Southern France: Four Hikes above the Côte d'Azur
Southern France: Four Hikes above the Côte d'Azur
Hiking amongst fragrant flowers, enjoying an occasional snack of figs, grapes or blackberries, with a view of both the Alps and the coast. Experience the mountainous hinterland of Menton at the Côte d'Azur. Here you can read excerpts of this feature.
[FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2648] 'Eze above the Côte.' From a distance Eze is the most enchanting 'village littoral' of the Côte d'Azur. Here its roofs are seen from the Exotic Garden, with the Cap Ferrat peninsula in the distance. But every other building is a souvenir or antiques shop, coffeehouse or ice cream vendor. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2740] 'Fragrances of Spanish Broom.' In June Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum) is the dominant vegetation above Menton. The flowers are much larger then those of the Common Broom. The smell is bigger than life too: as if a thousand honey pots have been left open. This photo is taken in the Borrigo valley north of Sainte Agnès. Photo Paul Smit.
[ITALY.LIGURIA 9986] 'Eco village.' Torri Superiore is one single building, apparently a collection of towers (Torri), creating a maze. It reveals itself as the organisational nerve centre of the European network of eco-villages. It is situated near Torri, the main village, about 20 km from the coast. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2748] 'Islands in the clouds.' Crossing the border back into France from Torri in Liguria suddenly I walk above the clouds. Mountain tops and pine forests perch above the undulating cotton-wool clouds like islands, as serene as a Chinese painting. In the distance the snowcapped Alps of Mercantour. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2721] 'Examples of karst.' North of the Col de la Madone de Gorbio, the scene shifts from green and rich in flowers to dry and barren. The water as it seeps through has eaten away at the limestone, leaving behind razor-sharp fins. A textbook example of a ‘karst’ landscape. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2739] 'Fragrances of Spanish Broom.' In June Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum) is the dominant vegetation above Menton. The flowers are much larger then those of the Common Broom. The smell is bigger than life too: as if a thousand honey pots have been left open. This photo is taken in the Borrigo valley north of Sainte Agnès. Photo Paul Smit.