Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a small town and
commune in the
Alpes-Maritimes département, on the
French Riviera with a population of just under 7,000.
Villefranche-sur-Mer is located about 4 miles (6km) east of the city of
Nice, separated by
Mont Boron, Mont Alban and Mont Vinaigrier, and 6 miles (10km) west of
Monaco. The bay (rade) of Villefranche - between the Cape of Nice and
Cap Ferrat is one of the deepest natural harbor of any port in the
Mediterranean Sea and provides a safe anchorage for large ships. The city limits extend to the hills surrounding the bay climbing from sea level to an altitude of 1750 ft (520 m) at Mont-Leuze. The three "Corniches" or main roads linking Nice to
Italy pass through Villefranche and offer spectacular vistas of the coast and surrounding hills.
Man has settled the site of what is now Villefranche and surrounding
Beaulieu-sur-Mer and
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat since prehistoric times.
Celto-ligurian tribes roamed the area and established farming communities on the hills surrounding. The
Greeks and later the
Romans used the natural harbor as a stop over en route to the Greek settlements around the Western
Mediterranean. After the conquest of
Gaul by
Julius Caesar, the Romans built an extension of the
Via Aurelia (Aurelian Way), which passed through the settlement of Montolivo.
By the fall of the
Carolingian Empire, the area was part of
Lotharingia and later part of the County of
Provence. In
1295,
Charles II,
Duke of Anjou, then Count of Provence, enticed the inhabitants of Montolivo and surroundings to settle closer to the coastline in order to secure the area from
pirates. By charter, he established Villefranche as a "free port" thus the name, granting tax privileges and port fee rights that lasted well into the
18th Century.
By
1388, East
Provence became part of the
Duchy of Savoy as a result of the disputed succession to the heirless Queen
Joan I of Naples. For the next 400 years, the area known as the County of
Nice was hotly disputed between the
Holy Roman Empire to which
Savoy was an ally and the
French. In
1543, the
Franco-Turkish armies sacked and occupied the city after the siege of Nice, prompting Duke
Emmanuel Philibert to secure the site by building an impressive
citadel and a fort on nearby Mont Alban. In the late
17th century, the area fell to the French but was returned to Savoy after the
Peace of Utrecht.
During the
18th century, the city lost of its maritime importance to the new harbor being built in Nice but remained a military and naval base. In
1744, a
Franco-
Spanish army under the
Prince of Conti overran Sardinian entrenchments in the heights above the town (then part of
Piedmont).
In
1793, the French occupied once again Villefranche and the county of Nice remained part of the
Napoleonic Empire until
1814. It was returned to the
Kingdom of Sardinia by the
Congress of Vienna. In
1860, as a consequence of the
Risorgimento, it was given to
France by treaty following a
plebiscite. By the late
19th century it had become an important
Russian Navy base and the
Russians established an
oceanographic laboratory in the old
lazaret. The site was also the winter residence for
royalties and
wealthy visitors.
After
World War I, the
United States Navy called on a regular basis and Villefranche became the home port of the
U.S. 6th Fleet from
1948 to
1966.Since the
1980's Villefranche has become a noted
cruise ships port of call, the first in importance in France.
Built on the terraced hills overlooking the
Mediterranean Sea, the
Promenade des Marinieres stretches along the waterfront of a deep-water harbour that served as the base for the
US 6th Fleet until 1967, and is still used sometimes as an harbour by the US Navy. On the water's edge is the massive wall and Citadel, a fortress built in 1557 by
Emmanuel Philibert,
Duke of Savoy. Today, the Citadel houses the Town Hall, a congress centre, three museums, and an open air theatre.
On the hills surrounding, the fort of Mont Alban offers an incomparable view of
Cap Ferrat and the Eastern coastline as far as
Italy. From the Plateau Saint-Michel, the view stretches westward to the
Bay of Angels in Nice, Cap d'
Antibes and the
Esterel in the distance more than 25 miles (40 km) away. On a clear winter day, one may also observe the mountains of
Corsica in the distance.
The moderate climate, sandy beaches, and ambiance of its Old Town make Villefranche-sur-Mer a popular tourist stop. Currently, real estate prices are such that property here is affordable by only the very wealthy.
Stunning estates such as the Villa Leopolda (former residence of King
Leopold II), La Bastide ( built by
Lord Salisbury), Villa Schiffanoia, Castèu Cansoun de la Mar or Domaine du Castellet are but a few examples of the wealth and luxury surrounding the magnificent bay.
In the past, Villefranche-sur-Mer was home to personalities
Katherine Mansfield,
Jean Cocteau, and
Aldous Huxley and today its famous residents include
Tina Turner.
The old town and the bay have offered for years a natural set for movie makers. Among many productions to name just a few:-
Raoul Walsh's
Captain Horatio Hornblower-
Adventures of Captain Fabian with
Errol Flynn-
Hitchcock's
To Catch a Thief-
The Count of Monte Cristo with
Louis Jourdan-
Leo McCarey's
An Affair to Remember-
The Madwoman of Chaillot with
Katharine Hepburn-
Never Say Never with
Sean Connery-
The Jewel of the Nile with
Michael Douglas-
The Bourne Identity with
Richard Chamberlain-
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with
Steve Martin,as well as numerous video clips and commercials.
Villefranche-sur-Mer is also a harbor for visiting naval forces and particularly
US Navy ships.
Twin towns
Villefranche-sur-Mer is twinned with:
*
Bordighera,
*
Newport,
*
Plan-les-Ouates,
*
Reiskirchen,
Image:Panorama_Villefranche_sur_Mer.jpg|Panorama Cap Ferrat and VillefrancheImage:Villefranche_sur_Mer_BW_1.jpg|VillefrancheImage:Villefranche_Rue_Obscure.JPG|"Rue obscure" (Hidden road)*
Villa Nellcote
