower are in the finer scenery and in the absence of dust and trams; but as the return journey gives one a double opportunity, it is easy to go by one and come back by the other.

On the upper road one passes above the romantically situated village of Eze, which makes a perfect picture in its setting of pines and its background of sea. This eagle’s nest was occupied by the Romans, and later by the Saracens, whose ruined castle is still visible on the top of the rocky height. A little farther on a bend of the road brings La Turbie in sight. Above the roofs of the houses and the church tower rises the massive ruin of the huge trophy of the Emperor Augustus, put up in the year 12 B.C. to commemorate the defeat of forty-five Ligurian tribes. Part of the present structure is medieval, for the vast monument was at one time incorporated into a stronghold, which was no doubt partially built of the stones of the magnificent Roman work.

From La Turbie the views along the coast embrace practically the whole of the French Riviera, for one can see the Estérels away in the west; down below are Monaco and Monte Carlo; to the east are Cap Martin and Mentone. A funicular railway goes down from La Turbie to Monte Carlo, but this is of minor interest to the motorist. The road descends to the coast past the picturesque old village of Roquebrune, with its ruined castle on a mass of brown conglomerate rock, and joins the lower road near Cap Martin.

If one goes by the coast road, one passes through Villefranche, with its sheltered bay, much frequented by French warships. The old town is eminently picturesque, with its foreground of brightly painted boats in the harbour, protected by an old tower belonging to the days when corsairs were continually dreaded. There are curious old streets, with supporting arches and dark passages, typical of the Ligurian method of building.

Beaulieu is little more than a scattered collection of pleasantly situated hotels and villas. It was here that the late Lord Salisbury had a house.

MONACO

stands on a tabular mass of rock projecting into the sea, and forming one side of the Bay of Monte Carlo. The road and the railway go through the narrow cleft between the almost insulated rock and the vast and precipitous cliffs of pinkish and creamy-grey limestone that tower up to the height of 1,300 feet. On the rock of Monaco stands the castle where the Prince resides in the midst of his toy kingdom. Some of the towers of the castle have survived since the thirteenth century, but most of the buildings belong to the seventeenth century, and contain some fine contemporary furniture.

The little town of Monaco consists of half a dozen very clean streets and a big new cathedral in the Romanesque style. On the extremity of the rock is the Prince’s imposing new museum of oceanography—a subject in which he is deeply interested.

Monte Carlo, a part of the principality, is joined to Monaco by Condamine, which consists mainly of hotels, restaurants, and closely built streets of shops and stuccoed terraces. The Casino is a rococoesque building of the exhibition type, standing out prominently at the opposite side of the bay to Monaco, with its conspicuous pair of towers reflected in the sea. It is approached by imposing terraces from below, and the level ground in front of the entrance is adorned with the brilliant glow of flowers and the pleasant green of carefully cultivated grass under the shade of palms.

The brilliance of the contrast of creamy-white buildings against the deep blue sky is wonderful, and the reflection of the town in the rippling waters of the harbour is astonishingly vivid in its tones.

Where a fork appears near the wooded promontory of Cap Martin one goes to the left on the higher road, and in a few moments Mentone is in sight, spread out along a beautiful bay backed by mountain masses of a most imposing character.

MENTONE

As a resort both for the healthy and for invalids, Mentone is delightful, as it is generally free from cold winds, owing to the close protection of the mountains, and there are also many valleys to penetrate, in which the Ligurian rock village is seen at its best. The sea-front is shaded with big eucalyptus-trees, and there is a complete freedom from that monotony which is so characteristic of Nice, Brighton, and other favourite resorts. The old town is a pleasant contrast to the newer parts. It stands on higher ground above the harbour, where the shore curves in towards the suburb of Garavan.

The road into Italy is cut out of the lofty rock faces, which in Napoleon’s time carried only the narrow Via Aurelia of the Romans.

At the Pont St. Louis there is an international bridge across a small gorge, and here the customs formalities are arranged. If one is armed with a tryptique there is scarcely more than a delay of a few minutes.

The road soon afterwards passes the beautiful gardens of La Mortola, where the late Sir Thomas Hanbury lived for many years. The extraordinary variety of tropical plants and trees he collected there is one of the best testimonials to the mild winters experienced in this sheltered part of the Riviera.

VENTIMIGLIA

is the first Italian town after passing the frontier. It stands at the mouth of the River Roya, and is a place of exceptional picturesqueness.

The old town has retained its ramparts, and is built in the typical Ligurian fashion, with innumerable narrow tunnelled passages, in which the stranger easily loses his way.

The Cathedral is Romanesque, with a very early baptistery, whose fabric is hidden under plaster. Considerable restoration took place after the earthquake of 1831. Another church which should be seen is that of San Michele. It is Romanesque, and the crypt has a Roman milestone supporting the vaulting.

Ventimiglia was a place of importance in Roman times, and also throughout the Middle Ages, when it became a possession of Genoa, and was the scene of frequent fighting between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions. When one is crossing the bridge over the Roya there is a splendid view up the mountainous valley, with great snow-clad peaks wreathed in clouds closing up the northern end. Monte Bego, a conspicuous peak, is famous for the prehistoric rock-carving to be seen in midsummer when the snow has melted. Rubbings of these primitive carvings are on view in the museum at Bordighera. Less than halfway to Bordighera from Ventimiglia the valley of the Nervia opens out, and on the west side a good road leads through the old village of Camporosso to

DOLCEACQUA

The valley closes in a good deal at this point, and the old village clusters up a steep rocky ascent, crowned by the imposing ruins of the castle of the Dorias of Dolceacqua. A narrow old bridge of a single span, suitable only for mules and foot-passengers, connects the hoary little cluster of houses with the less ancient portion on the right bank of the river. The narrow passages in the old village are generally nearly dark and often blocked with a laden mule, while the paved steps are generally slippery with olive oil.

Going farther up the valley in the midst of scenery which becomes wilder and more Alpine

every mile, one reaches Isolabona, where the road to the right across the river leads up the Merdanzo Valley to Apricale, one of the most romantically situated of all the rock villages of the Ligurian coast. Such extraordinary compactness and inaccessibility was the outcome of continual intercommunal fighting and fear of corsair raids. The Scourge of the Mediterranean also caused the building of the little stone watch-towers still standing on the hill-tops in convenient positions for giving warning to the surrounding villages.

There is no other road to the coast than the one through Dolceacqua, so one returns by the same way to the main road.

BORDIGHERA

is a thoroughly English resort, with several excellent hotels, a museum, a library, an English church, a tennis-club, and other opportunities of amusement, and it has also the advantage of being small, and without the towny flavour of Mentone, Monte Carlo, Nice, and Cannes. There are beautiful walks among hoary olives at a very short distance from any part of the scattered town, and there is still an old nucleus on the hill of Capo San Ampeglio, where a hermit’s cave is now converted into a tiny chapel.

The road runs through Ospedaletti, a newly built resort, to

SAN REMO

The coast becomes steeper and more impressive as one goes eastwards from Bordighera, and at San Remo the town is backed by an amphitheatre of very lofty hills. The town is busy and smart, and curiously individual in its character.

Perhaps the best way to see the place in a short time is to make for the market-place and enter the gateway that leads into the old town. The moment one begins to ascend the extremely picturesque passages and winding vicoli all one’s bearings are lost, and, as fresh openings and turnings occur every few yards, one is soon hopelessly lost. The only plan to follow is always to go upwards. This will bring one out to a flight of steps leading up to a small public garden, from which there is an enormous view, with the old roofs of the original town immediately below and the new stuccoed houses spread out on the lower ground and on the hill-slopes on either side.

Those who have time should keep along this fascinating coast, and explore those valleys which have good roads. There are a thousand delights awaiting the motorist, but there is unfortunately no space to deal with them here. [K]

SECTION XIX

AIX-EN-PROVENCE TO AVIGNON, 65¼ MILES
(105 KILOMETRES)

From Aix to Avignon direct is less than 50 miles, but the longer route through St. Rémy and Tarascon is well worth the extra 18 miles.

The first village is St. Cannat, where the remains of a castle of the Bishops of Marseilles can be seen, and also the pilgrimage chapel of Notre Dame de la Vie. The road then begins to go through an open country, broken up with a curious formation of rocky ridges, through which the road has been cut. The whole neighbourhood was badly shaken with an earthquake in 1909, and Lambesc and other villages suffered very severely.

Sénas is a small stone village without interest, but Orgon, the next place, is strikingly situated between a precipitous limestone ridge and the wide bed of the River Durance, spanned at this point with a huge lattice girder railway-bridge. On the summit of the ridge are the picturesque ruins of a château of the Counts of Provence, twice dismantled, and also the Chapel of Notre Dame de Beauregard. The town has preserved part of its ramparts and several picturesque houses of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. The church dates from 1325.

Five kilometres north of Orgon the road to St. Rémy goes off to the left, and runs along the north side of the isolated group of hills called Les Alpines. Long rows of tall cypresses stand by the roadside in vast perspectives, and help to mitigate the fierce mistral when it comes shrieking over the desolate plains of the Rhone’s delta.

ST. RÉMY

is a pleasant town with tree-lined streets and a fourteenth-century tower to its church, which is modern. About a mile to the south, on the site of the Phœnician town of Glanum Livii, afterwards Romanized, stand two remarkably fine relics of the first four centuries of this era. One is a Roman triumphal arch, half destroyed above, but still retaining finely coffered work inside the arch and some sculptured figures outside; the other is a magnificently preserved mausoleum of three stories, 50 feet high, and built of the same orange-coloured sandstone as the arch. The base is adorned with bas-reliefs of battle and hunting scenes, and on the top is a peristyle of ten Corinthian columns, containing two statues (with modern heads) representing the parents of Sextus and Marius, of the family of the Julii, by whom it was erected. The situation of these remarkable structures on a rocky little plateau is most striking.

TARASCON

Keeping along the foot of Les Alpines for about 9 kilometres farther, one swings to the right to the interesting old town of Tarascon, which faces Beaucaire on the opposite side of the mud-coloured Rhone. A long suspension bridge joins the two towns.

The Church of Ste. Marthe, with its crocketed spire, was built on the site of a Roman temple in the twelfth century, and rebuilt between 1379 and 1449. It retains the magnificent south portal of the earlier church. The saint to whom the church is dedicated is said to have been buried under the marble effigy one may see. A legend tells how St. Martha found the district ravaged by a hideous dragon, which she killed or tamed, and thus earned the gratitude of the people of Tarascon. The memory of this deliverance was kept alive until recent years by a fête held on the second Sunday after Pentecost, when a huge representation of the dragon was taken through the streets. The castle of Tarascon is a complete and most imposing pile, standing four square, with one side washed by the Rhone. It was begun by Louis II. of Provence in the fourteenth century, and finished by the good King Réné of Anjou. Being now used as a prison, it is not easy to obtain permission to enter. The town still preserves a good gateway, flanked by round towers, and some of the old streets are picturesquely arcaded.

Beaucaire is a rather squalid little town, and it is far better to look from the Tarascon side at the fine ruined castle of Montmorency standing on its mass of white rock.

The road to Avignon goes through a baked and dusty country, with arid, bleached hills and endless groves of cypresses.