The Côte d’Azur is packed with places whose history has been made by celebrities. In the Forties La Colombe d’Or in Saint-Paul became the refuge of movie stars, an endless list of whom stayed here: Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Line Renaud, Romy Schneider, Liza Minnelli… Vence too is very popular with the famous, among them Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who are keen on hanging out in the luxurious 5-star Château Saint-Martin & Spa built on the ruins of a 12th-century Knights Templar commandery. At Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Robert "the Pirate" is dead but his restaurant carries on, run by his son; in the past it hosted many a wild night when everything (or almost) was permitted: dancing on the tables, smashing crockery, throwing chairs in the fire... to the accompaniment of gypsy guitars – Ingrid Bergman, Nat King Cole, Kirk Douglas, Jane Fonda, Serge Gainsbourg, Jean Cocteau, Frank Sinatra and the rest had a whale of a time! On Beaulieu harbour, Gilbert Vissian's chic brasserie was christened the African Queen in 1969 in tribute to John Huston's film; U2 frontman Bono never fails to eat here when he's staying at his Eze villa. Along the coast in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Mère Germaine's visitors' book likewise flaunts some iconic signatures such as Rita Hayworth, Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot and Omar Sharif; since 1938 this excellent restaurant has been regaling its guests with seafood, including a famed bouillabaisse.
GETTING AWAY
For tourists and local residents alike, there's many an unsuspected pleasure to be found close by, from the sea to the summits of the Pre-Alps. Among bays, peninsulas and sun-drenched countryside, luxury hotels, beaches, golf courses and jaunts, we'll take you to some amazing places.
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