Chapter I: Front Matter

THE RIVIERA OF THE
CORNICHE ROAD

The Riviera of the
Corniche Road

BY

SIR FREDERICK TREVES, BART.
G.C.V.O., C.B., LL.D.

Serjeant-Surgeon to His Majesty the King; Author of “The
Other Side of the Lantern,” “The Cradle of the Deep,”
“The Country of the Ring and the Book,” “Highways
and By-ways of Dorset,” etc. etc.

_Illustrated by 92 Photographs by the Author_

CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD
London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne
1921

Preface

This book deals with that part of the French Riviera which is commanded by the Great Corniche Road—the part between Nice and Mentone—together with such places as are within easy reach of the Road.

I am obliged to the proprietors of the _Times_ for permission to reprint an article of mine contributed to that journal in March, 1920. It appears as Chapter XXXVII.

I am much indebted to Dr. Hagberg Wright, of the London Library, for invaluable help in the collecting of certain historical data.

FREDERICK TREVES.
Monte Carlo,
_Christmas, 1920_

Contents

Chapter Page
1. Early Days in the Riviera 1
2. The Corniche Road 8
3. Nice: The Promenade des Anglais 14
4. Nice: The Old Town 19
5. The Siege of Nice 29
6. Cimiez and St. Pons 36
7. How the Convent of St. Pons came to an 41
End
8. Vence, the Defender of the Faith 49
9. Vence, the Town 59
10. Grasse 67
11. A Prime Minister and Two Ladies of 80
Grasse
12. Cagnes and St. Paul du Var 97
13. Cap Ferrat and St. Hospice 104
14. The Story of Eze 118
15. The Troubadours of Eze 123
16. How Eze was Betrayed 127
17. The Town that Cannot Forget 135
18. The Harbour of Monaco 143
19. The Rock of Monaco 151
20. A Fateful Christmas Eve 161
21. Charles the Seaman 165
22. The Lucien Murder 170
23. How the Spaniards were got rid of 176
24. A Matter of Etiquette 181
25. The Monte Carlo of the Novelist 187
26. Monte Carlo 191
27. Some Diversions of Monte Carlo 195
28. An Old Roman Posting Town 206
29. The Tower of Victory 214
30. La Turbie of To-day 224
31. The Convent of Laghet 231
32. The City of Peter Pan 239
33. The Legend of Roquebrune 248
34. Some Memories of Roquebrune 252
35. Gallows Hill 259
36. Mentone 265
37. The First Visitors to the Riviera 273
38. Castillon 281
39. Sospel 286
40. Sospel and the Wild Boar 294
41. Two Queer Old Towns 297
Index 305

List of Illustrations

A Riviera Garden _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
At the Bend of the Road 8
Nice: The Old Terraces 16
Nice: Rue du Sénat 26
Nice: A Street in the Old Town 32
Cimiez: The Roman Amphitheatre 36
Cimiez: The Marble Cross 40
Cimiez: The Monastery Well 40
Vence: The East Gate and Outer Wall 52
Vence: The Church and Court of Bishop’s 58
Palace
Vence: Old House in the Place Godeau 62
Vence: Rue de la Coste 62
Grasse: The de Cabris House 68
Grasse: The Cathedral 72
Grasse: The Place aux Aires 76
Grasse: Rue de l’Evêché 80
Grasse: Rue sans Peur 90
Cagnes 96
Cagnes: The Town Gate 98
Cagnes: The Place Grimaldi 100
Cagnes: The Castle 100
St. Paul du Var 102
St. Paul du Var: The Entry 102
St. Paul du Var: The Main Gate 102
St. Paul du Var: A Side Street 104
St. Paul du Var: A Shop of the Mediæval 104
Type
Cap de St. Hospice 108
St. Hospice: The Madonna and the Tower 108
Villefranche 110
Villefranche: The Main Street 112
A Road in Beaulieu 114
Eze 120
Eze: The Main Gate 124
A Street in Eze 134
Eze: On the Way to the Castle 138
Eze: All that Remains of the Castle 138
Cap d’Ail, near Monaco 144
Monaco 148
Monaco: The Sentry Tower on the Rampe 156
Monaco: The Drawbridge Gate, 1533 156
Monaco: The Palace 162
Monaco: The Old Hôtel de Ville 168
Monaco: The Cliff Garden 172
The Gorge between Monaco and Monte Carlo 178
The Chapel of St. Dévote 184
Monte Carlo from Monaco 192
Monte Carlo: The Terrace, Christmas Day 196
Monte Carlo: The Casino Garden 202
The Roman Monument, La Turbie 206
A Corner in La Turbie 210
A Street in La Turbie 216
La Turbie: Old Window in the Rue Droite 216
La Turbie: The Old Bakehouse 224
La Turbie: La Portette 226
La Turbie: The Fortress Wall, showing 226
the Roman Stones
La Turbie: The Nice Gate 228
Laghet 232
Laghet: The Entrance 234
Laghet: One of the Cloisters 236
Roquebrune, from near Bon Voyage 240
Roquebrune: The East Gate 246
Roquebrune: The Place des Frères 246
Roquebrune: Showing the Castle 252
Roquebrune: Rue de la Fontaine 256
The Roman Milestones, “603” 258
A Piece of the Old Roman Road 258
The Roman Fountain near La Turbie 260
Gallows Hill 262
Mont Justicier: The Two Pillars of the 262
Gallows
The Chapel of St. Roch 264
Mentone: The Old Town 266
Mentone: The East Bay 268
Mentone: Rue Longue 272
Mentone: A Doorway in the Rue Longue 274
A Side Street in Mentone 276
A Side Street in Mentone 278
Mentone: Rue Mattoni 278
Castillon: (In the snow) 280
Castillon: The Entry to the Town 280
Castillon: The Main Street 282
Castillon: The Main Street and Church 284
Door
Sospel: The Old Bridge 286
Sospel: The River Front 288
Sospel: The Place St. Michel 290
A Square in Sospel 292
Sospel: The Ruins of the Convent 292
A Street in Sospel 294
Sospel: The City Wall and Gate 294
A Street in Gorbio 298
A Street in Gorbio 298
A Street in St. Agnes 300
A Street in St. Agnes 302

THE RIVIERA OF THE
CORNICHE ROAD