The Cote d'Azure
The French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) covers the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. It includes urban areas such as Saint-Tropez and Cannes, Nice, Menton, Antibes and the independent state of Monaco.
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Globes celebrating the area tend to be either general with palm trees and blue sea and sky. However the Negresco Hotel in Nice features in a lot of them as in the ornate based globe below, worth seeing from front and back.
The Negresco Hotel in Nice is a key symbol of the Cote D' Azure and takes pride of place in this particularly ornate globe
Monaco Globes
The Principality of Monaco is the second-smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City. It is situated on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian border. It is one of the wealthiest and most expensive places to live in the world and has the world's shortest coastline.
Monaco's main buildings are included in the many snow globes available there and in these examples
The Prince's Palace of Monaco is the official residence of the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. It was built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress. Since the end of the 13th century, it has been the stronghold and home of the Grimaldi family.
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The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event run since 1929. It is
widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races. The race circuit goes through the narrow streets of Monaco and past the casino. This globe contains a red Ferrari like car in front of the casino.
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The Casino de Monte-Carlo, was built in opulent Belle Époque style in 1878 from the profits made by an earlier building built by Charles III in 1865. This original venture was to stop him and the principality going bankrupt. It was so successful that, by 1869, the prince was able to abolish taxation for the local Monagasques but interestingly in return, the citizens of Monaco were and are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms of the casino, so as to to protect their moral welfare.
Nice Globes
Nice is situated on the French Riviera, at the foot of the French Alps. It is the second largest city on the French Meditteranean coast after Marseilles. It is 8 miles from Monaco and 30 miles from the Italian border. Around 350 BC, Greeks from Marseille started a settlement here naming it after Nike, the goddess of victory. It now has a a population of nearly one million
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The palm trees of the Promenade des Anglais have become symbols of Nice as have the blue chairs which first appeared in the 1950s
The Promenade de Anglais from a distance, showing sand, sea, palm trees and the Negresco Hotel amongst other Belle Epoque buildings which cover the whole of the bay.
The St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Nice remains the property of the Russian Federation. It is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe. The cathedral was opened in 1912, and largely financed by Russia's Tsar Nicholas II, in memory of Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, who died in Nice. It served the large Russian community that had settled in Nice by the end of the 19th century.
Nice globes often use the local Cote d Azure national dress. The dress consisted of a long, billowing skirt with a fitted bodice, apron on top, and a wide brimmed hat or headscarf. The skirt is made of light silk or muslin and is often decorated with details and various colors, though red seems popular.
From Cannes to Menton
There are many beautiful towns on the Cote dAzure well worth visiting. These globes from 3 of the main towns are all in the same style
The home of the annual Cannes Film Festival, the city is well known as the resort of the rich and famous. The city was begun in the 2nd century BC. The globe shows the Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Esperance, a 15th century church situated on top of the old town of Le Suquet.
This dolphin globe shows scenes from all the main towns of the Riviera around its base
Eze
Eze is a medieval village high up on a hill side between Nice and Monaco.
It's one of the most visited places on the Riviera with great views of the Cote D' Azure. There is a garden of tropical plants on the crest of the hill that overlooks the coast. The Church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption built from the 17th century on a previous 12th centry structure appears prominently on the globe and photo.
