Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commune of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Distant view of Cap Ferrat |
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| Location | |
| Longitude | 07° 20' 00 |
| Latitude | 43° 41' 00 |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-Maritimes |
| Arrondissement | Nice |
| Canton | Villefranche-sur-Mer |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur (CANCA) |
| Mayor | René Vestri (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude | 0 m–138 m |
| Land area¹ | 2.48 km² |
| Population² (2004 estimated) |
2,103 |
| - Density (2004 estimated) | 848/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 06121/ 06230 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel). | |
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Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes département, in southeastern France. The commune has a population of 2,248 inhabitants and covers 2.48 km².
It is located on a peninsula next to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and to Villefranche-sur-Mer and extends out to Cap Ferrat. Its tranquillity and warm climate make it a favourite holiday destination amongst European aristocracy and international millionaires. There is a pleasant footpath around the peninsula.
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[edit] History of the site of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Known to the ancient Greeks as Anao, the site of present days Cap-Ferrat was first settled by Celto-ligurian tribes, then by the Lombards at the end of the 6th Century. Sant'Ospizio (or Saint Hospice), a hermit friar, is said to have inhabited a tower on the Eastern part of the peninsula. In the 8th Century, the Saracens occupy the site and use it as a base for pirating until the 11th Century.
By 1388, the territory of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with the entire County of Nice is given by treaty to the Dukes of Savoy (see also History of Villefranche-sur-Mer.) Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy builds a fort at Saint-Hospice in 1561 in an effort to secure the coastline from invaders. The fort is destroyed in 1706 by the Duke of Berwick when Nice is occupied by the French armies of King Louis XIV. During the 18th Century the area - officially part of the Kingdom of Sardinia - is occupied off and on by the French. It is returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1814 after Napoleon's abdication.
In 1860 the County of Nice is finally ceded by treaty to France and the peninsula becomes a magnet for kings and wealthy visitors. The small fishing village of Saint-Jean develops and by 1904 is established as a self-standing commune with the rest of the peninsula, separated from nearby Villefranche.
At the onset of the 20th Century King Léopold II of Belgium owns an important estate on Cap-Ferrat and builds several residences and an artificial lake. The main residence is the stately Villa des Cèdres, which has been owned by Marnier-Lapostolle (the makers of Grand Marnier) since 1924 and is now in part a botanical garden called Les Cèdres. In 1905 Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild also chooses Cap-Ferrat to build an opulent and exquisite Tuscan style palazzo, now known as Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild museum.
Today Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has probably some of the most expensive real estate in the world and continues to attract the rich and famous. It is truly one the crown jewels of the French Riviera.
[edit] Sights
The whole peninsula offers a great network of trails from which exquisite vistas of the coast can be admired, from Nice and the Baie des Anges to the West to Cap d'Ail and Italy to the East. The little village of Saint-Jean is nested around a cove on the eastern side of the peninsula where an expansive marina built in the 1970's shelters some of the most luxurious yachts in the Mediterranean. Another path from the center of the village circles the promontory of Saint-Hospice, which forms the eastern arm of the peninsula. From the top the hill, a monumental (38 ft high) bronze Madonna near a rustic 17th Century oratory overlooks the Bay of Beaulieu. What was the artificial lake of King Leopold is now a modern zoo open year round featuring panthers and exotic birds.
Some of the estates on Cap-Ferrat have hosted a plethora of celebrities among others: King Leopold II of Belgium, Baroness de Rothschild, Charlie Chaplin, Rainier III, David Niven, Somerset Maugham, Jean Cocteau, Isadora Duncan, Winston Churchill, French Prime Ministers Maurice Rouvier and Raymond Barre and many more.
[edit] Transportation
There is a regular bus service to and from Beaulieu and Nice which serves the peninsula. The main railway station is located at Beaulieu (2 km or 1¼ mile away) with service to and from Nice and Monaco. The nearby airport is Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE) 14 km or 8¾ miles away.
