French Riviera

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The French Riviera (French: Côte d'Azur) is part of France's southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, reaching from Toulon to Menton, at the border with Italy. The French Riviera is regarded as one of the most luxurious, glamorous, expensive and sophisticated areas on the planet and is home to many of the world's rich and famous. Cannes is host to the annual presentation of the Palme d'Or, which attracts movie stars from around the world.

1 Extent
2 History
3 Places
4 Famous Residents
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Extent

Image:Cotedazur.png

One of the most famous resort areas in the world, the French Riviera continues west from the Italian Riviera and Menton through Monaco, Nice, Antibes and Cannes, along the Mediterranean coast of the Alpes-Maritimes département. After Cannes, there is some dispute regarding its extent, with some authorities (including the official tourist bodies for the Alpes-Maritimes) arguing that it stops at the border with the département of the Var, after Théoule-sur-Mer. Others suggest it extends further along the Var coastline, at least as far as Saint-Tropez but possibly to Hyères or even the border with the Bouches-du-Rhône département.

[edit] History

The French Riviera became a fashionable resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was particularly popular with the British upper class. Winston Churchill was a regular visitor who often stayed in Coco Chanel's villa where he wrote his memoirs. Initially it was a winter resort, valued for its mild winter climate in comparison with that of northern Europe (although it is by no means actually warm in the winter). Later it became much more popular as a summer resort.

[edit] Places

Places on the French Riviera include, from west to east:

[edit] Famous Residents

[edit] See also

Italian Riviera
Gulf of Genoa
Turkish Riviera
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
The article Riviera provides links to articles on the many coastal strips around the world which are known as Rivieria.