By Garen Ajderhanyan7 min read
Updated on
In brief
Eze is read on three levels: Eze-bord-de-mer on the coast, the Moyenne Corniche carrying the road, and the medieval village perched above the Mediterranee. Its cobbled lanes lead to the exotic garden, laid out on the castle ruins. The Sentier Frédéric-Nietzsche connects the village to the sea. A few minutes from Nice and Monaco via the Corniches, Eze remains one of the sought-after addresses on the Cote d'Azur.
Why is it said that Eze is read on three levels?
First, one must understand the geography. Eze rises in three tiers: Eze-bord-de-mer, with its railway station and coves; the Moyenne Corniche, which carries the road and a few addresses clinging to the slope; and Eze-village, the medieval eyrie set on its rocky peak, high above the Mediterranee.
From Nice, one barely glimpses it. The village withdraws behind the headlands, and it is the road that reveals it: the Corniches traced between Nice and Menton, of which the Moyenne Corniche serves Eze. One leaves the Promenade, follows the port, and a few minutes later the landscape changes scale, the sea below, the rock above, the village between the two.
What does the village look like when one climbs its lanes?
One leaves the car below; the village can only be visited on foot. The cobbled lanes climb in a spiral between stone houses pressed against one another, beneath vaulted passages where light falls intermittently. Craftsmen's workshops and galleries occupy the former shops.
What strikes me on each visit is the silence. Past the village gate, the noise of the road dies away. One hears footsteps on the cobbles, a fountain, conversations in several languages. Eze lives from passing trade, of course, but the stone retains its medieval gravity.
What does one see from the exotic garden?
Right at the top, on the ruins of the old castle, the commune has laid out the exotic garden. Succulents, agaves, aloes, cacti grow amongst the vestiges, on the bare rock. The contrast works: arid vegetation installed on a peak overlooking the sea.
And then there is the viewpoint. From the summit terraces, the gaze extends over the Mediterranee and the coastline, and on clear days well beyond. It is one of the reasons one climbs to Eze, and it suffices.
What story does the Sentier Frédéric-Nietzsche tell?
A path descends from the village towards Eze-bord-de-mer, through pine wood and scree. It bears the name of Frédéric Nietzsche. The philosopher, who spent his winters in Nice, wrote that the decisive part of the third book of Thus Spoke Zarathustra was composed during a strenuous climb from the station up to the village.
The descent is steep and requires good shoes; the ascent, stamina. But this path sums up Eze better than any brochure: in one walk, one passes from the medieval village to the sea, from mineral to coast.
Why does Eze appeal to an international clientele?
The answer lies in the map. Eze sits between Nice and Monaco, a few minutes from one as from the other via the Corniches. One can live there in a medieval village setting, work in the Principality and reach Nice airport without crossing a city.
Added to this is rarity. The village fabric is limited, the stone houses do not multiply, and properties in the surrounding areas, on the Moyenne Corniche or towards the seafront, are passed on more than they are advertised. From Nice, we see enquiries from foreign buyers for whom Eze is a known name even before the first visit. The village needs no selling; it is visited, and the visit concludes.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Eze located?
- Eze is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes, on the Cote d'Azur, between Nice and Monaco. It unfolds on three levels: Eze-bord-de-mer on the coast, the Moyenne Corniche, and Eze-village, perched above the Mediterranee.
- What is the difference between Eze-village and Eze-bord-de-mer?
- Eze-village is the perched medieval settlement, pedestrian, with its cobbled lanes and the exotic garden. Eze-bord-de-mer is on the coast, with the railway station. The Sentier Frédéric-Nietzsche connects the two on foot.
- What is the exotic garden of Eze?
- A succulent garden laid out at the top of the village, on the ruins of the old castle. It offers a viewpoint over the Mediterranee and the Cote d'Azur coastline.
- How does one reach Eze from Nice?
- By road, the Moyenne Corniche leads to Eze-village in a few minutes from Nice. The train serves Eze-bord-de-mer station, from where the Sentier Frédéric-Nietzsche climbs to the village on foot.
- Why does the path bear Nietzsche's name?
- Frédéric Nietzsche, who spent his winters in Nice, recounted that he composed part of the third book of Thus Spoke Zarathustra while climbing from the station up to the village. The path was named in his memory.
Updates
- Nietzsche spent his winters in Nice, not in Eze; his own account of the climb from the station to the village, while composing the third book of Zarathustra, replaces the hedged wording.
References
The author
Garen AjderhanyanEditor of La Gazette de la Promenade
Editor of La Gazette de la Promenade. He writes on Riviera property and the art of living, from Nice.