French Riviera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The French Riviera (French: Côte d'Azur, Occitan: Còsta d'Azur) is part of France's southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, reaching from Cassis to Menton, at the border with Italy. Cannes is host to the annual presentation of the Palme d'Or, which attracts movie stars from around the world.
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[edit] Extent
One of the most famous resort areas in the world, the French Riviera continues west from the Italian Riviera and Menton through Monaco, Nice, Antibes and Cannes, along the Mediterranean coast of the Alpes-Maritimes département. After Cannes, there is some dispute regarding its extent, with some authorities (including the official tourist bodies for the Alpes-Maritimes) arguing that it stops at the border with the département of the Var, after Théoule-sur-Mer. Others suggest it extends further along the Var coastline, at least as far as Saint-Tropez but possibly to Hyères or even the border with the Bouches-du-Rhône département.
[edit] History
The French Riviera became a fashionable resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was particularly popular with the British upper class. Winston Churchill was a regular visitor who often stayed in Coco Chanel's villa where he wrote his memoirs. Initially it was a winter resort, valued for its mild winter climate in comparison with that of northern Europe.It later became much more popular as a summer resort.
[edit] Places
Places on the French Riviera include, from west to east:
- Cassis
- Toulon
- Hyères
- Saint-Tropez
- Saint-Raphaël
- Cannes
- Grasse
- Juan-les-Pins
- Antibes
- Biot
- Sophia Antipolis
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence
- Nice
- Villefranche-sur-Mer
- Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
- Beaulieu-sur-Mer
- Monaco
- Monte-Carlo
- Menton
[edit] Famous residents
- Joan Collins
- Sir Elton John
- Tina Turner
- David Beckham and Victoria Beckham
- Dame Shirley Bassey
- Brigitte Bardot
- Ivana Trump
- Jenson Button
- Carla Bruni
- Stelios Haji-Ioannou
- Troy Bayliss
- Loris Capirossi
- Nico Rosberg
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- David Coulthard
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Rubens Barrichello
- Tommi Mäkinen
- Lucas Luhr
- Jason Plato
- Alex Zanardi
- Andrew Vicari
- Sophie Sandolo
- Loretta Lux
- Richie Benaud
- Jean Cocteau
- Tom Boonen
- James Gandolfini
- Mika Häkkinen
- Roman Polański
- Michael Jackson
[edit] Trivia
- Cote d'Azur (the French name for the riviera) was used as a track in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, as well as being the name of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix track in Gran Turismo 4.
[edit] See also
- Italian Riviera
- Gulf of Genoa
- Turkish Riviera
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- The article Riviera provides links to articles on the many coastal strips around the world which are known as Riviera.
[edit] External links
- The Riviera Times (English-language newspaper)
- The Riviera Reporter (English-language magazine)
- Riviera Forums (English-language discussions)
- Riviera Radio (English-language radio)
- AngloINFO Riviera (English-language residents' information)
- Radio International (English-language radio)
