37. Gorbio

Gorbio is an enchanting medieval village in the hills above Menton. We spent a morning wandering around with our indefatigable 'tour guide', Jilly. You can see many more lovely photos of Gorbio on Jilly's blog Menton Daily Photo. Down the right habd side of her home page you will see Labels : Go for Villages Close to Menton - Gorbio to see all her posts featuring Gorbio.

Gorbio has a population of 930.

Below: The village has a functioning lavoir - an outdoor wash-house, fed by water from the fountain.


Below: The sign says: L'USAGE de la FONTAINE et du LAVOIR est STRICTEMENT RESERVE aux LAVANDIERES




Below: Garden of a house where a wedding recently took place from (the bride's parents')
Below: This fountain was built in 1882.
Below: Place de la Mairie, with the Town hall (Mairie)

Below: A colourfully decorated household mailbox.

Below: The square outside the village church, the Eglise Saint Barthélémy. The pink rose petals are left from the wedding couple of weeks earlier.




Below: Inside the church...the one of the altar end didn't turn out (bad light conditions, ie too much)


Below: One of the lovely cobbled medieval streets
Below: This dog on the balcony has a great view over the valley and motorway.
Below: This picture of the motorway was not taken in the meieval village, but a bit further down. These European roads in the sky are an engineering miracle!
Below: The town oven, still used for baking breads and pastries I believe. Especially useful if you are baking large quantities on trays too big to do at home.
Below: Looking up at the Tour Lascaris from Place Honoré Vial
Below: We passed this yard where tree branches which had been painted or treated in some way were propped. Many artistic people live in Gorbio, so no doubt they will turn up somewhere as part of a creastive endeavour.
Below: Two young students and a dog ( at least I think they were students, and were meant to be studying for end of year exams) take a coffee break outside this house at the top of the village.
Below: The Yellow Pages had recently been delivered.
Below: walking down from the chateau at the top of the village. Love the plastic cafe-type strips in the doorway. Reminds me of Australia in the 1960s!
Below: I loved the juxtaposition of the plastic flower pot against the rustic stonework. Out of place? At least it is terracotta colored. The petunia is a gorgeous shade of purple, anyway.
Below: More traditional earthenware pot.
Below: A Nativity scene in the village, behind a locked door, but a grille means you can look in.
Below: Back in the main square of the town, with its fountain. Built in 1902 as an abreuvoir (feeding / watering trough) for mules and donkeys, it takes the form of a harness and pair of baskets as carried by mules.
Below: On one side of the square is this house with trompe l'oeil windows
Below: Relaxing after our walk at the Bar Les terrasses. It was from here I took the previous photo.

38. Roquebrune

Roquebrune-Cap Martin is another charming village, between Monaco and Menton. Past visitors and residents in the area have included Coco Chanel, Greta Garbo and Winston Churchill. And now us, thanks to Jilly again.

Le Corbusier the architect drowned off the coast in 1965 and WB Yeats died here in 1939.

As with Gorbio, you can also enjoy Jilly's strolls through the village on Menton Daily Photo.

Below: Before we head up to the medieval hill village, down near the sea is the public pool / open air cinema.

Below: Looking east towards Menton
Below: We arrived in the village in late afternoon, in order to have a walk and then eat in the main square, Place des Deux Frères, at the reataurant, La Grotte, seen under the Xth century castle. The restaurant is carved out of the 'pudding rock'.
Below: Houses, pools and gardens tumbling down the hillside.

Below: Looking west towards Monaco

Below: These young girls busied themselves with their toys, while the young boys played football in the square. Lots of pink!
Below: The sun is getting lower and darkness will soon start to fall over Monaco
Below: Time for dinner. I had a seafood entree and the best pizza I have tasted in a very long time (sorry, Naples!). In fact, it was one of the best meals of the entire trip.

Below: By the time we had finished eating it was dark. Looking up at the illuminated castle
Below: An then fireworks over Monte Carlo. Like Sydney, there are regular fireworks when there are cruise ships in port, or elaborate private functions.

51. Les Baux de Provence

Set in Les Alpilles mountain range, Les Baux gave its name to the mineral bauxite. It was from samples from Lex Baux that in 1858 double aluminium chloride was successfully made, from which the metal is easily extracted. France was the largest producer of bauxite until 1939. Though bauxite is red, the mountains are limestone. "Baux" comes from the Provençal for "white mountain".

Les Baux's origins are much earlier than that. There are traces of human habitation from 6000BC. The site was used by the Celts as a hill fort or around the 2nd century BC. During the Middle Ages it became the seat of a powerful feudal lordship that controlled 79 towns and villages in the vicinity. The Lords of Baux sought control of Provence for many years. They claimed ancestry from the Magus king Balthazar (one of the 'Three Wise men', the one who took francincense to baby Jesus).

The lords of Baux were deposed in the 12th century. However, the great castle at Les Baux became renowned for its court, famed for a high level of ornateness, culture and chivalry. The domain was finally extinguished in the 15th century with the death of the last princess of Baux, Alice of Baux.

Les Baux was later joined, along with Provence, to the French crown under the governance of the Manville family. It became a centre for Protestantism and its unsuccessful revolt against the crown, led Cardinal Richelieu in 1632 to order that the castle and its walls should be demolished.

The town was granted in 1642 to the Grimaldi family, rulers of Monaco, as a French marquisiate. Nowadays the title of Marquis des Baux remains with the Grimaldis, although administratively the town is entirely French. The title is traditionally given to the heir to the throne of Monaco. Princess Caroline of Monaco uses the style Marquise des Baux, but, being a French title it can only pass through a male line under Salic law. It lapsed on the death of her grandfather Prince Louis II, the last male in a direct line. (Thanks to Wikipedia)

Below: Nowadays Les Baux is a tourist town, and very pleasant indeed. Pit stop for drinks (and reading).
Below: Views of Les Alpilles and the surrounding plains from the citadel - the vast ruined chateau.






Below: The Château des Baux includes three replica catapults, including the largest trebuchet in Europe. There are demonstrations daily from April to September. Below is a bricole.

Below: Another catapult
Below: Ready to be pilloried

Below: A print aetist's shop in the village.
Below: Picnic lunch
Below: View of Val d'Enfer from near Le Cathédral d'Images (see next entry)