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 Next to the port, where Guy de Maupassant often anchored in his “Bel Ami”, is the glorious Chantier Naval Opéra (2), magnificently adorned with vaulted ramparts which date from Vauban, and where many events have been held since the beginning of the 20th century. Some building work was done on Captain Cousteau's Calypso in this spot.
Returning to town along the vaults of Rambaud Quay, one sees the small beach of Gravette and picturesque fishermen's boats. You enter by Porte Marine (3), through the narrowest entry on the left. For many centuries, when the ramparts encircled Antibes, it was the only gate that opened onto the port.
After passing through the gate, on your right is La Courtine (4), boulevard d'Aguillon, one of the liveliest streets in Antibes with restaurants, bars and the Bains-Douches Gallery installed in the old blockhouses. The d'Aguillon fountain (5) and that in rue Clemenceau (6) render hommage to the armed brigades of the king and the royal Génie who gave Antibes this “pure and limpid” water by restoring the Roman aquaduct of Fontvieille. Ascend the rampe des Saleurs, so named by fishermen who used to salt their fish there, which then becomes Promenade Amiral de Grasse (7) where Nicolas de Stael lived, and a magnificent panorama lies before you.
Going along the coast, the ramparts follow the old circular route built to the plans of Vauban. This is the oldest part of Antibes, imbued with three thousand years of history, and where there are still the remains of ancient Roman walls. History is all around you in Place du Revely (8), the Chapel of Saint Esprit, next to the house where Jacques Audiberti was born, the Cathedral, the “Sarrazine” towers and the ancient Chateau Grimaldi (9), which became the Picasso Museum and the temple of joie de vivre. A few steps from the Bastion Saint André (10) which holds the remains from the land and sea of ancient Antipolis, stands the bust of Victor Hugo, telling of the greatness of the poet. Descending to the square of the autonomous commune of Safranier, which has its own town hall, you see the house of Nikos Kazantzakis, author of “Zorba the Greek” and “The Last Temptation of Christ”. Take a stroll along the shaded, narrow lanes (rue Bas and Haut Castellet) and you are in the area that Paul Arène, Prévert, Mistinguett, Junger, Hans Hartung or Graham Green loved to wander." I have been living in Antibes for more than 20 years. I first discovered the town over 40 years ago. Off all the towns on the French Riviera, it is the only one where I feel at home". (Graham Greene)
Take a look at the Tourraque Fountain and the ancient lavoir (11) where in time gone by the people of Antibes used to do their “bugade” (washing). Finally, the eternal Antibes with the Portail de l'Orme (12), where there are Greco-Roman remains, and the “Popular art and traditions” museum in a network of lanes with evocative names. The Provencal Market in cours Massena trades each morning, a rich panoply of fragrance and colour in the Provencal tradition.
The ancient houses that line the market, one of the most renowned on the Cote d'Azur, were built in the Middle Ages in a style called “La Bougade” (village style). Massena lived at no. 21, a famous Marshall of Napoleon 1st, married to a woman from Antibes. He traded in soap and oil before taking up his military career. The area between cours Massena and place Nationale dates from the 16th century. It was the “Forum Romanum”, then the Jardin du Roy, then place Neuve. In the heart of place Nationale is the Peynet Museum, opposite the Column of Place Nationale (13), given to the town by Louis 18th, a place to dream and dawdle before heading for other shaded streets in the old town, to admire the Chapel Saint Bernardin (14), built in 1513, the picturesque Fontvieille Fountain (15), and the Porte de France(16). This fortified edifice was the only way to leave the town before the demolition of part of the ramparts which encircled the town. Generally, it opened at daybreak and closed at dusk, posing a problem for night owls who were forced to sleep under the stars. |
